CH 196

「Souya, this way!」

「Got it!」

With Lanseal's hand in mine, we ran through the intricate back alleys.

We were being chased by the castle's guards.

As could be expected, punching the king out appears to have been a bad idea. It didn't help that I took the king's daughter's hand and ran away after that.

The back alleys of Lemuria are like a maze, but our pursuers are familiar with the area, so the distance between us isn't really widening. Moreover, I have none of my equipment. My katana and Yukikaze are still back there in the castle.

If we were to face the guards now, it's their job, so I think they'd break one of our limbs.

After that………………execution, maybe?

Well, anyone would run away from that, isn't it?

「Turn right at the next junction!」

「Okay!」

We did the opposite and turned left.

「Please climb up there!」

We ducked into a low building.

「Next, turn left, then left again!」

We turned right, then left.

Voices echoed weirdly in the alleyways, so the direction of where our shouts were coming from could be masked. By employing various small tricks in concert with that, we were trying to lose them, but it was to no avail thus far.

「La, Lanseal」

「Y, yes?」

We had been sprinting at full speed for quite some time.

My body was hot and drenched with sweat. Lanseal's forehead was also wet with perspiration.

「We're not losing them, are we?」

「No, we’re not」

I had underestimated them.

The plan to lose them quickly and then go home to meet up with Ea and Maria has failed. Not just that, there's a possibility that soldiers may have overrun our home and taken the girls hostage already.

「I was too rash, wasn’t I?」

He may be a baldy, but he's still the king of the country. Getting pissed off and punching him was a bad idea.

I should have just assassinated him at a later date.

「No, Souya, you did nothing wrong!」

Lanseal exclaimed in a loud voice.

「Not only did he force a job on you! He didn't protect you, his own guest! I don't regard a man so consumed with self-preservation! That acts without any honor or humanity! As my king or my father!」

It seems that even his daughter has given up on him.

But if he hears this, it's just going to add fuel to the fire. And I'm probably the one who's going to take the brunt of his anger.

「Alright, Lanseal」

I stopped my feet.

I'm almost out of stamina. If I run any more, I won't have the strength to fight properly.

The truth is, I'm feeling incredibly unwell. It's probably the after-effects of activating the curse. I feel severely fatigued, have a fever like I had caught a cold, my vision goes blurry from time to time, and I feel dizzy.

The power to feed on a curse that causes death. It wouldn't be strange for something like that to have drawbacks. I guess the chickens have finally come home to roost.

「Let's take our chances here and take them on unarmed. If we can grab even one of their weapons―――――Huh?」

I wiped my mouth, thinking that it was sweat or drool, and found blood slicked all over the back of my hand.

Is this my blood?

「Eh, Souya?」

「Lanseal, sorry」

I collapsed, vomiting out lumps of black blood. It was clearly an abnormal color.

That was followed by a wave of intense pain that swept through my entire body.

As an added bonus, I lost sight in both eyes.

I could sense the presences of the guards drawing closer. They were almost on top of us.

「Souya, please stand up! Stand up! Stand!」

Lanseal supported me with a shoulder.

Shamefully, I couldn't get up.

「Sorry, my legs are……」

My legs, or rather, my entire body has gone numb and refuses to move. Even if she dragged me, we wouldn't get very far, and our pursuers are almost upon us. Our situation is hopeless.

「?」

Right at that moment, I noticed something strange.

A presence suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was one I recognized.

「Lanseal, Foreigner, this way」

There was a hushed male voice.

「Melm-sama?」

It was Ea's father.

Lanseal dragged me towards somewhere. I felt like I was floating for a moment, and then the impact of landing hit me.

The quality of the air had changed. It smelled damp and musty.

「Both of you, open your mouths and cover your ears」

My head was smothered by soft things. Lanseal's feminine smell intensified.

For a fleeting moment, I forget about the danger we were in and slipped into dreamland.

But……

It sounded like lightning had struck something close by.

It was the loud sound of an explosion.

「Urghh」

I heard Lanseal groan over the ringing in my ears.

「Me, Melm-sama, what was that?」

「It's a dungeon pig's stomach packed with gunpowder. That produced a much greater impact and more sound than I had anticipated. Hold on a second」

Melm's presence left, then returned quickly.

「Okay, the guards have been incapacitated. As I suspected, this appears to be highly effective against beastkin, who have excellent hearing. It's fortunate that your pursuers are all beastkin」

「Umm, could it be that……」

In response to Lanseal's question……

「I'll help you. Just shut up and come with me. Don't leave any tracks」

……Melm gave a surprising reply.

