Monster no Goshujin-sama

Twenty-three.

We took each other monsters, and me and Kudo looked at each other.

Kudo and I thought we would meet again someday.

But you can't even imagine that would be such a good time.

"Long time no see"

With a smile on her face, Kudo greets her affectionately.

I had no words to give back.

Our relationship is not such that we can laugh and greet each other.

Another monster user.

Similar in origin, a boy on a different path.

He was an indisputable enemy when he chose to follow a monster with a collar by his ability against me who led a monster through his heart by his ability.

Sneaking up on weakness was exactly this.

Even the status quo is out of hand, but you come out here?

No. Is this when you showed up?

Have you come to attach to weakness?

"... the Lord."

At that time, Gabella held my hand.

Needless to say, gibberish. As painful as it is originally.

That's a very feminine strength, though it may not be girly.

"... thanks, Gabella"

So, extra force came out of my body.

"It's okay now."

"Uhm."

I was starting to turn my head, too, because I could afford it.

The fact that he's been talking to me like this doesn't mean Kudo's going to hit me right away.

Then maybe we can do something about it.

Kudo looks at us with pleasure.

I looked back at him from the front.

"Long time no see, Kudo"

Has it been two months?

Same as when we broke up...... no. Would you have lost some weight? Or are you just under different impressions because your clothes are turning into local ones?

As a matter of course, the time of two months also flows equally to Kudo. I turned my gaze to the monster following Kudo.

Things had changed for a few of them, too.

Among the legions of shadows, there was no queen Anton giant to produce them, so I don't know about her, but the double-headed wolf Berta had five tentacles stretched out from around her waist, unlike before.

Originally Berta is a malformation of Fire Fang, a monster deep in the tree sea.

Is it the trait of being a monster that is deepening the degree of alienation? Or is it because of the origin found in a way close to worm poison, where numerous monsters are fed to each other?

"... sounds like you've been working a lot more vigorously"

Kudo laughed and nodded at my words.

"Yeah, well. I have a purpose."

"… purpose, or"

The hammered tongue left a rough bitterness.

- I'm the Demon King. Humans are not saving. Destroy it.

I was abused, I was hurt, I lost my dignity, and at the end of the sentence, even my life was about to be taken...

I'm the demon king who manipulates monsters. It is an exchange of revenge on humans. By thinking that way, the boy who kept himself in a hard way has only been able to live that way anymore.

Straight forward in a way, I guess he has been working for that for the last two months.

Part of the achievement was in front of me.

In other words, a selection of family members, including Berta.

"Some seniors have never met. Introduce. This is Zeser from Dirty Sludge."

A loose green muddy appeared from the cuffs of the clothes Kudo was wearing.

It's a monster I've never seen before. I guess it's not a monster living around here. Does purposefully giving it a name mean it's probably more than a rare monster?

"And this is Dora from Nightmare Stalker"

The girl beside him came forward prompted by the words of Kudo that followed.

"I'll see you first. Another King."

Keep your head down as you say hello.

Hair, skin and eye color are black like a shadow painting...... but unlike the army of Doppel Genger following behind Kudo, she was not a girl called the shadow painting itself.

Obviously the appearance is human apart, but still among Kudo's family it can be said that it is close to human.

Dora is a mutant of my split.

One of the Doppel Gengers turned into a boy's and held his mouth.

The tall, disappointingly physique boy was Tatsuya the Cross - a split reflecting the will of Anton the Doppel Queen, who copied the figure with his traits as a monster.

Unlike the real cross, Anton put his hand on the black girl's shoulder, drifting machine-like inorganicity on her stern face.

"My ability as a split is not equipped with one thing. My device is defective. But instead, he's good at fighting.... maybe I can kill you if you're as weak as you are with the injury, white spider"

"A polite greeting hurts. So, do you want to try one, as a sign of your proximity?

Tingling air flows between the two towing each other.

Seeing those two, Berta brought one of the wolf's heads.

"... stop, Anton. In front of the king."

"I know."

Anton's split, looking like a cross, shrugged his shoulders and pulled back.

Garbera squeaks her nose and Dora lays down her black eyes.

"Looks like you're done saying hello."

Kudo turned to me after giving me a glimpse into the skirmish between each other's relatives.

"I'm sorry I couldn't show my face right away when I said it was a senior crisis. Anyway, there was Yuna Iino here."

Think of me as Kudo's accomplice, and I'm talking about Iino, who came after me all this way. Knowing Kudo existed would be a relentless beating.

That's how Kudo came into contact with him because he couldn't move anymore.

