The Tentacle Awakens

by J. J. Pavlov

  "Hmmm..." She rubs her eyes and sits up from the bed, before sniffing the air. "... what's this smell?"

  "That's from... Mahkotoh and my... lovemaking." Kamii replies to that question with a clear undertone of pride, and I snap my head around in surprise. She has a triumphant expression on her face, even as her eyes are close to falling shut from tiredness.

  Was she this kind of character all along?

  "H-huh? Y-you two..." Daica stares at our only half-covered forms. From one look, it's obvious that this bed is soaked in our bodily fluids, spilled over the course of many hours. "Uuuhhh..."

  The little sister, who has a much more mature body than her older sister, is unable to find the right words that would express her emotions in this situation. Even though she was the one who asked for it last night, I ended up doing it with Kamii instead - and right next to her, too. Of course, she has all the reason to hate me now, but I just couldn't help it.

  I love Kamii, after all.

  But at the same time, I feel the same about Daica. If anybody asked, I couldn't just pick one and condemn the other to a lonely life - as any cursed being would be in this human nation. Call me an indecisive bastard all you want, but I don't give a f-

  "-inished?" Senka suddenly appears in the room, standing on the chair she normally gets banished to every night. The big dark elf flinches and suppresses a scream from the surprise. "Oh damn, you are. But you're still... ugh."

  The doll girl looks away and holds her nose demonstratively. What's the big deal, we're all girls here. And she's been talking like she knows this stuff, despite her childlike body.

  "Admit it; you're interested yourself." I tease her, and she turns to look me straight in the eyes.

  "Yes, I am. But you'll never get me to do it." With these words and a shrug, she jumps up onto the roof beam she disappeared onto last night and repeats her previous feat.

  "Playing hard to get, huh?" I have no idea whether these words reach her or not, but it doesn't matter. Now, for Daica. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait until I regain my strength..."

  "Ah. Umm... yes..." She blushes and averts her eyes. It's clear that she doesn't think anything special about me going for the polygamous route. Otherwise, her reaction would have been quite the different one there.

  Now that I reconsider it, why don't I think anything special about my behavior? I experienced my very first kiss with Daica but ended up kissing her sister's most sensitive spot only moments later. The fact that I don't feel anything wrong with it just goes to show that my mind has changed without me noticing.

  This isn't how I was brought up in my previous life, so why do I think it's normal? Recently, I don't get myself anymore; this body must be affecting my mental state. I've read somewhere before that perception as well as mentality is based on one's physiology. And this body is fundamentally different from a human's. It's to be expected that there will be some discrepancies in how I thought before when I was still human.

  "B-but Kamii, y-you are so unfair, leaving me out of things..." Daica gathers her courage to complain to her big sister with a pout that increases her cuteness to heart-stopping levels.

  "Your own fault... for falling asleep." Kamii responds with the cold hard truth in a manner of fact tone, and her little sister goes quiet.

  While her childish self is dangerously cute, this confident version is unbelievably sexy. I'm happy to see a whole new side to this petite dark elf, and I really like it. The opportunity wouldn't have arisen if Daica hadn't fainted and I had deepened my bonds with her first. Mentally, I thank her for her failure.

  "Y-you just thought s-something rude, didn't you?" With a shocked expression, the big dark elf looks at me in reproach.

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Turning away to face Kamii, I play dumb. I have to do something about my thoughts being read like this. The little dark elf kisses me, just to tease her sister even more, before looking in her direction and sticking her tongue out.

  This must be heaven.

  Chapter 21 - Leaving The Nest

  It has been a fortnight, or fourteen days, since the news of the alliance army's defeat reached the guild. That morning, Ingrid had everyone called over to the main hall for an announcement. I can see that all the people who were present back then have actually stayed in the city instead of running away for their own safety. They're nervous, but there's an overall hopeful atmosphere; after all, the demon army's attack deadline expired nine days ago, and the city is still standing.

