So she was sticking to her story about her sister.
…What a pain.
In the end, we decided not to stay in Arcanletia and set off for Crimson Magic Village instead. Personally, I was just as happy to be out of reach of the Axis Church’s crazy “missionaries.” But then again, the road to the village was supposed to be so dangerous that even merchant caravans wouldn’t use it. The Crimson Magic Clan members themselves got around using Teleport. In other words, there was no need to risk losing a convoy for them.
We put Arcanletia behind us, heading for Crimson Magic Village along the road.
“It’s about two days’ walk from here to the village. There are a lot of dangerous monsters on the way, so we’ll be relying on Kazuma’s Sense Foe skill,” Megumin said.
Frankly, I was terrified at the prospect of camping out with all those monsters around. I wanted to cover as much ground as we could while the sun was up.
“Leave it to me,” I said. “I took care of a few little enemies on our last trip, remember? It actually made my level go up. I had plenty of skill points, so I picked up a thief skill called Flee. It allows you to escape battle at any time.”
“Hey, doesn’t that only affect you, Kazuma?” Aqua said. “Are you saying that anytime you sense an enemy, you can just run away by yourself? That’s not what you’re saying, is it?”
We trundled along with Darkness up front and Megumin, Aqua, and me behind. I was ignoring Aqua’s uncharacteristically perceptive questions.
“Kazuma,” Megumin said, “aren’t Adventurers supposed to level up easily? We had that whole intense battle with the Demon King’s general, and you only got one level? I jumped straight up to 33!”
“Hey, put that card away before I throw it away. It’s not like I have a choice. You can take out the boss and all the small fry in the area in one big blast, but I have to make do with my bow and this sword with its weird name.”
We were still arguing as we proceeded toward a forest—and Darkness stopped in her tracks.
“…Eep. There’s someone there…”
I followed her gaze and saw a green-haired girl sitting on an outcropping of rock near the forest entrance. She was waving as if she’d just noticed us.
Is she here alone?
…Then my eyes went to her feet. Her right ankle was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. The sight made me wince.
She was looking at us with upturned eyes. I felt one of my skills activate.
…What can I say?
Except…this world is really absolutely, positively no good!
“Aww, you’re hurt. Are you okay?” Aqua was approaching the girl solicitously. I grabbed her shoulder, drawing a look not only from her but from Darkness and Megumin as well.
“My Sense Foe skill is tingling. That’s a monster in disguise.”
“““Huh?!”””
I ignored the girl’s imploring expression. While staying mindful of our surroundings, I pulled out the Guild’s map of the road to Crimson Magic Village. It included information about the monsters you might meet on the way. I checked to see if any of them fit this girl’s description…
There it is.
“Leisure Girl.” That had to be her.
“Come on, Kazuma, she’s looking at you all sad and stuff… I kind of can’t help wanting to go cast Heal on her.”
I refused to loosen my grip on Aqua’s shoulder. Instead, I reviewed the info we had on this creature.
“Leisure Girl: This plant-type monster does not do direct physical damage. However, it will attempt to provoke strong protective feelings in passing travelers to lure them closer. Its advances are difficult to resist, and once you give in to your sympathy for it, you will remain its prisoner until you die. Some maintain that this monster is actually highly intelligent, but this is not certain. We request that adventuring groups who encounter this monster exterminate it, difficult as that may be.”
“Kazuma, sh-she’s looking at me,” Darkness said, sounding unusually irresolute. “Look at those big round eyes! Are you sure it’s a monster?”
“While travelers are near this monster, it will display a highly relaxing smile, making it difficult to leave. If an attempt to withdraw is nonetheless made, it will begin to cry. The more good-hearted the traveler, the more dangerous this monster is.”
“K-Kazuma, that girl… She is waving ‘bye-bye’ to us and struggling to put on her bravest smile so as not to cry… Surely, one little hug would not hurt?”
I let go of Aqua and grabbed Megumin by the collar.
“Once ensnared, it will come closer to its prey, making it difficult to avoid. While hunger might normally prompt a traveler to move on, a further danger of this monster is that it will share its own fruit with such famished captives. The fruit is in fact quite tasty. But it is almost entirely devoid of nutritional value, so one will continue to lose weight no matter how much one eats. Travelers suffer pangs of conscience to see the little girl offer them her own fruit, eventually cease to eat at all, and die of malnutrition.”
“Hrk…! Even if it is a monster, to walk away from someone injured…!” Darkness couldn’t stand it anymore; she started approaching the Leisure Girl. But since the map said the creature didn’t do any physical damage, I let her go and kept reading.
“Some element in the Leisure Girl’s fruit seems to interfere with the nervous system, because eventually hunger, fatigue, pain, and other danger signals cease to be sent to the body. As a result, the creature’s prey enters a dreamlike state, wastes away, and dies. Some elderly adventurers, seeking a peaceful death, have deliberately gone to this monster’s habitat, which is where it gets its name. After the death of its prey, the Leisure Girl puts down roots over the deceased traveler and draws nutrition from—”
…I stopped reading. Somewhere along the line, Megumin had escaped my grip and joined Aqua in walking toward the girl. All of them were aware it was a monster and not exactly eager to touch it quite yet, but they were definitely in kind of a daze.