I'm sure there's more than meets the eye here, but I'm barely better than a corpse right now, so I have little choice but to rely on him. Lanseal hefted me onto her back and we started moving.

It sure smells nice, I found myself thinking idly.

「By the way, is that guy dead?」

「I'm back from the dead………」

I’ve recovered enough to respond sarcastically. My vision is also gradually coming back.

「Souya, are you okay?」

「I'm fine. If I had to guess, it was probably due to accumulated fatigue」

「I hope you're right, but you gave me a scare」

「Sorry」

Lanseal adjusted my position on her back. As she was doing so, my hand bumped against her breast by accident. She didn't seem to mind it at all, but to be honest, it filled me with all manner of lustful feelings.

「………………」

It's very inappropriate, but they say that when humans are faced with death, they will try to procreate and leave offspring. I know better than anyone that this is not the time for this, but my body is honest.

We walked in silence for about five minutes.

Eventually, I started to recognize the surroundings.

We were in an underground passageway underneath the city. The ceiling was so low that Lanseal's animal ears were almost brushing it. Like a certain catacombs elsewhere, pillars as thick as humans were lined up in an orderly fashion.

Melm walked ahead of us with a lantern in his hand.

He had his sword on him and was wearing a cloak I had seen before.

「Hey, Melm. That cloak……」

「I borrowed it from Ea. It sure is handy」

「Be sure to give it back later」

「I will. I'm not that selfish of a father that I would stoop to taking my daughter's belongings」

「My father is a despicable person who lacks any kind of humanity. I'm really disenchanted with him」

Lanseal appeared to still be furious. I was in agreement with her.

「Don't hate him so much. Despite everything, he's got a lot on his mind. Sometimes, a king has to make ruthless and extreme decisions. That doesn't change even when dealing with family members or benefactors」

In another surprising turn, Melm defended King Lemuria.

「I can't accept that one bit」

「If you're a daughter of a king, then you must hold your peace even if you don't accept it」

「Hey」

I tried to intimidate Melm into silence. Those barbs were stinging me as well.

「That goes for you too, you realize? You're laying with someone with the lineage of a king. You need to at least be a little bit more conscious of that and stop thinking like a commoner all the time」

「I don't need you to tell me that」

Wait, what's this about the lineage of a king?

Don't tell me……You're not talking about Tyutyu, are you? Are you her father after all?!

「So, what connection is there between the commotion on the main street earlier and the reason why you two are being pursued by the guards? I saw Lemuria's spies and Elysium's magistrate. As well as a man who reeked of beast」

「When I cooked for the magistrate, I got tortured on account of some strange suspicions. I broke free and punched King Lemuria, and now he's after me」

「Pffft」

Melm burst out laughing.

「Oh, did you punch that guy on that bald head of his?」

No, it was his jaw that I punched. He must have found it incredibly hilarious though as I could see his back shaking from laughter.

So this guy can laugh like a normal person, huh?

「………Oh no. I lost my composure there. Don't say weird stuff like that. So, what did the magistrate suspect you of?」

「I believe she suspected me of being the King of Beasts or something」

That reminded me of something Arcane had said that I had forgotten about until just now.

No, there was a big hint in the conversations I had with those guys.

There was a hint, but――――――

「………Shit」

「What’s the matter, Souya?」

「No, my head is a little……」

My memories of everything before and after the torture are a bit hazy.

I don't know who said what, what I saw, and what I forgot. Everything is all jumbled up, and I don't know what's what.

This is going to take some time to sort out.

It's impossible for me right now.

「………………」

Melm didn't say anything. He seemed to be deep in thought.

「You're certain that the magistrate of Elysium called you the King of Beasts?」

「I'm sure of it. Lanseal heard it too」

「Yes, he's right, Melm-sama」

「From time to time, rumors would spread that the magistrates had captured the King of Beasts. Because it happened at random and regardless of regional politics and public sentiment, I always assumed that it was just a show put on by the magistrates. But if every instance of it was the capture of a foreigner, then it would all make sense」

「Capturing foreigners? What for?」

Again, there’s a haze clouding my thoughts.

I feel like I know what he's talking about, but I can't get my thoughts to click into place.

「You're really a fool, aren't you? It's simple. They want knowledge」

That matches some of my memories.

That's right.

Those guys had wanted the A.I.'s password. Their knowledge base is about a generation old, but they have some understanding of how knowledge is stored electronically and the systems involved. In all likelihood, that’s knowledge that they had stolen from other foreigners.

This is going to be trouble.

