Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 4 Chapter 6
Status: Incomplete
34/64 pages completed
Chapter 6: The Tamer of the Spirits
“… So this means the victor of the 45th ‘hundredth deaths course’ is the dark horse that came from the human world… The contestant Kusumi Manami. Congratulations.”
“…”
The contest’s results, whatever… Sure enough, Manami won.
Manami, atop the winner’s podium, received an extra-large trophy.
“… Manami-chan. Amazing. You are historically, the first human winner.”
“Yeah. Once again, we’ve been taught a lesson about that girl’s greatness.”
The buzzing at the venue showed no signs of fading.
Since the ghouls not even in their wildest dreams had thought that a human that entered on the spur of the moment would be the victor.
“By the way, Kyouko, what position did you end in?”
“Me? I was 14th.”
“Quite plain, you…”
“L-leave me alone!”
Thinking it calmly, I believe that Kyouko achieved 14th place of nearly 600 contestants despite being her first time participating was a good performance, but compared with my sister’s active role, it can’t be seen as anything but plain.
Though in the first place, it’s not like we can talk, forfeiting in the middle.
“… At any rate, that dragon that attacked us on the way… What the heck was it?”
“About that… A while ago, I tried asking management, but… It seems they know nothing.”
“… Is that so?”
So that means, as expected, that that dragon… Though it was unrelated to the race, someone put it there to attack us.
Who was it? For what reason?
The instant that I was thinking those things.
From somewhere at the venue a cry was heard.
I looked to the sound’s source, and.
Aren’t those, a bunch of ghouls with no expression suddenly moving towards us like an avalanche?
Those numbers… A low estimate would be a hundred.
Weird. It’s strange.
The bunch of ghouls looked awfully dispirited, how would I put it… Their gait looked wobbly and their skin was pale. And above all, their eyes didn’t show a shred of life.
“!?”
And once again happened something that surprised me.
All of a sudden, the lifeless ghouls started one by one attacking the other ghouls.
Holy cow… Am I dreaming?
The attacked ghouls’ gazes too became empty and devoid of life and assaulted other ghouls.
“The ghouls are turning into zombies!?”
Even I think that that unfolding looked like a joke, but even so, I didn’t find any other words to describe what was happening.
“Ghouls turning into zombies… Could it be!?”
“… Zonmi. Do you know something?”
“Long ago, I read it on some documents.
Monster tamers with the particular ability of manipulating the undead and animated corpses—necromancers.
They bestow transient souls on us undead and on other beings’ corpses and can manipulate them as zombies.
But then… monster tamers with the ability as necromancers are so scarce that, even perusing history books, can be counted with a single hand.
Still… If we take that the necromancer was the one controlling the dragon that attacked us before, this impossible scene can be explained.”
“In other words, someone with the ability of a necromancer is picking a fight and attacking us… You mean.”
“Someone… There’s no need to obscure it like that. Since there’s only one group of people we know that wants to harm us.”
“…”
Exactly as Zonmi has said, I can only think of one person that holds ill will and would attack us.
The group that commits atrocities; employing monsters—the Black Tamers.
This time, once again… Most probably, this is their doing.
And this time, the opponent we must battle… It’s an unknown necromancer able to control the undead at will.
… If that’s the case, this is pretty bad.
What’s bad… The enemy’s ability shows its max potential at the land of the ghouls.
“!? Zonmi Behind you!”
Suddenly, one zombified ghoul jumped at Zonmi.
I quickly rushed to Zonmi’s side and punched that guy.
“Thank you very much… I was a bit scared right now,”
“… It’s still too soon to be relieved.”
“It seems… We’ve been surrounded before we knew it.
The number of zombified ghouls increased explosively and our surroundings were being filled.
I, Zonmi and Kyouko covered each other backs to get rid of any blind spots.
Well… What do I do?
This situation… How do we get over it?
These guys… One by one, the zombies’ strengths were honestly nothing to fear.
If I was alone, I could forcefully break through upfront… Such action is not impossible, but the problem here is with Zonmi.