The Leisure Girl looked at them with eyes full of fleeting hope: You’ll really stay with me? My companions, their protective impulses stirred by her expression, were flexing their fingers in anticipation.
“It looks like this monster doesn’t do physical damage,” I said. “Instead, it plays on people’s emotions and starves them to death before running its roots into them.”
At my words, the three of them drew even closer to the Leisure Girl, wearing placid expressions. I had to wonder if they were listening to the part about being starved to death.
“I’ll take care of your poor boo-boos!” Aqua said. But a moment later: “Huh? These aren’t injuries at all. These aren’t even bandages—just something that looks like them.”
That prompted me to come take a closer look, too.
The Leisure Girl wore clothes like you might see on any young kid around town. She had bare feet and was smiling happily to have everyone clustering around her. When I got close, I realized the rock she was sitting on was part of her fake body, too. A branch-like thing extended from the back of it, and a small fruit was growing there. The clothes, the blood-soaked bandages—all of it was just a trick to get people to feel sorry for her.
What kind of monster would impersonate an injured little girl? I mean, come on.
That was what I was thinking, anyway. Beside me, my three companions were busy fussing over the Leisure Girl. Megumin held her hand out gently, and the creature looked at it with anxious eyes that said, Can I really?
She clasped the outstretched hand, and her face blossomed into an expression of pure bliss.
That seemed to be it for the three of them.
Crimson Magic Village might have been in danger, but this thing was its own kind of trouble. I thought back to the warning from the monster info. “The more good-hearted the traveler, the more dangerous this monster is.” And: “We request that adventuring groups who encounter this monster exterminate it, difficult as that may be.”
When Aqua saw me, she hugged the Leisure Girl protectively. “What are you doing, Kazuma?! You can’t possibly mean to farm this sweet little girl for experience points, can you?”
Excuse me, but that’s a monster. A deadly one.
Megumin, still holding the creature’s hand, gazed at me beseechingly. “I, too, know of the Leisure Girl. But surely you wouldn’t hurt a being in the form of such an adorable child? People say you are a demonic monster and morally bankrupt, but I know you also care about your friends and have the occasional moment of kindness. I know you wouldn’t do something like this… Would you…?” You’d think she was pleading with her parents not to take the kitten she found to the animal shelter.
…Geez. I mean, it’s not like I’m doing this for fun.
Darkness sensed my hesitation, but she seemed to remember that we were dealing with a monster. “…No,” she said. “If Kazuma has decided to eliminate this thing, then that’s what we should do. I went to it because I thought it was injured, but this monster doesn’t have any wounds. That means this is all a cunning disguise. If we leave it here, who knows what kind of damage it will do down the line?” As she spoke, she drew her great sword, taking up a stance against the Leisure Girl.
At that, the Leisure Girl spoke in a voice so soft it was hard to hear, stumbling over her words like a child.
“…You’re gonna…k-kill…me…?”
She clung to Megumin’s hand and looked up at Darkness without ever leaving her rock. Tears welled in her eyes, and she started to tremble.
So it can talk…
Quaking so hard her great sword rattled, Darkness silently implored me with the exact same expression as the Leisure Girl.
Geez, you too? What am I supposed to do about this?
I pushed the immobilized Darkness out of the way, stepping forward with my sword in my hand. Aqua stood in front of the Leisure Girl to block me, shadowboxing to keep me at bay.
…Some goddess. Getting all chummy with a monster…
The Leisure Girl looked anxiously at Megumin, still holding her hand, and then gave me a terrified glance.
“…He’s gonna…k-kill…me…?”
The sight of that questioning, teary-eyed look hit me somewhere deep in my heart. Three companions and one monster all watched me.
Keep it together! This monster took human lives. If we didn’t do something about it, someone else might become its victim. Not to get all philosophical, but wouldn’t letting it live be the greater evil?
Or would it be worse to kill it?
Grrrrrraaagh!
I stabbed my katana into the dirt, nearly pulling out my hair. Aqua, seeing the turmoil within me, said:
Thanks, that’s just what a mature, responsible person would do. Not.
And anyway, everyone needed to just hold on a moment. There was one more reason I couldn’t let the Leisure Girl go.
And that was Megumin’s village.
We were headed straight into the jaws of the Demon King’s army, his generals, and his minions. And while I had zero interest in fighting them, I wanted to get every level I could scrounge up—just in case. If the Leisure Girl lived here, in a country this dangerous, then it had to be worth some serious XP.
Darkness, Aqua, and Megumin all watched my internal battle. So did the Leisure Girl, wearing an uneasy look.
I had a good cause. If I didn’t take out this monster, other people might get hurt.
…Gaaaaaaah, damn it all! I don’t have any choice—forgive me! It might look like a person, but it’s a monster! A monster! A monster…!