I'll have to change Makina's settings as soon as possible. And yet, at this critical moment, I don't have Yukikaze or any other means of communication with her.

「The seasonings and cooking utensils that you so proudly cook with can lead to huge profits. If I could monopolize them, I would. But what I can't understand is Elysium's decline.

The wars they keep losing are part of it, but so is the corruption in their political system that makes them neglect their foolish economic system. Just a simple foreigner like you was able to bring Lemuria's food culture to this level. The fact that the same thing hasn't happened in Elysium means that it's intentional, they're too foolish, or――――――」

「They're trying to bring about their own demise or something?」

When I think about how they gather up knowledge and then seal it away, that's the first thing that comes to mind.

Another possibility is, as Melm suggested, that they're too foolish.

「I have no idea. Rulers are supposed to have an insatiable appetite for progress and development. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to fulfill their role. It's hard to believe that the largest country in the world would do such nonsensical things」

「Ah!」

Rather than that……

「You need to get Ea, Maria, and Regure to safety. We'll be fine, so you should go find them」

……I'm more worried about those girls.

「No need to worry. I've known Lemuria for a long time, so I know that he's meaninglessly soft-hearted towards women」

「If my father continues to do wrong, I’ll put my life on the line to set him straight」

Lanseal's dangerous determination notwithstanding,

「Melm, can I rest easy?」

「The only thing you need to worry about right now is what you're going to do from here on out. Do you have a plan?」

「Umm………………Lanseal?」

I had absolutely no plan, so I turned to her for ideas.

「Souya, I've got a good idea」

「Ohh」

Is it a brilliant plan?

「Let's topple my father from the throne and take over this country」

「No!」

It was a shocking proposal.

Usurping is no good. It's not an option. This country would descend into complete chaos. That would make exploring the dungeon even more impossible, and even if I changed class from adventurer to king, there would be no benefit to me whatsoever.

「I thought it was a good idea though……」

「I see, there's also that option, huh?」

For some reason, Melm was up for it.

「Hey, haven't you known the king for a long time?」

Doesn't this guy have any concept of friendship? He's the number one elf I don't want as a friend.

「All joking aside, if you don't have a plan, I do have a good idea」

I have a bad feeling about this.

Melm stopped in his tracks.

In a corner of the underground passageway, there was a door. When he opened it, I saw that it led into a room.

Melm went in and lit the lights insides, which illuminated its tidy and comfortable-seeming interior.

It had the same layout as a studio apartment.

There was a cozy kitchen and a table and some chairs. Cabinets lined the walls. In the back, I could see a large double bed.

Immediately after entering, I noticed that there were doors on both sides.

「The toilet is on the left, and the bathroom is on the right. Light the fire in the kitchen if you want hot water for the bath. There should be enough food for twenty days」

For a safe house, it was pretty nice.

I reluctantly lowered myself from Lanseal's back and sat down in a chair.

「Souya, how are you feeling?」

「I'm not quite back to my best yet」

I can walk, but I don't think I can run. I also have a terrible headache. My memories are still in a jumble.

I don't know why I'm having these symptoms. I hope they don't persist.

「Melm, you saved us. You have my thanks. So, what's the plan you mentioned earlier?」

「The two of you―――――」

「Huh?」

It was a proposal that made me doubt my ears.

「That's fine with me」

Lanseal was up for it.

To be able to make a decision like this, women sure are amazing.

「Melm, do you have any other plans?」

「No, I don't. I'll give you three days, so do your best. I'll inform Ea and the others」

No, there has got to be another way.

When I tried to think of something……

「Well then, I'm off. I need to look into the representative hero's movements」

……Melm wasted no time in leaving the room

「Souya, I'm all sweaty, so I'm going to take a bath」

Lanseal fiddled with the fire in the kitchen and then went into the bathroom.

「Hey, I almost forgot」

Melm opened the door and tossed something to me. I caught it and saw that it was a vial of liquid.

「It's an elven elixir. It'll restore your strength」

And then Melm was gone.

He's strangely caring towards me today. It's creepy. Well, I guess I should just be grateful and drink it down at once.

「So sweet!!!」

It was as sweet as compressed honey. The pounding headache I had got worse.

「Does this thing even work?」

I feel even dizzier. I also feel like I have a fever. This is the worst. I shouldn't have drank that.

I was feeling so bad that I couldn't stay in the chair, so I went over to the bed in the back.

Lying down made me feel better. But at the same time, I was hit by intense drowsiness.

No, I can't. Don't go to sleep.

I have to think of something.

