Chapter 8

Summary of the previous chapter:

The girls took a graceful walk in the forest. We spent a burning time there. (In a physical sense)

8

Before the sun set, we decided to return to the cave we had previously used as a den.

Lily and Rose, our main fighters, can see in the dark. ...Well, Rose doesn't even have eyes, but we humans can't do that.

Once it gets dark, the danger of moving through the already poorly visible forest increases.

It's troublesome to be paralyzed by fear of risk, but avoidable dangers should be avoided.

For these reasons, we returned to the cave and immediately started preparing dinner.

Today's dinner is a bit luxurious.

After all, we got a whole wolf, over two meters long.

The processing, starting with bleeding the animal, was entrusted to Rose right after the kill, so all we had to do was cut it up and cook it well.

The smell of roasting meat filled the cave.

I couldn't help but swallow.

And the result...

"Ah..."

I felt betrayed.

To be honest, I was looking forward to it.

But it was as hard and tasteless as rubber.

It was inedible.

I've heard that the meat of carnivores is bad, but this seemed to be on a different level. I felt like we had made a mistake in the processing.

I don't know what went wrong.

I didn't even know about bleeding, so of course I had no idea how to make it taste good.

The knowledge about processing hunted animals came from the memories of Mizuho Mizushima, which Lily had dug up from a book or something.

Perhaps it was a mistake that the meat was from a monster.

I realized how excellent the meat companies in modern Japan are.

Well, while the taste was disappointing, it was still a big deal to have obtained so much protein.

I thoroughly enjoyed the long-awaited feeling of fullness.

Lily, who didn't seem to find it tasteless, was happily eating the meat.

Kato-san also ate the hard, tasteless meat without complaint, shoving it down her throat.

"Sorry. ...Excuse me, I'll go to sleep first."

Perhaps she was tired, because she fell asleep immediately after eating.

"She must have been really tired."

Kato-san was curled up in a hollow near the entrance of the cave, wrapped in a sheet she had stripped from a bed in the mountain hut. I could hear her peaceful breathing as she slept.

With her somewhat childlike appearance, she didn't seem to be just a year younger than me.

I was a bit tired too.

I decided to go to sleep soon.

Thinking that, I was about to move to my usual spot in the cave where I always sleep.

Then, Lily, who had suddenly let go of my arm, ran ahead of me.

She turned around, her lower body turned back into a slime, and extended her hands.

"Please, Master."

It was a surreal scene as always.

But this is my daily life now.

"Lily, Kato-san..."

"It's okay, she's sleeping well."

Lily was right; Kato-san was sleeping soundly.

She seemed to be fine.

Besides, Lily's true nature isn't something that absolutely must be kept secret.

I had hidden it just in case.

As a hidden card to cut in an emergency.

And now I know it's not necessary.

After today, I have a good grasp of Kato-san's condition.

She doesn't seem to have the energy to do anything to us.

She just follows us silently, like a robot moving its legs.

She seems to be in a state close to a shell.

And... what was it?

There was another reason, but my head wasn't working properly.

I was so sleepy.

I didn't know that feeling so satisfied could be so fulfilling.

I stopped arguing and sat next to where Lily's "limbs" were growing.

I felt the fatigue seeping out of my back into the air. I couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.

"Master, are you sleepy?"

"Yeah..."

I gave a half-hearted response and leaned on Lily's slender body.

"Master, you're surprisingly bad at falling asleep. I had to wake you up a few times this morning, you know?"

"...Yeah, yeah, that's right."

"You're so cute, Master."

She said it in a particularly cheerful voice and wrapped her arms around me.

By the way, the tracksuit Lily is wearing was confiscated from a male student last night, so of course she isn't wearing any underwear.

Therefore, a happy elasticity bounced off my forearms.

I doubt any man would dislike this.

It was a silly thought, but it even felt like my fatigue was being relieved.

Sitting on the sofa, feeling like lovers, I let myself be carried away by the gentle flow of time for a while.

"...Huh? What are you making, Rose?"

I was thinking about going to sleep when I was suddenly drawn to what Rose was doing.

Rose, as usual, was keeping watch while whittling wood near the fire.

I had instructed her to make weapons and armor.

Reflecting on today's battle, if it weren't for the large shield she made, I would have been seriously injured or, at worst, dead. Her role is significant, even if it's subtle.

But what she was trying to carve from the felled wood seemed to be a bit different from weapons or armor.

When I asked, Rose seemed to be hesitating.

It's hard to tell with her expressionless face, but she did stop and hesitated to answer my question.

However, as a vassal, Rose doesn't have the option of not responding to my request.