  "The demons attacked the city of Pontis Daemonis at dawn two days after we received the message... The city fell before the tide of radiance of the same day." The guild master's voice bears a gravity appropriate for this disastrous news.

  Senka taught me a little more about this world in these two weeks, and I know that the tide of radiance corresponds to the time around high noon. In other words, Pontis Daemonis fell within less than half a day. The murmurs of disbelief all around me makes it clear that nobody had expected such an outcome. A city that had been standing for two decades on dominion ground even during this demon queen's reign fell so easily.

  As expected of Maou-mama; her legend is ever-growing.

  In any case, the state of emergency has been lifted now, and everyone can go back to adventuring. Eventually, their anxiety will settle down, as this event slowly fades into the past. After all, the people here weren't directly affected by it, so there's no point in ruminating about it forever.

  "Rolan, come here." Ingrid calls out to the leader after her announcement is over. "You already know what this is about, right?"

  "Yeah, Chloe's punishment." With a wry smile, he responds and shrugs. He's gotten a lot more familiar with me in these past two weeks and has started calling me without using honorifics at one point. I don't really mind, but he never asked for my opinion about it. And he certainly doesn't seem to be considering Luna's thoughts. "Delivering a letter, right?"

  "No, there's a little more I need you to transport now." When she sees the leader's frown, she produces a small parcel from her podium and shows it off demonstratively, before motioning to hand it over. "It's just this parcel."

  "What's in it?" Curious, the leader stretches his hand out to receive it, but Ingrid pulls it back.

  "If you lose it, I'll have your head." With a reassuring smile, she finally puts it in the completely intimidated leader's palm. "And make it quick, don't dawdle along the way. This has to reach Asgeirr's hands within one moon."

  "Huh? Don't be unreasonable, Ingrid! The snowfall season on the Kongensgrad is about to start." Gram complains while gesturing with his hands before the guild leader. There's an expression of unease on his face and the corners of his mouth twitch, which cause his mustache to shift up and down. It's a quirk I noticed only recently, and it's unexpectedly cute.

  "That's why you should hurry up." Placing her hands on her hips, Ingrid speaks with a charming smile that basically screams 'I don't care how you do it, just do it!' to me. And apparently to the others in my party, too.

  "You're always like that..." Rolan hangs his shoulders, but out of solidarity to me, he can't refuse. He's fulfilling the role of a leader properly and taking responsibility for his party members' failures. "Alright then, we'll be going."

  "Have a safe trip." Ingrid's expression softens as she walks over to him and hugs him.

  My mouth very nearly drops, and I glance at Luna from the corner of my eyes. She doesn't seem to mind, so that must be a normal thing for people to do here. I wouldn't have done that with just an acquaintance or any regular friend myself.

  "You keep the boy safe, you hear?" Letting go of Rolan, she turns to Gram, and they bump fists. Then she smiles at the half-elf like an older sister, before petting her head. "Good luck at the Royal Academy. But don't let your man out of your sights; I hear there are a lot of beautiful women in the capital."

  Luna blushes at her words but doesn't object, clutching her staff and glancing at Rolan sideways. Finally, Ingrid addres
ses the bard, and I wonder what she's going to say to him.

  "I'll miss your voice and tune in the guild hall." With a melancholic expression, she hugs him as well, though it feels a bit different from the one she gave Rolan. Did I miss something about the relationship between these two?

  "Best of luck to you, Miss Marcott. You'll always be welcome here." With me, the guild master is a little more formal; after all, we only know each other for a little over a month. She shakes my hand firmly and smiles as if letting bygones be bygones.

  Then she turns to Daica, who had set up a temporary store inside the guild's rooms, from which she's been selling her strange concoctions for the past weeks.

  "I'd love to say that you closing your store is going to be a big loss for the guild, Lady Nightwane... but I would be lying." Ingrid gives the big dark elf a handshake and a genuinely compassionate smile. "I wish you better luck in the capital."