I need to come up with a plan, a way out of this situation. Melm's plan involves too much risk. Besides, I'm………………huh? What was I thinking again? I get the feeling that I'm forgetting something very important.

Uwaa.………………so sleepy.

I don't feel so good.

That elixir is bad news. Had it expired or something?

But I need to think.

Umm, a plan, a plan.

A way to rid the world of King Lemuria, Khius, and the magistrate.

No no no, getting rid of them is not enough.

I need to come up with a smarter plan. I'm going to create a world where everyone who gets in my way disappears for good and I can explore the dungeon in peace……………… Wait, doesn't that sound like a plan an evil mastermind would come up with?

「Souya, are you going to take a bath?」

「No, sorry. For the moment, I just want to lie down」

Lanseal came out after taking a bath. She was wearing only a towel.

I need someone to write a dissertation on why women seem so attractive when they're wet.

I have this feeling that I've thought something similar in the past.

「Please give me a minute」

Lanseal left my sight.

I heard the sound of cabinets being opened. Then, the rustling of clothes.

Lanseal reappeared, wearing a revealing negligee.

This must be what Melm likes. I didn't think we'd find common ground on this kind of thing

「I need to wipe you down and take a look at your injuries. You're wounded from the torture, aren't you?」

「I think I'm fine on that end」

I should still have regeneration point left, was what I thought, but when I checked the containers for a second, I saw that the red one was empty.

When did that happen?

Is this related to how bad I'm feeling? There are just too many things I don't know.

「Hold still please」

Lanseal sat down beside me. Her sultry voice made my heart skip a beat.

She wiped my face and neck with a wet cloth.

With a shaky hand, she took off my shirt, then moved her hand across my chest and stomach.

「I'm relieved. It looks like you're not hurt」

「The only thing I have going for me is my hardiness after all」

「That's not true」

「You think so?」

I don't think I have any other good points. I can think of a lot of shortcomings though.

「For instance, your kindness, your bravery, how you're unstoppable when you get into something, the way you treat everyone equally, your love of children……I know a lot of good things about you, Souya」

Close.

Just as I thought that, Lanseal draped herself over me.

Her hands were around my neck, her breasts were pressed against my chest, her legs were intertwined with mine, and her lips were on my ear.

「H, hey, Lanseal. Tyutyu sometimes does this to me as well, but is there some deep significance to kissing my ear?」

「That shameless little thieving cat」

Oh crap, she's scary.

I think I might have stepped on a landmine. The force of her embrace is quite strong.

「You're not without blame, Souya. You don't even know about this kind of thing?」

「Sorry. The timing was always bad, so I didn't get a chance to ask」

「Looking at it from another angle, this means that there's no other beastkin woman other than that thieving cat, I suppose. I'm relieved to know that」

「No no no, Tyutyu's the only one who would be with me. And I'm paying for it, so it's just a job for her」

「Souya, what you're saying is odd, you know?」

「Odd?」

Is it my memories? Oh, maybe she saw me flirting with Ea? But she's just my sister. Sure, she has declared her intention to marry me for some reason, but I'm sure it's just a passing fancy.

I don't think we'll really get married.

Get married………………Married?

There should be something important about that. I'm pretty sure that………Ah, shit. It's no good, it's all hazy.

「Souya」

「Hmm?」

She kissed me on the ear again.

「I'll fill you in on the meaning of this. In great detail」

「Eh?」

No, rather than that, I need to come up with a plan to overcome this situation and get back my everyday―――――

「Mmm」

My thoughts were sealed up along with my lips.

It wasn't the first time we had kissed, and Lanseal had always been a passionate person. But this time, it was different. I felt a steadfast determination that things wouldn't end there.

Every time our tongues intertwined, it stripped away my ability to think straight.

Touching and being touched, our bodies entwined like snakes.

A burning heat rose within me.

I also kissed Lanseal's ear. I kissed her animal ear, and then her human ear. The sweet moans she let out kindled my lust.

I rubbed the base of her tail with my fingers and then grabbed her buttocks, squeezing them roughly. Her body quivered, her skin damp and inviting. The sweetness of her voice and the sweetness of her body melted my brain, making it impossible to think about anything at all.

At long last, in the 9th volume, Souya finally does the deed with Lanseal. Did you expect him to hold out for so long? When you think about it, isn’t it weird how we’ve been shown that Souya is quite pervy, yet he resisted Lanseal for so long? I wonder why… (yes, there is a specific reason)

By the way, have you noticed that since the last chapter, there has been something weird going on? I’m sure you must have, the author was getting real obvious with it near the end. Well, it’ll become clear soon, so stay tuned!