Guessing from the situation till now, Zonmi, who is from the undead tribe, will be out with the first attack from the zombies.
A zombie Zonmi… In some sense, at least my sister would rejoice with that development.
Fighting upfront may be too much risky.
“… Humph! Ghouls of lowly standing are reckless fellows for opposing my master.”
Suddenly, a huge flame pillar encircled us all around.
The huge flame pillar situated as if to protect us has power to keep the zombies at bay for about ten minutes.
“Iris!? And moreover… Lilith-san and even Manami!? Have you come to help us!?”
“… Chiharu-sama. I beg your pardon. The ones who have launched this attack, I dare say… It would be the Black Tamers.
I don’t know how they did it, but it seems that they have already found our whereabouts.”
“… Fine, monster tamer. What shall I do?
If that’s what thou wantest, I can turn to ashes in an instant every ghoul here…”
“…”
What Iris is saying is true.
Like Zonmi, monsters from the undead tribe are extremely weak to heat.
Even now, we can only talk leisurely like this thanks to the flame pillar that Iris spat out acting as a tough defense wall that’s keeping the zombies at bay.
However.
“… No, let’s not attack them. They are just being controlled by a necromancer. I don’t want to harm unrelated monsters.”
“I agree with Haru. If what the enemy seeks is to use the zombies to engage in a battle of attrition… We’ll be playing into their hand.”
“… There’s something that we must put as top priority.
That is… To guarantee Chiharu-sama’s safety. Since the Black Tamers know our whereabouts, I suggest we part from Living Lodge at once.”
“…”
Surely it may be as Lilith-san says.
Even if the Black Tamers do have a reason to attack us, there’s no reason for us to fight the Black Tamers.
If we could avoid fighting without fleeing… That would be the best option.
“Iris… Is it fine with you?”
The problem lies in if Iris will accept…
“… If that’s thy wish, I have no reason to refuse. I’ll leave my revenge against those guysthe Black Tamers for another date.”
“… Is that so? Thanks.”
Compared with the previous incident of the attack at the Grandeel archipelago, Iris mental growth is astounding,
Before, just by hearing the name of the Black Tamers, Iris would have got excited and simply charge into the enemy camp, but… Now she respects our opinions and regards her objective as secondary.
I… am very glad for Iris’s growth.
“So, let’s first do as Lilith-san has said and, for the time being, prioritize leaving this place.
Kyouko and Iris will turn into monsters and carry us. Our destination, right… The port city we arrived at first could do. We’ll think about the detail once we’ve reached there…”
“Please, wait!”
The one who suddenly interrupted my words with a loud shout was Zonmi.
“… I’ve been worrying about it for a while, but I can’t find Aruru and Meruru anywhere. It would be good if they managed to successfully get away, but… I can’t leave this city until I’ve at least confirmed my family’s safety.”
“Ghoul. I understand your feelings, but… Don’t speak selfishly. Have you forgotten our top priority?”
“… I’m very sorry.
Still… Only this I can’t afford to concede. If you have to leave Living Lodge no matter what, leave me behind, please.”
“…”
How careless.
I almost… compelled Zonmi into forsaking her family and fleeing. Moreover… Thinking better now, Putting my own safety first may be an extremely irresponsible choice.
So, what do I do?
Had we never landed at Living Lodge in the first place… This city’s undead may have been right now living peacefully.
“… Yosh, understood. Before departing Living Lodge, let’s return once to Zonmi’s parent’s home.”
“… Chiharu. Is it fine?”
“Yup. If I had to put it in words, speaking truthfully, I too… am against leaving this place. We haven’t persuaded Zonmi’s father yet… We’ve not wrapped up such an important task and I too am worried about Aruru and Meruru.”
“Buu. Oniichan is too soft with the zombies.”
“… Understood. If those are you instructions, Chiharu-sama, I won’t stop you. However, I earnestly ask you to not exceed yourself.”
“… Roger.”
In any case, the talk is settled.
… At a time like this, it’s reassuring to have monsters that can fly.
We rode onto the transformed Iris & Kyouko’s backs and set off to Zonmi’s parent’s home.