She came to me, knelt on one knee, and respectfully presented what she had been carving.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed your work. So, this is... um..."

I turned it over to check it and tilted my head.

"An arm?"

It was still rough, but that was probably because it was still in the making.

It was clearly a human body part with the characteristics of a human arm.

I was confused because I didn't understand why Rose was making such a thing.

As I tilted my head, Rose extended her own arm.

I casually looked at the arm she extended.

The firelight, flickering red, illuminated her slightly glossy wooden arm.

I froze.

"That...!"

At the end of the wooden arm.

One of Rose's fingers was charred.

"During the battle with the Fire Fang today!?"

All my sleepiness vanished in an instant.

"Damn. I didn't even notice."

I held my head with my free hand.

I was frustrated with my own carelessness.

"By the way, did you hide it from me?"

An awkward awareness passed through the mental link.

It seemed to hit the mark.

"Really."

I exhaled a large breath, mixed with anger.

I thought she was helpless, but I couldn't scold her outright.

Rose must have kept quiet out of concern for me.

Besides, more than half of the anger I felt was directed at my own inadequacy.

It's not right to take it out on her.

Considering the future, it might be necessary to warn her.

But there were other things to confirm first.

"Can't Lily's magic fix it?"

"My healing magic is only up to level three. It can't heal limb loss."

"Right, limb regeneration is a special type of level five healing magic, I think."

Thanks to my otaku friend who enthusiastically talked about cheat abilities, I naturally became knowledgeable about magic. ...I haven't thought about him in a while, but I hope he's doing well. Even if we met, I don't think we could have silly conversations like before.

"I see. So Rose was making a prosthetic arm."

That made sense.

But when I said this, Rose shook her head in denial.

"What do you mean?"

Perhaps thinking it was futile to explain, Rose took the arm from me.

She seemed to be preparing to demonstrate.

Under my watchful eye, Rose placed her arm on the ground once.

Then, she removed the part of her own arm that was blackened at the end from the elbow and attached the arm she was making instead.

A clicking sound of parts fitting together echoed in the cave.

In front of me, the fingers, still awkwardly shaped, twitched.

"...Huh!?"

Perhaps because it was just attached, or because the arm was still in the making, the movement was a bit stiff.

But it was definitely moving.

She demonstrated by making a fist and then opening it, and then switched back to her original arm. Of course, this one moved smoothly as well.

"Can you replace your arms and legs?"

I was surprised.

I thought it was convenient, but I didn't expect it to be this capable.

It had a simple structure, but how was it possible?

...No, that's not it.

Rather, it's because it's simple.

Originally, Rose's body is a wooden doll that shouldn't be able to move on its own.

What makes it possible is probably the mysterious power of monsters—magic, in other words.

If that's the case, it's not surprising that she can make a new arm move just like her original one.

The reason Rose kept quiet about her injury was that she could handle it herself.

However, I can't just be surprised.

"Rose, I'm going to give you an order."

I turned to face Rose.

"From now on, in addition to weapons and armor, make spare limbs. ...No, prioritize that. If possible, it's best to always carry spares."

Rose has never refused my orders.

Her acceptance was immediately transmitted through the mental link.

But at the same time, a slight doubt was budding in her, which I could sense through our mental connection.

"Is it so strange to be told to make your own limbs?"

Rose nodded in response to my question.

She really didn't understand.

I almost sighed.

If she really couldn't understand my intention, it was... painful.

I felt sad and somewhat responsible.

It seemed that my feelings were also transmitted, as I could sense a disturbance in Rose.

"Let me make it clear, it's not because 'you can recover quickly if you lose a limb in battle.' That's not the reason. Not entirely, anyway."

Rose seemed even more confused and completely froze.

It was a troublesome situation.

How could I make her understand?

My earnest servant.

I thought for a moment, chose my words, and then realized there was a simpler way.

"Hey, Rose."

I took Rose's wooden hand and stroked her charred finger.

It was something she had lost for me.

Even if it returned to its original state, the value of what she had paid would not change.

"It might be hard to understand, but I consider you as important a companion as Lily."

To me, the only people I can trust in this world are Lily and Rose.

Vassals may increase in the future, but that doesn't diminish their value.

"Take care of yourself as much as possible. This isn't an order. It's a request from me."

As long as I ask you to fight, this might be just a pretense.

But it was my true feeling at the moment.

Rose froze, as if she had turned back into a doll.

Then, after a few seconds, she regained her composure and knelt, bowing deeply.

Her fingers slipped away, leaving only a warm, unique sensation in me.

"Raise your head, Rose. If you understand, that's enough."

I had a vague feeling that Lily and Rose, though both vassals, had slightly different stances toward me.