"... no, wait. How did you know what I was doing?

I was convinced, but I noticed something strange.

"How did you get here in the first place? I don't suppose that's why you let the monsters under your command follow me all the time, is it?

"I don't imitate you like a stalker."

"What do you say?"

Gabella snapped softly, but Kudo continued without worrying.

"It was in the town of Serratta that I learned about my senior's crisis. I was gathering information there, and you came in with a smelly story. I also got a lot of information about 'Wei Waste Heaven', so I let her chase after me. Luckily, she was using horses, not her own feet, so chasing them wasn't so hard in itself"

"I see. How is that?"

And, at the same time I was convinced, one of the words Kudo mouthed caught me.

Information gathering.

Is that also one of the activities he has been carrying out in the last two months?

Like me, Kudo, who leads the monster, has difficulty moving in the human world, but he also has family members who can easily be distracted into human society.

Anton of Doppel Queen manipulating numerous splits.

Her split can copy the human figure. Like Lily in Mimic Slime, you don't even have to prey on the subject to copy. Considering that remote manipulation is possible, the convenience of using that capability for intelligence activities is immeasurable.

For a moment, Anton's body may not be on the spot because he's in the middle of those activities.

No matter how remotely operable, there will be limits to the distance, and the fact that the body could not extend its legs so far is a story that can be enough.

Or maybe Anton, along with other monsters and somehow in another manoeuvre, was taking, given that he didn't see anything other than a select family: Berta, Zeezer and Dora on this occasion.

"I understand how it happened."

I decided to get to the bottom of it when I had a pretty good idea of the situation.

"So why did you come all the way after me?

"Oh. About that, I think I just said"

In response to Kudo, I frowned.

Indeed, at the time he shows up in front of me, Kudo says why he came to this place.

"... you said you'd help Lily."

"Yeah, I'm here to help the seniors."

Neither did he seem concerned about my attitude, which did not hide his suspicions, and the dust and Kudo laughed.

"I'm listening to the situation. You've been stripped of your senior's precious slime by a tall house, haven't you? If you'll excuse me, I'll lend you my family here."

"... you know what that means?

The opponent has cheats and Warrior's Takaya is pure. The battle involves a danger to life.

Pong, it's not a situation where you can easily lend your own family.

But Kudo agreed lightly.

"Of course. You can treat me as a senior's hand and foot in the fight against Takaya"

The shards also appeared unhesitant.

"Whatever, you can have it crushed."

That tone is like talking about consumables...... no.

I guess for Kudo, a monster that could be obeyed is just the truth, the consumables.

I have a different consciousness of my family.

At Fort Chilea, because Kudo used hundreds of monsters to throw them away.

At that time, all of that was unwilled normal monsters, but I guess his stance wouldn't change, even if it was a special dependant of his will.

If Lily and her family are jewels to me, they are stone to Kudo.

Throw it at him, if you can hurt him. You don't have to go out of your way to pick it up, the stones are rolling around there.

Thinking about it, the families who follow Kudo were also pathetic.

Nevertheless, as things stand, I cannot afford to have sympathy for them.

I waved lightly. [M]

"... So, Kudo. What do you want in return?

Though it is a stone's throw for Kudo, it takes a lot of time to pick it up.

I'll give you that for free. You won't have an in-laws, and it's natural to ask for something in return.

If so, that's probably...

"Right."

Kudo asked over a beat as he put the loose, muddy zezer back inside the hem of his clothes.

"Do seniors remember the suggestion I made before?

... I knew it, did it?

It was something I could not have expected, but I couldn't help but look.

"The reward you seek is that I join hands with you?

That was a suggestion Kudo had previously taken upon his departure from Fort Chile.

Me leading the monster and Kudo I can follow.

Stance is the difference...... no. Is it because it's not? Me and Kudo's abilities go perfectly together. We can fill each other's holes.

That is, the possibility that we can save or destroy this world with the sea of trees that many monsters travel in.

It was only natural that Kudo obsessed with me.

And in this case, Kudo's proposal itself is not extrajudicial.

I'll give you a hand, so join hands with yourself. It's a real deal.

I also know that Kudo's abilities are powerful. If that hand can be borrowed here, the chances of a successful Lily recapture will increase.

But joining hands with Kudo means at the same time a separation from the human world.

After all, it wasn't a swallowable story.

But Kudo opened his mouth earlier, as if he had read my insides.

"Even for seniors, I don't think it's a bad story."

It was a slow tone, to say the least.