“All troops! Fight from a distance using your spears! Don’t let the mob step inside the castle!”
When we reached the ghoul clan’s castle, which was Zonmi’s parent’s home, Zonmi’s father… Satosu-san, standing upon the fort, while shouting directions to many brawny soldiers, battled the zombified ghouls.
“Father, you're safe!”
“… Zonmi? More than anything, you're safe too.”
Satosu-san, sighing from relief with a face of deep reassurance,
“… You were Chiharu-kun, aren't you? It’s not like I approve of your contract, but… I’m grateful for bringing back my daughter.”
“Thank you very much… That aside, how’s the situation like at the city!?”
“Aah. The situation is plainly the worst.
… Estimating optimistically, short of 30% of the population has been brainwashed by the person that appears to be a necromancer.”
“… Is that so?”
Weird. It makes no sense.
As the enemy’s objective was to manipulate the ghouls to attack us… Was it necessary to brainwash all of the ghouls in the city?
“By the way, Chiharu-kun. Have you seen Aruru and Meruru anywhere?”
“… They haven’t returned to the castle? To tell the truth, we are also looking for them.”
“… Is that so? It would be nice if those children returned safely, but…”
Satosu-san deeply sighed,
“In any case, it’s become troubling. We have to seize that necromancer as soon as possible… The situation has once again turned to the worse.”
“By the way, is there any way to return the zombified people to how they were?”
“… There’s just one.
The necromancer must employ a cane with a unique magic stone mounted on it. In other words, if we could destroy it…”
“Then we could save the civilians?”
I see.
As Satosu-san said, to fix the chaos of the situation, it seems that we have to search for the necromancer that’s the mastermind of the incident.
“A—. A—… Kusumi Chiharu. Kusumi Chiharu. I know that you are there.
Do I have to introduce myself? My name is Lance. Lance Patriot. Would saying that I am a necromancer that belongs to the Black Tamers speed up things?”
I looked towards the voice, and.
I could see a boy carrying a megaphone in his left hand instead of on his right one.
“… Darn. As soon as he’s mentioned, he appears besides us?”
I didn’t expect that he would show himself to us so soon…
I’m grateful, but… Despite things going on successfully, I felt a bad presentiment.
Jumping down from the fortress, I confronted the necromancer face to face.
The boy called Lance was quite younger than me… His age was around the first year of middle school, perhaps?
Noelle, with whom I’ve battled before, also looked quite young… The Blacks Tamers perhaps are a group with a surprisingly low average age.
“I‘m the Kusumi Chiharu you’re looking for, but… What do you wish for?”
“… Eeeh. How fast. It seems that your brain works faster than I thought.”
“…”
The boy called Lance chuckled.
Why would Lance have brainwashed the ghouls in the city?
At first I thought that it simply was to use them as pieces once it was time to battle, but when I heard Satosu-san’s words, I knew.
The necromancer can voluntarily lift the brainwashing on the ghouls.
In other words, that’s… Putting it another way, the ghouls of the city are hostages.
There’s no reason for the necromancer to not use them as bargaining chips.
“My demand is just for you and me to have a one-on-one peaceful negotiation.
You can just hear me talk while keeping quiet, too. How’s it? It’s easy.”
“… Can I trust your words?”
“I’m not forcing you.
However, if you refuse, as you guess, it can come to the worst conclusion.
Necromancers can freely manipulate the undead… In other words, I have the lives of nearly half of the citizens on my hands.
If you refuse my proposal, those currently under my control… I’ll erase at once the souls of the zombies whose numbers are increasing at an explosive rate even now.”
“…”
Hey, hey.
He’s going to annihilate nearly half of the population?
Surely, I think that that’s impossible.
But.
This guy… Does he truly mean what he’s said?
This city’s… Undead’s lives, does he think of them as bugs?
“… Chiharu. Don’t be fooled by the enemy’s words.
Probably… That’s a bluff. Eve if he’s a necromancer, there’s no way he can erase souls.”
“Right, right. If you say you can’t believe me, I don’t mind showing you by killing a zombie.”
