by Okina Baba
“Ha-ha.” The Demon Lord chuckles wearily. “If we could be as egotistical as White, our lives would probably be a lot easier.”
Güli-güli, on the other hand, looks thoughtful.
“I see. They are similar.”
“Huh? Who?”
“I always thought it was strange that D had taken such a liking to this creature. But after this conversation, it all makes sense. This creature’s arrogance and selfishness are just like D.”
“Objection!”
Your Honor! How can this man slander my good name by comparing me to D?!
“Which is exactly what makes it so dangerous.”
Güli-güli puts down his glass.
But before he can do anything else, a smartphone suddenly materializes before his eyes.
“You know what I’m going to say, right?”
“…Very well.”
“Good.”
After that brief exchange, the smartphone disappears.
“The hell was that?”
“Beats me.”
The Demon Lord and I look at each other and shrug.
I kinda feel like I might’ve just narrowly escaped an extremely precarious situation, but we’ll just assume that was my imagination.
“Hmph. No matter the world, no matter the era, it seems that major events are always set into motion by the selfishness of one individual.”
Güli-güli looks at me steadily.
“What do you intend to do from this point on?”
“I dunno.”
I won’t know what I’m going to do next until it happens.
“All I know is, I’m gonna do what I want. I’m not gonna let anyone else influence me into changing my goals or something stupid like that. I’ll just act based on my own pride. You can count on that much.”
I’m not like my idiot Parallel Minds, who let Mother influence them into trying to wipe out humanity.
I’m going to follow my own will and do exactly what I want to do.
There is one little problem with that, however.
What exactly is my “pride”?
I can’t go around living for no reason.
I gotta live with pride, right?
I swore that to myself after my home got burned down back in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
But since then, I’ve been so preoccupied with simply staying alive that I haven’t had a chance to decide what exactly my pride is based on.
Now, though, I don’t have to be worried about mere survival.
I’ve gotten strong enough that I can live more or less problem-free.
It’s about time I start really living with pride.
Pride, huh…
I look at the two people in front of me.
The Demon Lord and Güli-güli.
These two have lived longer than you would believe, but they’ve frittered it all away on someone else.
Namely, to protect the pride of the Goddess Sariel.
My gaze keeps moving.
Next, I see Mera and Vampy, sound asleep together.
Mera, too, is the type to devote his life to someone else.
Doing something for someone else’s sake…
It’s a motivation I can’t understand.
But it does seem to be a motivation you can be proud of.
There’s no point in going on living without any pride.
But is there any point having nothing but pride and living in solitude?
The earth dragon Araba comes to mind.
Araba was incredibly strong and dignified, but its final moments were so…lonely.
Am I going to die like that someday, too?
Dying in obscurity, mourned by nobody.
…Yeah, I don’t want that.
Pride for someone else’s sake, huh…?
Well, I’ve got a couple of experts in that path right in front of me, so I’ll go ahead and learn from their example.
“Please teach me well, senpai!”
“…What is it talking about?”
“I dunno. I never know what White is thinking.”
Their reactions are so funny, I can’t help laughing again.
I’m still not sure what exactly my pride is about, but if I keep watching these two, I feel like I might just figure it out.
Incidentally, I woke up the next morning not remembering any of this.
Sometimes you take a drink, and sometimes the drink takes you.
Hey, that’s a pretty good saying.
LEAVING MISFORTUNE BEHIND
The day after we ran into the Word of God pontiff, Merazophis collapsed.
The cause: blood loss.
He fainted because I drank too much of his blood.
W-well, I couldn’t help it!
For some reason, at that particular moment, I felt like I had to drink Merazophis’s blood no matter what!
I drank too much?
Fine, I’m sorry!
Anyway, because of his condition and all, we ended up staying an extra night.
After that, Merazophis was back to normal, thankfully.
Calling it an apology to White for making her wait an extra day, Ariel ordered another barrel of liquor, but I’m pretty sure she just wanted to drink it herself.
As it turns out, Ariel’s quite fond of drinking.
When we met back up with White, the evening wound up turning into a little party. Who was that man in black who casually joined in, though?
Since Ariel didn’t complain, I assumed it was a friend of hers.
And since White wasn’t saying anything, either, it felt like we shouldn’t comment somehow, so I sort of let it go.
Figuring I’d get revenge for last time, I took another sip of alcohol, but of course I wound up passing out.
Next thing I knew, it was morning, and the man in black was gone.
What a mystery.
After that, we started up our journey again.