  "H-huh?" Perplexed, Daica blinks her eyes repeatedly, not understanding that she was just made fun of. It wasn't even in a very roundabout manner, but actually pretty direct. It's quite cute seeing her confused like this. Apparently, her work as the new supplier for the guild wasn't very appreciated, since she always put a strange twist on her potions and ointments.

  "Watch over Miss Marcott, you hear?" Squatting down a little to speak to Kamii, Ingrid pets her hair. Unlike most other people so far, she doesn't show any apprehension at touching the cursed little dark elf. Luckily, she didn't do the same with Daica, whose gloves prevented the curse from taking effect in their handshake.

  "I will!" Pumped and excited about being relied on like this, Kamii nods her head. This girl was fearful of all humans and making physical contact with them was beyond her when I first picked her up, but she's come a long way since then.

  "May Skovrider guide you on a safe journey." Finally, she addresses the whole party and gives her blessings, though I have no idea who or what Skovrider is. "All of you, make sure to come back here someday, alright?"

  "Yeah, we promise. Just wait for good news of us slaying the demon queen." With a grin, Rolan declares. These words immediately shatter my good mood, but I suppress my emotions so that it doesn't show on my face. Why does he have to mention killing my mother at every turn? It's like that's his only defining character trait or something. "Everyone, get everything ready, we're leaving at noon."

  By getting everything ready, he means buying provisions and packing our belongings. Even though we have been preparing ever since Ingrid told me about our job, there are still some things that need to be done before we can leave. It's a pretty hasty departure, but what can you do, when you have a strict deadline?

  "How long does it take to get to the capital?" I ask the bard while we make our way out of the guild hall. He seems overjoyed that I would talk to him out of my own volition, and puts on a face that he thinks is charming. To me, it's just annoying.

  "On the fastest route, it will take twenty-five days. But that's only when the weather allows it. As the big man pointed out earlier, snowfall season is beginning on the Kongensgrad." He explains, as we walk across the city square and return to the tavern. When he notices my questioning expression, he elaborates. "Ah, the Kongensgrad is the mountain range that separates the Slaettermark from the Isdalen plains, where the capital is located."

  "I see. So we will have to cross the mountains? How tall are they?" When I ask this, the other members of the party look at me in amused surprise.

  "... nobody has ever thought of trying to measure how tall a mountain is." Rolan comments with a raised eyebrow.

  "How would you even go about doing it?" Gram wonders while scratching his chin.

  "All we know is that the summits of the Kongensgrad are covered in snow even when the plains are in the full bloom of summer." The bard points east while using a rather fancy way to phrase that the mountain range is snow-capped year-round.

  The conversation ends when we separate and return to our own rooms to pack our belongings. What I learned is that we'll have to hurry, to make it in the quite unreasonable deadline that Ingrid has set for us. And having to walk four hundred sixty kilometers is something quite incredible; this will be the farthest I have ever walked in my life, and easily spans a distance of almost eleven full marathons. That's about as many as I ran in the past two years.

  I hope Kamii and Daica can keep up.

  Thus, we meet again at noon and depart Hovsgaerden, hastily and in a somewhat unceremonious manner. Luckily, there's a proper dirt road leading towards the capital, even if it's not paved, so it's more comfortable on everybody's feet. I can't help but feel impressed by Gram carrying his massive shield as well as a huge bag of luggage.

  Speaking of luggage, this time I have my own weight to carry. It's a large and rough leather bag that contains three days worth of provisions, to cover the journey to the next town, as well as clothes and a few tools. Two large blankets are rolled up and strapped on top of the bag, to complete the backpacker's standard appearance. I have Kamii's things packed in my luggage since I don't want her to be doing any heavy lifting with that cursed arm of hers.