Seeing me stand there, apparently doomed to be locked in battle with myself forever, the Leisure Girl whispered, “You’re in…pain. I’m sorry, it’s…because I’m…alive, isn’t it?” A smile flitted across her face. “I’m a…monster. I cause…trouble…just by being…alive.” Tears began beading in her eyes. “This is the first…time in my…life…I’ve been able to talk…to a human.” She brought her hands together in front of her chest, as if she was praying. “And it looks like…it will be the…last. I’m glad you…were the one I…talked to… If there is…such a thing as rebirth…I hope I won’t…be a monster…in my next life.”
…Sheesh. How could I kill that?
5
We continued on our way, leaving the Leisure Girl behind us.
Hey, don’t judge me. I guess it might get someone in trouble later—but I don’t value human life so highly that I could kill a monster that looks like a little girl and says things like that.
Sigh. I supposed she probably would get someone else passing through.
Even after we left, everyone acted as if something was tugging on them from behind. Aqua and Megumin would barely go forward, making my life difficult.
Aww, man! I feel bad leaving it, and I would have felt bad killing it. What a rude monster.
Then again, she did say this was the first time she had talked to a human. Maybe that meant she hadn’t captured any other victims. So maybe letting her go was…the right choice…?
“Anyway, Kazuma, I’m so glad to learn you have a shred of humanity left in you,” Aqua was saying. “I thought you were about to go, ‘I’ll make experience points out of you!’ and then cast Kindle on her or something.”
“We really need to have a talk about who exactly you think I am. You all knew I was never gonna do it, right?” I looked to Darkness and Megumin…
““…””
The two of them averted their eyes uncomfortably, not saying a word.
What I wouldn’t give for companions kind and loving enough to understand me.
…Huh? “Hold on a second. I just realized how dangerous it is leaving that Leisure Girl on this road.”
The thought of kind and loving companions had reminded me of Yunyun, who would be coming this way later. She had no friends, she was already the lonely type, and she was given to showing compassion to those around her. If she saw that thing…
The Leisure Girl had said we were the first humans she had talked to. That meant Yunyun definitely hadn’t been by already.
“You look whiter than Wiz,” Aqua said. “You have a stomachache? There are some bushes over there. Don’t worry; we’ll give you some space.”
“You are so wrong! Look, you guys go on ahead. I need to talk to that Leisure Girl.”
“What?! H-hey, Kazuma—?!”
With Aqua’s confused shout ringing in my ears, I dashed back the way we had come.
6
It hadn’t been five minutes since we’d left the Leisure Girl behind. If I ran, I would be there in no time. Then, as foolish as it might be, I would have to try to ask her not to bother the red-eyed girl who would be coming down this road—not even smile at her.
My mind kept spinning as I went. If I could get that concession from her, maybe I could even persuade her not to lure any travelers at all into her trap.
…Yes! That was it! I could ask the Axis Church in Arcanletia to send that sweet monster regular sustenance so it wouldn’t have to attack anyone. I was going to be a gazillionaire when I got back to town anyway. I could spare enough to keep one monster fed. I was practically giddy with these thoughts as I went rushing back…!
When I got to where we had met the Leisure Girl, I could see she was talking with someone. I immediately activated my Ambush and Second Sight skills to check out what was going on.
She was speaking to a woodcutter. He must have lived in Arcanletia…
The woodcutter was advancing on her, ax in hand. Did he mean to kill her…? I slipped forward, leaving my Ambush skill active, trying to hear what he was saying.
His voice was all too clear. “Argh… Damn! I’m sorry! Forgive me! But we woodcutters know that if we find one of you, we have to get rid of you…!” He was practically weeping.
So he was going to kill her! I deactivated Ambush—
“I’m a…monster. I
cause…trouble…just by being…alive.”
—or I was about to, when I heard the creature speak…using the same words as before.
“This is the first…time in my…life…I’ve been able to talk…to a human.”
The exact same words.
“And it looks like…it will be the…last. I’m glad you…were the one I…talked to. If there is…such a thing as rebirth…I hope I won’t…be a monster…in my next life.”
“Ahh! I can’t do it!” the woodcutter exclaimed. “Damn it all, I just can’t do it!” And then he turned and ran.
I stood dumbly in the shadow of the trees, not even turning off Ambush.
What’s going on? Didn’t she say I was the first human she had talked to?
“Pfah, there goes another one. And that woodcutter looked so meaty. There would have been plenty to feed on there…”
With the woodcutter gone, the Leisure Girl seemed to be talking to herself. She spoke in fluent, perfectly formed words.
I snuck around behind her and deactivated Ambush. The Leisure Girl didn’t know I was there.
“Baaah… Shit. Come on, food, where are you? Maybe I’ll have to settle for photosynthesis. And it’s cloudy. What a pain in my ass…”
Still muttering, she lay down and stretched out as if to catch as much of the sun as she could…
…and her eyes met mine, as I stood directly behind her.
““…………””
For a very long moment, we looked at each other wordlessly. Then the Leisure Girl blurted, “Could…we p-pretend…that didn’t…happen?”
“I know you can talk normal, you slimyyyy—!!”
When I got back to Aqua and the others, they were taking a break right where I’d left them. Maybe they’d been waiting for me.
Aqua smiled as I came running up. “Well, you look like there’s a load off your mind! What happened? Something with you and that monster? What did you go back for, anyway?”
Crimson Magic Clan, Let’s & Go!! Page 3