As usual, we spent days traveling through forests, mountains, and anywhere else that regular people would never pass through.
Then, at long last, we reached the capital of Sariella.
Since it’s the headquarters of the Goddess religion, there are churches everywhere you look, and the whole place has a very solemn air.
But there are also plenty of lively marketplaces and stuff. You’d think that would seem out of place, but somehow it all works together in harmony. I think it’s because the Goddess religion is such a normal part of life for the people here.
It sort of reminds me of when we went on a trip to Kyoto in middle school.
Then again, I got bullied the whole time, so I didn’t exactly have much fun.
Our party enters a restaurant at random and eats dinner.
Then we get a room at an inn and relax for the evening.
It’s the same routine every time we arrive at a town.
But this time is different.
This is our destination, and now that we’ve reached it, I have to come up with my answer about what we’re going to do next.
Say good-bye to Ariel and White and stay in Sariella?
Or accompany them to the demon territory?
Well, I suppose there might be other options, too.
“So, wanna stay here for a few days and decide what you’re gonna do next?” Ariel proposes, but I shake my head.
“No, I don’t need a few days.”
I’ve already decided my answer.
“Miss Ariel. Please take us with you to the demon territory.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’ve given it a lot of thought.”
When I answer her immediately, Ariel’s gaze turns toward Merazophis.
But before she can say anything, I give him an order.
“Merazophis, come with me.”
Merazophis is my servant.
He has to do what I say.
Ariel was probably going to ask him what he wants, but that doesn’t matter.
I’m not taking no for an answer.
“Certainly, young miss.”
Sure enough, Merazophis readily agrees.
The day we encountered the pontiff of the Word of God, I told Merazophis he could go off on his own if he wanted.
He’s the one who rejected that and chose to stay with me.
So from now on, whatever happens, I’m not letting him go.
Even if he still has attachments to this country, if I say we’re leaving, then we’re leaving.
Or maybe I should say because he still has attachments.
Merazophis was born and raised in this country, found various things here, then lost it all.
He has to detach himself from this place, both physically and mentally.
Ultimately, Merazophis is serving my parents, not me.
He’s staying by my side and protecting me because that’s what they wanted him to do.
But that’s not good enough.
I don’t want him to stay with me for my parents’ sake.
I can’t tolerate that.
He has to stay with me for my sake.
I wouldn’t tell him to forget about my parents, of course. Those memories are precious to him.
But I want him to put me above all that.
Merazophis is mine, after all.
I won’t let anyone else have him, not even my mother and father.
That’s why we can’t stay in this country where he has so many memories.
We’re going to leave so both of us can start over.
Leaving everything behind.
And then I’ll make sure Merazophis acknowledges me as his real master.
For that to happen, I have to grow into someone befitting that role.
I want to be kind and understanding of other people’s feelings, like Ariel.
I want to help people without asking anything in return, like White.
Though I hate to admit it, White really is amazing.
Even putting her stats and skills and all that aside, I think she’s more than just a human on the inside.
I don’t know any human being who would do this much for someone else free of charge.
She gives off a sense of unwavering conviction and pride.
I might still feel a little bit of jealousy toward her, but more than that, I’m starting to respect her.
It really wasn’t just her looks that made people worship her in our previous lives.
If I improve the person I am on the inside, maybe my life will improve a little bit, too.
I remember my parents from my old life, whose only merits were their good-natured personalities.
Really, they had nothing else going for them.
But instead of feeling bad for themselves, they always seemed to be happy.
Good looks really aren’t everything.
You have to be a good person on the inside, too.
That’s why I’ll try to improve myself as a person.
I’ll use the looks I inherited from my parents in this world, and add the positive qualities I’ve learned from White, Ariel, and my parents in my old world, and become the perfect young lady, one worthy of being Merazophis’s master.
“Merazophis, make sure you always stay with me and support me, all right?”
“Of course, young miss.”
I hold out a hand, and Merazophis kneels and kisses it reverently.
“Huh? Wait a second. This is for the best, right? I think it is, but… Hmm? Something feels a little off here. Is she turning into a yandere? What? How did things end up like this?”
Ariel scratches her head and mutters to herself, but I’m just going to ignore her.
Thus, we resolve to go to the demon territory.
REPORT ON THE NIGHTMARE OF THE LABYRINTH
After the Tragedy of Zatona, the Nightmare did not appear again for some time.