“…”
Lance laughed fearlessly.
Things have become very bad.
In this situation brought up by Lance, the matter is not if he can erase souls or he can’t.
With the option of trying to actually kill a hostage out of the question, we don’t have any other way to make sure.
The situation… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s the worst.
“… If I accept your demand, will you free all of the hostages?”
“Of course, I promise you. Since I can’t use my full strength while controlling this many zombies. Anyway, when we face each other, I have to do it so I can protect myself.”
“… Understood. I accept your demand.”
“Chiharu!?”
“Ha, ha, ha. Nice answer. Then, now… Why don’t you put on this ring?”
“… This?
“That’s an item called “warp ring”. Using the same principle as summoning, it can transport the wearer to a set place.
Since with two rings, it forms a pair, the moment you equip it we’ll both be warped to the chosen place.
The place I’ve chosen is a snowy mountain a hundred kilometers[1] from here.
Moreover… One more thing. You can be relieved.
Necromancers can control zombies in a radius of ten kilometers[2] at most.
The moment we warp, the brainwashing of the ghouls will be lifted.”
“…”
What peaceful negotiation?
The opponent that has been using thoroughly prepared sly moves until now, at this point… There’s no way that he’ll keep that promise. Probably… No, definitely it won’t unfold as a one on one dialogue.
“… Sorry. Zonmi. Everyone.”
Even so… No matter which traps he’s set after that… I can’t let people die before me when their lives are exposed to risk.
I picked up the warp ring that's left on the snow—and put it on.
So, my consciousness instantly faded and the scenery and sounds around me drowned out.
Aah. Could this be what monsters feel each time they are summoned?
“… Chiharu… Chiharu.”
Inside my dim consciousness, I think I heard Zonmi’s voice at the end.
When I got back to my senses, I was in the middle of a snow-covered scenery.
I looked around.
What the heck… It was quite an unexpected development.
For me, the worst case would have been getting summoned inside a gas chamber, or else getting trapped with monsters all around, driven into a corner, that kind of thing was what I was expecting.
Before me right now there’s only Lance, and apparently there doesn’t seem to be any traps.
“With this, good… Just now, I’ve put a summon-prevention barrier around the place. With this neither of us can make a summon. This means it will be a proper one-on-one.”
“…”
“Yo don’t have to be so vigilant.
I can guarantee your life at least until I finish my talk.
To me… I dislike this roundabout behavior, but… Since that was what the boss requested, I can’t bring harm to you.”
“Is that so?”
It certainly seems that what Lance is saying is true.
If Lance truly wanted to kill me, he should have set a trap or two during the warp.
More than anything, from this guy… I can’t feel a shred of any killing intent that says we’ll be putting our lives on the line from now on.
“That boss of yours… Is it Luka?”
“… That’s right. Do I need to explain from the very start?”
Lance nodded slightly with an “of course. So that’s it”,
“Frankly… I don’t give a damn about what happens to other people.
On the contrary, I rejoice on the disgrace of people unrelated to me and, if I say so myself, I’m not one of those who listen to other people’s commands, but… Just her is different. I’m greatly indebted to her. Us Firsts worship her.”
“!?”
Firsts… Now that he mentions it, Noelle, with whom I fought before, also introduced herself as a First.
Thinking back deeply, I think that the black-suited monster tamer I battled first called himself a Second.
Do those words hide a secret of the Black Tamers?
“… Just a question. You Black Tamers fellows… Weren’t you born, different from me, as total humans? Despite that… How come you can transform into monsters?”
“… Ahaha. To tell the truth, I’ve brought you here to tell you about that. I want you to know about us.
And upon learning it all, I want you to cooperate with the organization. That’s what our boss… Luka-neesan wishes.
Fine. I’ll tell you. Everything about the Black Tamers—“
Lance started his speech like that.
“Are we speaking of around twenty years ago?
The secret society that rules over all of the monster tamers on the human world—the International Monster Association conducted a certain research. If we go to the bottom of it, we could call that research the roots of the Black Tamers.”
“… A certain research?”