  Daica is carrying a backpack of her own since she didn't want to rely on me too much, even though I offered to take some of her things. She also wants to act tough in front of her older sister, especially after that night. Even now, she still hasn't been able to get past kissing and light touching, while Kamii has already fully climbed the stairs to adulthood with me.

  Luna keeps eyeing me because I carry Senka in my arms. She had expected that I would have grown bored of this creepy doll by now, but no such thing will ever happen.

  Since I'm a full-fledged member of the party, I'm being entrusted with night watch duty on my own now. I have a couple of hours every night to do whatever I want, as long as it doesn't wake anyone up. Thus, on the very first night, I use it to stockpile food - animals I find in the barn of a nearby farm.

  The first time I returned, Kamii was close to tears due to my absence. I didn't tell her beforehand, so when she woke up in the middle of the night and saw me gone, she very nearly cried out loud. Luckily, Senka could keep her calm enough to wait until my return, but then she became vocal about missing me. When the others woke up because of it, I just told them that she had a nightmare.

  After that episode, I made sure to tell her every time, and entrusted night watch to her for the duration of my absence. In case anybody woke up and asked about my absence, she would also be able to tell them that I went to pick flowers.

  Throughout all that, Daica slept without a care in the world. Even when we share a shift, she just snoozes away due to the daily fatigue. She isn't used to the long traveling due to her sedentary lifestyle and her large body atypical for an elf is causing problems, too. Most specifically, she complains about stiff shoulders, which earns her deadly and envious glares from Luna each time.

  During a conversation with Senka one night, as we camp at the edge of a forest, I'm reminded of the fact that I still have the map in the leather backpack that I'm keeping inside my body. In all my free time I completely forgot to check on it. Let's hope it's not been digested or something.

  But I'm half-expecting it to be a map of just the Dominion, and most likely not even a very detailed one. If it does contain the Kingdom of Lares, I'd be very curious to see how far the demon continent is from here.

  Walking a distance away from the camp with Senka in one arm, I pull the piece of leather from the backpack inside my body. As expected, it's still fully intact, even after such a long time. So, I can really store inanimate things inside me practically indefinitely, as long as I consciously put it in a space where no digestion happens.

  "I just hope it actually is a map..." It wouldn't be funny, if it were just my misconception, associating the large piece of leather with the one that the bard has.

  When I chant the word for activating the magic, lines begin to form on the leather's surface. So, it's a map after all. I apologize in my mind for thinking that Maou-mam
a made a mistake again, but I still want to hit her over the head with a paper fan for not teaching me how to use it.

  In either case, I take a closer look at the finished image and feel something snap inside my head.

  AAAAAA-

  Not good, I need to calm down. I would have actually flipped a table if I had been sitting at one.

  The map shows four large land masses, with a red dot on the one at the top right, which most likely indicates my current location. This must be the continent of Blereath, then. According to Senka, that's the name of the continent we're on right now. The much bigger land mass to the left of the map features black runes I can't decipher above a black dot. This most likely denotes the location of the demon castle, so that continent must be Ceogath.

  At least that's what I think, but my convenient language ability doesn't extend to the written one of the demons either, it seems. Also, there's neither a map key nor a bar scale for translating the map's dimensions into real distances, so I have no idea how far away I am right now.

  In other words, this is like a vague treasure map where I'll have to guess everything.

  Damn you, Maou-mama! I'm gonna smack you when I meet you again!

  Luckily, I do have memorized the location of the capital we're heading for, which is located right next to a giant lake. At this point, we're about one hundred sixty leagues - or about three hundred eighty kilometers - from it, according to the bard. I use a stick I pick up from the ground as a simple ruler and measure the distance from the red dot to the lake where the capital is located. Then I cut the length of stick to match that distance, and use it to measure the times I need to move it across itself towards the black dot with the only inscription on the map.

  When I add up the number, I end up at roughly thirty-five. If my math skills aren't failing me, that's about thirteen thousand... four hundred... kilometers...

  Whaaat?! This is actually a world map, then?