"Have you been in contact with human society in this world for two months now? Isn't it time seniors knew? The truth is, which one should you join hands with"

……

- Are we going to kill each other with someone else to get back something monster!?

Behind my brain, I was reminded of words that had been smashed from Iino.

From me, it was a terrible word.

But the real problem is that, uh, tomorrow's thoughts aren't just hers.

Let's say there are two people here.

One is captured, and if left alone, there is no life.

But if you give the other life, the captured man will help.

Let's assume such a situation.

If a captured human acquaintance had a decent nerve for finding out about these situations, he wouldn't and can't tell the other person to "lay down his life".

That's not how opinions come out that it's inhumane not to give up your life.

But if this isn't human, what do you think?

If it's a condition of giving life to something that's not a human being, wouldn't the conclusion be different?

Not to mention that this world is constantly under threat from monsters.

That's the world we're trying to live in.

I just put it in the current situation, yes.

If you hear that they took a pet you cared about and chased it with a weapon, ready to kill each other, many frown?

Gems for someone, not necessarily for someone else.

Living with monsters means living with these innumerable discrepancies and the consequent incomprehension and friction.

Sooner or later, oh, tomorrow things were happening.

The fact that their opponent was a righteous Iino could rather have even been a lucky category.

"Isn't it only when you think of them who are your family that seniors should join hands with me?

Kudo's statement had a certain persuasion.

That's for sure.

- I'm not gonna talk to you.

That's why Gabella's instant answer was felt on my chest.

"It is the way of Shura that you go. Kill enemies, kill allies, kill yourself"

Gabella was staring hard at Kudo.

"Do you tell the Lord to be like him? You want me to treat my concubines like stones?

"... I'm sure it's easier."

It should have been an unexpected cross spear, but Kudo quickly rebuilt it.

"If you are also a senior's family, shouldn't you gladly martyr for him?

"Play. Even if it's easy, it's not a happy path."

Gabella just said so.

"Don't lick me too much. A man whose concubine fell in love is not a hipster who turns his back from happiness on account of difficulties"

"... say so, white spider"

Anton turned his inorganic eyes like bugs to Gabella, who raised his jaw arrogantly.

"No matter how much you are, fighting cheat holding in that miserable state will be a heavy load. Isn't that slime helpless, alone with the Lord, who can do nothing?

"Hmm. Miserable. Maybe that's what it looks like to you."

Slightly dropping her eyes on the reduced number of legs, Garbera snapped her nose.

But it's a big mistake.

Shortly after I ran out of words, from the skinny girl's body, a rush of viscous intent to kill overflowed.

Yet it is a spider's thread. An entangled anton makes your body tense.

Your concubine is strong, isn't she?

Garbera, who said with a flashing grin, had nothing to do with the misery Anton had said to the provocation mix, even where he had lost a few spider legs, his biggest weapon.

"Anyway, the memorial has just come true. There's no more. It's in the best shape. And because of the Lord's presence, concubines can help. Don't slap your mouth like you know you can't do anything by yourself. It's not worth the Lord's life here."

……

"Only your mouth is a master."

It was the black girl Dora, who opened her mouth on behalf of the silent Anton, that it was a mutant of her split.

"Is the weapon of the big white spider its mouth tip, not the hook claw?

In response to Gabella's killing, those hands have turned into a lid-shaking pitch-black sword. Dora that she doesn't have the ability to copy her appearance as a Doppel Genger, but apparently she was free to change the shape of her body to some extent.

Gabella exhaled when she saw Dora in full swing.

"If the concubine gave birth to Sanoshita, how can you do better, Lord?"

"Wow, do you fool my mother!

"Rather, as a concubine, I was going to praise the Lord who was being treated like a loser. They say that in the Lord and His Highness's world, a hawk is born?

"You......!

An invisible spark scatters between Gabella, who became belligerent for making fun of me, and Dora, Anton's split.

I can't go on like this. In the end, the Lord and I were to go into a halt.

"Stop it, Dora. Who told you to fight?

"Don't even Gabella."

Looking back at me embarrassed, Gabella shrugs her shoulders. Dora, on the other hand, holds down her throat and kneels. Kudo must have exercised his abilities.

"... you've become a strangely murderous development"

Kudo pointed this way at the gaze he was dropping on the nogging Dora.

"Shall we start over?"

"Right."

I snorted back.

I laughed all the time.

"I feel like Gabella has told me everything I wanted to say."

"... that means seniors too?

I made a clear declaration to Kudo, who turned a small blind eye.

"Oh. I agree with Gabella."

I felt kind of refreshed.