What the heck.
If what he says is correct… Does it mean that the Black Tamers were originally a part from the IMA?
“Creating manmade monster tamers.
Even now, that’s only known to the IMA’s top brass… To them that’s the biggest taboo.”
“!?”
“… Surely only humans can be born with the ability to be monster tamers. So I think they surely conducted the research in order to compensate for the chronic deficiency in the number of monster tamers.
But, you, know?… In her case, they had a problem doing that.
Do you know what’s the basic difference between monster tamers and other humans?
That’s… Putting it simply, they possess from birth, magic power generating cells… It comes to that. If they don’t exist, no matter what special training you put them under, they can’t become monster tamers.
After saying all this, I can answer to your doubt.
The reason why, despite having been born as human, we can use the power of monsters.
That’s because when we were still floating inside the test tubes, we got cells from other monsters inserted inside our bodies.
I… and Noelle, whom you already know, are like that.
The Firsts are the children brought about from that research. It would be the first artificially created monster tamers in history?”
“…”
Certainly… With monster cells that are different from human ones, they can create magic power even if they don’t have a special ability.
Artificially produced… Monster tamers?
What I’m hearing is not a pleasant talk.
Lance and the Firsts may be close to homunculi[3] taken straight out from a fiction world.
Miraculously, I didn’t feel like Lance’s words till now were untrue.
How come?
It doesn’t seem like, at this time, Lance has to lie in such a roundabout way and… If these words are real, then I can understand how, despite having a human body, they can turn into monsters.
“I understand what you say… But, what relation is there between that research to produce artificial monster tamers and the founding of your organization?”
“… Such impatience. With this speech until now, can’t you guess what comes after?”
Lance laughed fearlessly,
“This research faced strong opposition since the project phase.
The special representatives at that time were our boss, Luka-neesan, the youngest to be promoted to high-class monster tamer, and your mother, Kusumi Kanae.
The reason is quite simple.
—The number of children sacrificed was too high.
At the research’s initial stage, there were many trial and error stages to check if the embedded monster cells were suited to their body.
Unable to control the monster cells… The number of children swallowed down (consumed by the cells) was too high to count. Can you picture it?
Inside a test tube, without time to be born, made to take many drugs before they were even given milk… Brought up in a hellish suffering before they gained awareness, all those friends just conceived… Died one after another with their monster cells on a rampage.
Their corpses, in a disgusting form unidentifiable as either human or monster… Were burned to the bone and discarded so as to conceal the evidence.
Can you understand that suffering?”
“…”
Somehow or other, this thinking may be unfair, but… I feel relieved that my mother was against that research.
And… If Lance’s words are the truth, I can understand the abnormal behavior of Noelle, who I went against before.
Her mind is aberrantly unbalanced.
In what kind of environment has one to live in to bring up a girl like her… That was the doubt I held since long ago.
“Fuu… I’m not used to long speeches. About ten years after the start of this research, it started to produce limited results.
Children like me or Noelle that luckily managed to adapt to the monster cells and lived on started to appear here and there.
Like this, since the time it started giving off definite results, the people that were against the research gradually shifted to the supporting faction, as if flipping over their hands. The one who realized the danger of the situation was our boss… That means Luka-neesan. Luka-neesan, so that us Firsts could live in freedom… Helped us to defect.”
“!?”
“This event could be called the biggest blemish on the IMA.
Anyhow, us First that hosted the might of powerful monsters… Since we aimed to escape, all 20 of us at once, there was a big panic.
Due to this incident, between monster tamers and nearby residents… In total, there was over a thousand victims. The IMA frantically attempted to cover it up, but as expected, they couldn’t manage an event of such a scale..
Outside rookie tamers like you… Doesn't everyone know about this incident?”
“…”
I didn’t know.
The IMA from before had such a blemish…
“Even now, the evil organization that keeps committing crimes… They pinned that label on us, but… The Black Tamers were, originally, an organization established in order to protect us firsts. So that the strong would protect the weak, naturally, they didn’t have the margin to choose their methods.