According to Sir Julius the Hero, who was in a standoff with the Nightmare until the end of the Tragedy of Zatona, the Nightmare disappeared after being hit by a large spell cast by one of the armies.
It is assumed this spell was the work of the army of the Holy Kingdom of Alleius.
At the time, it was thought that the Nightmare was killed by the spell, but considering the subsequent Defense of Keren County, it is now generally thought that the Nightmare may have survived.
The Defense of Keren County took place in year 842 of the Kingdom Calendar, the same year as the Tragedy of Zatona.
In this incident, the former capital of Keren County was attacked by an onslaught of white spider monsters.
The attack was intercepted by the Ohts Alliance Army, which was preparing to continue its invasion of Sariella.
Sir Julius the Hero, though quite young at the time, also participated in the defense, as did Elder Ronandt, the court mage of the Empire, who happened to be present at the time; with their assistance, the spider horde was successfully repelled.
However, due to the massive casualties, Ohts was forced to cancel its invasion of Sariella.
There are many theories as to where the spider swarm originated, but most prominent is the belief that it was connected with the Nightmare.
It is generally thought that the Nightmare may have been commanding the army.
However, some scholars believe that if the Nightmare was truly leading the spider army, then the defense would not have been a success.
After this incident, white spider monsters known as the Nightmare’s Vestiges, which are assumed to be the same species as those that appeared in the Defense of Keren County, emerged, but none of these sightings has been confirmed as the Nightmare itself.
In any event, the final confirmed sighting of the Nightmare was at the Tragedy of Zatona, and any subsequent sightings can be considered only speculation.
Theories abound as to whether the Nightmare died at the Tragedy of Zatona, at the Defense of Keren County, or continues to survive somewhere even today, but these, too, are nothing more than speculation, and the truth of the matter is unknown.
In conclusion, though the Nightmare’s period of activity was short, it has had an enormous effect on human society.
Most notably, it reminded us all that there are some individual creatures against which no ordinary human, even an army of them, stands a chance.
The monsters considered to be legendary-class may be few in number, but their existence cannot be denied.
The only reason we humans continue to exist, in spite of the existence of monsters that it’s said no number of humans could defeat, is that these monsters have no interaction with humans.
Legendary-class monsters live only in unexplored regions and places where humans dare not set foot.
It is only because they do not approach human settlements that humanity is allowed to keep living.
Personally, I believe the Nightmare showed itself before humanity to remind us of that fact.
—AGRISSA FURYU,
Analeit Kingdom monster researcher
AFTERWORD
Hello, I’m Okina Baba, and I don’t get any stronger if I take off my clothes.
The only people who get stronger when they remove clothes are ninjas.
If an old man takes off his clothes, he won’t get any stronger.
He’ll just be a weirdo!
The only place where it’s acceptable to be fully nude is at home and at the bathhouse.
Everyone, please behave yourselves and don’t imitate this behavior.
Anyway, this is the sixth volume.
Honestly, I’m not sure how things wound up this way myself.
That old man is seriously out of control…
But let’s forget about that ridiculous geezer.
I believe this volume is a little different in nature from the previous ones.
The S chapters, which take place further in the future than the main story, don’t appear this time, so all the chapters take place in the same time period.
Not only that, but instead of the usual nonstop battles, this volume focuses more
on the characters’ inner turmoil and relationships with others, which also makes this volume unusual.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is that our protagonist still does whatever she wants! And the old man does, too.
Incidentally, one of the characters who spends time in the spotlight this time around, Merazophis, might just be the subject of one of my favorite illustrations.
As soon as the illustrator, Tsukasa Kiryu, sent me the character designs, I actually exclaimed, “Whoa! This is totally Merazophis!”
I was impressed by how the illustration really brought out his overly serious nature.
Kiryu-sensei never fails to impress.
Anyway, I wound up liking Merazophis even more because of that, so his role has grown a lot compared to the web version.
Don’t blame me!
Finally, a few words of thanks.
Thank you to Tsukasa Kiryu, who always draws such beautiful pictures.
Those illustrations really are one of my biggest motivators.
Also, thanks to Asahiro Kakashi for continuing to draw the manga version so wonderfully.
Honestly, I can’t get over how amazing Kakashi-sensei is.
I don’t know what else to say about someone who manages to transform such a difficult source text into a super-entertaining manga.
The third volume of that manga comes out at the same time as this volume of the novels, so please do check it out.
Thanks as well to my editor Mr. K and everyone else involved in getting this book out into the world.
And thanks to everyone out there who’s picked it up.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On.
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