Gabella's claim is that she has bought me too much, but what underlies it is trust.

More than that, it is mainly to respond to it... no. No. As a man whose thoughts are on her, it's natural.

"In the first place, you said it before. I am not the Demon King. Lily and her husband."

I can't take the same path as Kudo.

That is not my way forward.

Turning down his offer was more a matter of decision than not being able to join hands with Kudo. In a way, it can also be said that it was decided that this would happen from the beginning.

So here was the problem.

"Hopefully, it'll help if you let me through here in peace."

If you try to recapture Lily, it's likely to be a battle against the Takaya.

If so, there should be no unnecessary wear and tear.

I wanted to avoid fighting Kudo here if I could.

Fortunately, thanks to Gabella, it is injury that shows that we have enough power.

If we fight, we won't be spared the damage we deserve, if we don't get anything from fighting, there's no reason to fight with us, even as Kudo.

If you think only of the loss, Kudo has nothing but to pull back.

... and then it was an emotional issue.

"Yes. Really?... and you can't just back off."

In response to Kudo's words, Berta, who had previously grown up, began to roar.

Copying the figure of the cross, Anton pulls out his lower back sword, and the green sludge zezer seeps out of the hem of Kudo's clothes. Dora stood up slightly, turning her hands into swords again.

Seeing them completely in combat, I sighed.

"... well. Too bad."

When I covered my sword, Asalina, which had tucked into the back of my left hand, stretched out long and stripped my fangs.

Gabella squeals her fingers in both hands, folding her legs and accumulating the force of the leap.

It was a battle I wanted to avoid if it was something I could avoid, but I can't help it if this happens.

Fight and cut through. That was all I had.

You don't need to destroy them all. Instead, even in the sense of avoiding wear and tear, it would be best to forcefully escape to the gaps that Garbera has kicked in.

It's okay. You should be able to.

It wasn't Gabella's dialogue earlier, but I didn't think I was up to it earlier, and I'm doing well myself.

Perhaps I could say that it is in excellent condition.

I even feel like the magic that circulates through my body is more activated than usual.

Though it may be a tentative beginning all-purpose, coming from the exaltation that made me think of Gabella, these spiritual things are surprisingly foolish.

Good morale. Break through Kudo's family here and keep moving on to Lily's pursuit.

I glanced at the obstacle in the front - so the look on Kudo's face caught my eye.

……

Kudo, who looked down on me, had shallowed the smile on his mouth and frowned slightly.

That looked a little different than the smile that was always floating.

Like grieving. Pitiful.

So, envious.

Complex expressions, like all of them intertwined.

I didn't know what made him look like that.

Because when I blinked, Kudo's face had already turned into the usual sticky smile.

"Heh, heh. Don't get me wrong."

With a smile on his face that could not see the inside, Kudo lifted his hands in front of his chest and turned his hands to those who confronted him.

"Nothing. I'm not fighting seniors."

"... what?

Kudo called out to his family at the bewilderment of me not knowing the intent of the speech.

"And the Bertas. Stop. Seniors are not enemies."

"O king. What are you saying...?

Berta, who was about to jump this way, looked back at one of the two heads in confusion. Other family members are alike or come by, and they are not able to hide their confusion.

I felt the same way.

"What are you going to do?

"It's not that hard."

Kudo shrugged his shoulder, saying in an obvious manner.

"Nothing, I'm not saying I won't give you a hand, just because I won't hold hands."

I'm so upset.

"I'm afraid you won't be one of us, but that's fine with me. Like I said, let me give you my hand here."

Exactly, this was unexpected.

Even that Gerbera looked snotty. I have no idea what Kudo thought and mentioned this to me.

I guess my insides were on my face as they were. Kudo chuckled.

"Don't doubt that. There's no back there."

"So you're going to help me with nothing in return?

"Unbelievable?

"... frankly, yes"

"Hehe. Well, for seniors, I'm the enemy. There's no reason to doubt it."

Even though he was told from the front that he was suspicious, Kudo didn't look particularly concerned.

What I am told to do like this was more folded in originally, keep up with my pace.

But to me, seniors are not enemies.

"Kudo. You..."

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't want my senior to die of boredom."

Kudo grinned.

"As I said before, the only people I want to work with are seniors who wake up to the same power in the same place, at the same time, in the same situation"

Kudo's voice had a faint fever.

Is the fever a madman obsession with inverting values? Or was it the last remnants of a decent human-like sensibility, which is empathy?

Kudo continued in an enthusiastic tone.

