Chapter 8

Who is the Cookie Monster?

This is from Xenoshu's perspective.

"Pitiful"

I can't help but mutter this. In front of me, the one who is our king looks sad.

His hair, which is a rainbow of colors on a white base, and his eyes, which are multicolored like the dawn sky, prove that he is a terrifying being blessed with all the magic that is allowed.

Among us monsters, those who possess white are extremely rare.

Those who hold white transcend the realm of monsters and are given titles of the ruling class.

From the traces left in human literature and paintings, it seems that those who hold white are objects of worship.

They are recognized as different beings, even though they are the same living creatures.

The reason Dino Silhaan is special.

It is because he holds white,

and he holds the rainbow.

The one who holds all colors, that is, the one who holds dominion over all attributes.

I don't know of any other being as special as him.

Even for us, he is a great being, almost like a miracle. Yet, today, Nia is treating him casually.

Dino is happy with such treatment, but when he gets truly angry, he ends up secretly feeling down.

It's not that he dislikes being hated.

(I hope Nia will soon realize the poor way he expresses himself)

Nia is a human who was pulled down from a different world, one unaffected by him, by his whims.

Dino, wanting a companion to live with rather than just a servant, created Nia as his ideal partner by reshaping his body.

It seems that bringing her to this world in her original form was impossible, so her appearance was reconstructed to Dino's liking.

Therefore, there is no way Dino could give up on Nia, even if she tried to run away.

(Why can't he just say he wants to embrace you instead of wanting to be a chair?)

I only bowed in reverence to him, who is also our king, at first.

One reason is that when we did, Nia would run away with a terrible expression, which Dino disliked.

Now, as a fellow song-beggar monster, I call him by his name normally.

Another reason is that Dino, who only knows how to be served, is so clumsy that it makes me anxious.

When I see him, with his puppy-like appearance, looking so dejected, I can't help but hold his hands and encourage him.

I feel a sense of familiarity towards him.

It's not that he wants to be thrown harsh words, but why can't he just say he wants to be pampered? I find it mysterious, even I do.

Pitiful.

(To the lower monsters who are Nia's targets, Dino is only an object of fear and dread, I suppose)

The most pitiful beings in this world are currently the weak monsters who receive Nia's clumsy affection.

Nia loves monsters that are like bricks, yeast, plants that can be eaten, and those suitable for crafting. It seems that the monsters popular among the human commoners match her tastes.

I, being a high-ranking white holder, am usually out of Nia's affectionate reach, though I usually disguise myself to avoid the hassle.

It might be a bit boring, but not being hated by him is a kind of happiness.

"Ah, Xenoshu, do you want a cookie?"

"......I'll eat it."

As Dino wobbled out, Nia, who passed by, took out individually wrapped cookies from her pocket as soon as she saw me.

She apparently always carries them in case she meets me.

"Why do you always carry them for someone you dislike?"

"Did I ever say I dislike Xenoshu?"

"You don't want to make a contract with me, right?"

That's a rejection for us.

"I don't want to. You're high-ranking. Even if I switch, I might end up being used by another important person in the country, which I definitely don't want."

"Then you don't dislike me?"

"Why would that be the case?"

She muttered that it was incomprehensible, but I was the one who didn't understand.

You decide to avoid me because it's troublesome.

But where is the reassuring affection in that?

Yet, you don't give up on being with me.

How can Dino's heart, always tormented, be so strong?

I wonder if it's because I think about my song-beggar.

When I think about that person, Xenoshu always feels a painful loneliness in my chest.

"Here, here, I still have cookies."

"......I'll eat them."

I heard that Nia calls me the Cookie Monster.

But I don't mind being called that.

(But what does 'monster' mean? I know 'cookie' is the name of this snack...)

While munching on the cookie, I stared at Nia, who was smiling and patting my head.

Nia, who usually has a limited range of expressions, is smiling at me now.

(You give me cookies as if you're petting a kitten)

No other song-beggar treats us like this.

To us monsters, humans are fundamentally insignificant beings.

That's why all song-beggars, out of fear and restraint, interact with us.

Without knowing how much this disappoints us.

(Indeed, the contract does shorten the life of the song-beggar?)

But it's also true that we, the monsters, don't mind kneeling before them and showing ourselves.

(The contract shortens the life of the song-beggar because humans are weak beings)

We get hurt too, we are not immortal, and we are beings with hearts.

Of course, we don't want to shorten the life of a song-beggar we like.

But,

even so.

To scatter their life with the contract and be prepared to suffer the pain of being left alone.

The song-beggars always shatter our hopes.

"If there were two Nias, it would be great."

"Even if there were two, I wouldn't give one to you. And if both were me, I still couldn't handle high-ranking monsters."

"Hey, why don't you become Dino's partner soon? Then Nia could live as long as us, and you wouldn't complain about high-ranking monsters anymore, right?"

"......Why did it come to this?"

I tried to plead with all my might, but Nia just held her head.

That's strange.

Usually, humans would give anything when asked like this.

"Nia......"

When I looked at her sadly, she patted my head, saying, "There, there."

This is something Nia always does, something I used to want my song-beggar to do for me long ago.

"Hmm, maybe I've overfed you. The power of cookies is formidable, isn't it?"

No, Nia.

With my shoulders slumped, Nia tilted her head.

It doesn't seem like Dino's feelings will be reciprocated anytime soon.

"Do you want a cookie?"

"......I'll eat it."