Lily is quite casual.

Not just her tone, but her attitude is quite relaxed.

This is probably because I was seeking a place to rest my heart.

Indeed, I am being healed by her.

I think Lily clearly took on that role when she consumed Mizuho Mizushima's body and gained the ability to mimic humans.

What about Rose's mental structure?

It seems to be quite different from Lily's.

That is, she is straightforward and disciplined.

A warrior type, silently fulfilling her duties.

For example, today.

She took on the unpleasant task of dealing with the students' bodies, which everyone else would have avoided.

Of course, it's a matter of feelings, but there was also the risk of contracting a serious disease by touching a decomposing body.

I didn't let Lily do it because she has more contact with me.

In the end, she took on the dirty work alone.

Thinking about it, she was the only one who got injured today, losing a finger.

—Self-sacrificing loyalty.

That is Rose's essence.

If Lily is the one who heals my heart, then Rose is more concretely here to protect me from danger in this harsh world, isn't she?

In other words, isn't Rose responding to my wish for safety in this harsh world?

Looking at her, I can't help but feel that way.

If that's true... no, even if it's not, I can't forget her dedication.

I must repay her dedication.

No, I want to repay her myself.

"I wish I could have talked to you."

I want to hear from her mouth what she wants me to do, what she wishes for.

"If that's what Master wishes, we will surely make it happen someday."

Lily, who was hugging me from the side, answered my mutter in place of the speechless Rose.

"Because we are vassals."

I could sense through the mental link that Lily was serious.

I always sense it.

My vassals, who are here for me.

What can I give them in return?

"That's good."

At that moment, Kato-san, who seemed to be sleeping wrapped in a sheet, opened her mouth.

"I'm envious."

"...You were awake?"

I was a bit surprised, having almost forgotten about her presence.

Kato-san, wrapped in a slightly dirty white sheet, was still in the same position, but her eyes were open, looking at me.

"So, Lily-san is a monster too, huh."

"You heard?"

"Just the last part. And... Lily-san is in that form now."

Kato-san indicated Lily, whose lower body was a slime.

Indeed, there's no way to hide this.

"I suddenly... woke up. ...I'm sorry."

"No. It's probably my fault for making noise. And... 'So' means you had your suspicions, right?"

"...Yes. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. I was the one keeping secrets."

If anything, I should be the one to apologize for keeping secrets.

There's no reason to reveal everything about my situation, so I won't apologize.

"Out of curiosity, when did you realize?"

"Well, Lily-san didn't back down even against the Fire Fang."

"That's true. But you didn't think she was a cheat ability user?"

"She called you 'Master.'"

Well, it was bound to come out.

As I nodded in agreement, Kato-san looked down, a bit hesitant, then looked back at me.

"...And, more than anything... she had the appearance of Senpai Mizushima."

"You knew Mizuho Mizushima?"

"Yes."

For a moment, Kato-san's gaze dropped.

Perhaps she was remembering the deceased Mizuho Mizushima.

"I'm sorry for not telling you."

Kato-san bowed her head.

"Until yesterday, I was with Senpai Mizushima."

"I see."

"Aren't you surprised?"

Kato-san, who had revealed her hidden circumstances, seemed a bit puzzled by my attitude.

"I thought it was a possibility. Just one of the possibilities, though."

Both of them had been attacked by those male students.

And Lily, who inherited Mizuho Mizushima's memories, knew about the mountain hut and the male students there.

It makes sense if Mizuho Mizushima and Kato Mina were together in that mountain hut from the beginning.

I hadn't confirmed this with Lily because I wanted to respect Mizuho Mizushima's privacy as much as possible.

I have no right to meddle with the memories of the deceased.

I already feel guilty towards Mizuho Mizushima. Unless it's a matter of life and death, I didn't intend to touch her 'memories,' even if I could access her 'knowledge.'

"Did you escape from the colony with Mizuho Mizushima?"

"Yes. I've been able to survive until now... thanks to knowing Senpai Mizushima..."

Her voice was still dark, but there was a gentle tone in Kato-san's response to my question.

—On the day the colony collapsed.

Kato-san said she was running away from the mob of students, as part of a group of female students.

Mizuho Mizushima was in that group. In the new world, their connection as club seniors and juniors was meaningless, but they were good friends.

Like me on that day, they were running around the colony, but fortunately, they were protected by the cheat ability users, who were part of the security force.

However, the group was scattered by an attack from the rebel students, and Kato-san and Mizuho Mizushima were protected by a young boy from the security force and fled to the mountain hut.

For some unknown reason, the mysterious stone in the mountain hut had the power to repel