"You're great. Without a multiplier. I can't believe they're going to kill me in here. So it's only natural for me to give you a hand."

"... hey Lord"

Garbera, who had finished listening to me to the end, said blush.

"Hey, isn't he a good guy?

"... that's a little too simple for whatever it is"

However, there were some things that Gabella couldn't help but mention.

As such, Kudo's favor for me was a shame.

Of course, Kudo is definitely not a good guy or anything.

But his goodwill to give me a hand was real.

In retrospect, even when I showed my identity at Fort Chile before, I did.

He gave me information I didn't know and asked me if I could put my hands together. Where the proposal was rejected, he pulled back heavily, without anything going to hit him upside down.

Such Kudo's attitude was rational and honest.

There is no back there.

There is no such thing as an evil plan.

Neither reason nor good or evil, nor profit or loss accounts, exist in Kudo Lu.

There is only one empathy in the world for one of its kind and the bottomless obsession it has created.

Kudo is serious, and he's going to help me.

And in order to help Lily out, the more power she has, the better.

I set my eyes on Gabella.

She shook her head vertically.

I nodded back and turned to Kudo.

"... ok. I'll take your suggestion."

At that time, I cannot deny that there was a glimmer of hope in my heart.

In the same place, in the same time, in the same situation, awakened to the same power, which I may have had, another possibility.

If Kudo has empathy with me, the opposite is true.

Somewhere in my heart, I probably feel like I don't want to kill each other with this boy who stepped off the road.

But my way of life with Kudo is incompatible.

As it is, it clashes somewhere. I have a feeling about that.

In that case, what happens is a bloody survival competition.

And I will lead my family, and I will kill Kudo.

If that can be avoided, then one of us has to change the way we live.

That is, will I fall to where Kudo is, or will Kudo return to this point?

If it is possible that Kudo could be pulled up, that would be about mine. That's about it, Kudo is obsessed with me.

This contact, which was to be obtained unexpectedly, may, for a moment, become a thin thread for it. That's how I thought.

... Of course, I know.

This is hopeless.

Just because it's possible, it's the future that we won't be able to make happen.

Even though I knew I was, it was my weakness around thinking about this. And I guess that's the difference with Kudo, who chose to be the 'Demon King'.

"Lord."

Gabella has spoken to me.

I seem to have left some vigilance for Kudo and the others, but I have solved the battle posture.

"If it's decided, shouldn't we leave right away"

"... right"

It's been a long time.

It's a good thing we didn't have to fight Kudo, and on the contrary, although we were going to get his help, there's nothing we can do if we don't chase him.

"Ah. Then you'll be fine."

Kudo opened his mouth. He has trouble reading the inside, but now I know he is clearly in a good mood.

"Here's one, because I'm hitting my hand."

I leaned my neck against Kudo, who stood one finger up.

"What do you mean? Tell me more."

"Actually, I'm sending the rest of my gestures I brought to the high house that aren't here."

"Oh. So you, you didn't have many monsters with you"

"I haven't finished replenishing my battles either, and I didn't bring them all this far, so it's about thirty bodies that made me chase the highhouse. If the raid works, you might not even have to chase him down."

"A raid... I guess Lily's okay"

"It doesn't get there. At the very least, you should be able to hold back."

Thirty Normal Monsters?

Even Warrior with magic tools has a level of power that will be enough to fight, depending on what you do. You can buy a lot of time if you're thorough with the stopping, and you'll be able to strengthen the wear and tear.

"Besides, if you're going after him, you can get him on the Berta and he'll be fast."

"To Berta?

I laid eyes on the double-headed wolf.

Unlike quitting, Berta's body is splendid. You'll get on enough.

"Are you sure?

"... it is our king's command. I don't mind."

Berta waved loosely her tail and five tentacles. It has a big impact on the look of it, but if you look at it this way, maybe some of it is cute.

"Ah. But in that case, you'll have me and you on a tandem ride."

"... Mm"

To Kudo's words, for some reason, Garbera looked uninteresting.

Don't you like me riding Berta or don't you like Kudo riding with you? Maybe both.

It's bad for Gabella, but you should use everything you can to give her the slightest chance of being able to recapture Lily...

"... what can I use?"

When I snapped, Kudo tilted his neck.

"What's up, seniors?

"No, I just thought of something."

On the spot, I decided to have a light operational meeting.

Kudo seemed dissatisfied when he heard about the operation I had planned. Gabella didn't look good either.

But when I convinced them, they both agreed at the end.

Get ready, I'll start chasing the tall house.

Come on, let's go get Lily back.