For that, they put strong monsters under enforce and exterminated the red dragons to obtain dragon blood.
Oh, yeah! I’ll add this since I forgot, Clarie-san and the lot are the Seconds.
They come from the original research that Luka-san took from the IMA.
But then… That, instead of creating artificial monster tamers… In order to empower people that had the capability to become monster tamers from the start, they are bestowed monster cells.
… Well, with this I’ve told you everything about me.
Even though things seem this way, could you one-sidedly decide that we are evil and bring down upon us the hammer of justice?”
“…”
My head unable to keep up with the successive revealing of important facts, my thinking froze.
I don’t know. Not a thing.
Until now I thought the IMA good and the Black Tamers evil.
Though I took everything in terms of good or bad, reality is different.
By hearing this speech… I can’t tell who’s right or wrong.
The same way that Iris went through hell due to the Black Tamers, the Black Tamers suffered due to the IMA.
“… Do you understand with this?
What you believed justice until now is indeed brittle. It wouldn’t be bad if you felt like cooperating with our organization.
The boss seems to have a special interest in you. If you manage it well, couldn’t you easily be regarded even higher than us Firsts?”
“…”
While showering me with cajolery, Lance, step by step, approached me.
… If I agree now with Lance’s words wouldn’t I once again work besides Luka-san?
Good grief… It’s laughable.
Luka-san.
You, now… Does it look to you that I would get swayed like this by the words of an enemy?
Does it satisfy you to have anything and everything dancing on your palm as you wish?
“Well. Kusumi Chiharu. Come with us! Why don’t you make a new world with us!?”
“…”
Lance, laughing loudly, offered his hand to me.
I see.
If I take this hand, would it mean that from today on I’ll be a member of the Black Tamers?
But…
“—My bad, but I can’t collaborate with you lot.”
“… What!?”
I brushed aside Lance’s little palm.
“Certainly after hearing your story I can’t properly understand who’s in the right.
Frankly, even now I’m confused.
But, y’know, until I came here I had to bear with an uncountable amount of things.
I… To protect Zonmi, to protect Kyouko, to protect Iris, to protect Manami, to protect Lilith-san, so that they can live happily, I must protect the world.
That’s why I—and you lot are incompatible.”
“…… Ha, ha, ha. Right. Right.”
Lance’s smile, as if crafted from fine glass, seemed to crack with a jingle.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
As if thinking about something, Lance suddenly laughed out loud.
Next instant, I felt a pressure leaking from Lance’s body.
There’s no mistake.
This is bloodlust…
Just when the negotiations broke, the bloodlust he was keeping hidden until now became irrepressible.
“Ah~. That’s good. That’s good. That’s really good. Guhehehehe.”
“… You seem o be in a very good mood, but what is it that’s so good?”
“Y’see. Deep down, I was afraid.
If you mistook something and joined our organization… How could I kill you?
Being the latecomer, receiving the boss’s favor, the nasty you…
That’s good.
At last with this… I can kill you without fear♪”
“!?”
The instant after Lance’s staff glowed with a strange light.
From inside the ground appeared a huge monster.
A totally zombified dragon.
It was the dragon that I named before as Skull Dragon.
“… Hey, you, Hadn’t you set a summon-prevention barrier!?
It seems that I can’t use summon, but… Is the summon-prevention barrier a cheat item that prevents the opponent from summoning?”
“Kukuku. Kuhahahahaha.”
Suddenly, Lance started laughing hugging his stomach.
“… Something’s the matter?”
“Moron! When have I used summoning?
Do I tell you the trick?
As you see, this guy is just a zombie. Moreover… Is a freshly made one.
I buried beforehand the bones of a flying dragon on the ground… And just now I have restored it as a zombie!
Hey, you… Do you understand what this means?”
“Well. If you’re going to tell me, by all means do it.”
“I can use the zombie as much as I waaaaaaaant!
And you, conversely, cannot summon! Lonely lonely boy!
You’ve been driven to a corneeeeeeeeeeeer!”
References and Translation Notes
| Back to Chapter 5 | Return to Main Page | Forward to Epilogue |
