Jujutsushi Wa Yuusha Ni Narenai-Chapter 268.2 - The Banished King
BGM: Sunshine Coastline
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「Fuh… So tired.」
Tendou Ryuuichi muttered that while still holding a cigarette in his mouth.
It seemed that he had arrived in the so-called Quarantine Zone.
The area around him was pitch black, completely devoid of light, making it impossible to see. The glow of the cigarette was the only source of light in that place.
And then, aiming for that small flame flickering in the darkness, a sharp whooshing sound came rushing in————
「Hmph, hell of a welcome, isn’t it?」
He quickly drew his King's Sword and struck without hesitation even in that pitch black darkness.
There was a definite response. This time, unhindered, the King's Sword drawn from the treasury sliced through the blade that was just about to reach Ryuuichi’s neck.
「Shhhiiiiiing!」
The assailant in the darkness let out a shriek like that of an insect-type monster.
It seemed that what Ryuuichi had cut wasn't a handheld weapon, but a part of the attacker’s body.
「Lit up.」
Rather than launching a follow-up attack, he decided to turn on the lights first. Even in this darkness, Ryuuichi could sense the enemy’s position, movements, and general form, so it wasn’t a major hindrance to battle, but there was no advantage in deliberately fighting with his vision obscured.
As soon as he said those words, small fireballs began to appear one by one in midair, instantly dispelling the darkness.
The first thing Ryuuichi saw was a humanoid monster clad in white exoskeleton. It resembled the muscular, fast-moving creatures Kotaro referred to as 『High Zombie』, but this one had taken on an even more grotesque and inhuman form.
Its smooth, featureless face bereft of eyes or nose, but a pair of large, insect-like jaws opened and closed with a grinding sound. Crawling on all fours, its hands pressed to the floor ended in long, curved claws.
And from its waist extended a long, sinuous tail, which had been severed halfway and was spurting purple blood. Nearby, the tip of that tail, shaped like a harpoon blade, wriggled on the ground like a snake.
「Haven’t seen your kind before, but you’re not all that strong. Still, planning to make up for it with numbers, huh?」
「Crackle Crackle」
「Crackle, SCREEEEEEECH!」
From all directions, the same white monsters appeared. It seemed that this place was right in the heart of their nest.
「A quarantine zone, huh? I see, so even the Fairy Plaza isn’t functioning.」
Normally, teleportation magic circles take you to the Fairy Plaza. But here, it was pitch black, and to make matters worse, it’s turned into a monster nest.
Did I get teleported right into the heart of a dungeon? …No, that didn't seem to be the case.
This was the Fairy Plaza. To be exact, the place that used to be the Fairy Plaza.
The fountain had run dry, and the fairy statue that symbolized the plaza had its head and both arms shattered, now resembling the statue of Goddess Nikke.
The ground, once covered in green grass and flower beds, was now stained with a thick, sludgy substance that resembled red-black flesh and blood. On either side of the hall where the rows of fairy walnut trees once stood, piles of rubble and scrap metal, brought in from who knows where, had formed into mounds, from which the white monsters were crawling out.
It seemed those heaps of junk served as their nests.
「Crawling out like cockroaches… What a pain. Fine, come at me all at once.」
They were monsters that clearly didn’t seem capable of understanding human speech, but they must have recognized him as an intruder in their territory, or perhaps as fresh prey that had appeared for the first time in a while.
Immediately afterward, with fierce roars, they all leapt at him from every direction with swift movements.
「――『Nether Vortex』」
And thus, the monsters were instantly swept away by the swirling darkness that burst forth from the black-glowing king's sword.
Chunks of flesh were torn apart and scattered, and a massive amount of purple blood was splattered everywhere, but in a hall already defiled to its core, it was a normal spectacle.
For the time being, the obstacles had been cleared. However, it was far from being a place where one could relax in peace.
「Ain’t no way I’m cleaning up this mess, man..」
The place was smeared with reddish-black sludge and the remains of those creatures, there wasn’t even a spot to sit down. Staying the night here wasn’t even up for discussion.
That said, venturing into the unknown depths of a dungeon shrouded in darkness wasn’t exactly appealing right now either.
「Come to think of it, there was someone who might be able to handle the cleanup.」
Inheritance skill.
『Servant・Maid』: One who serves the king. A handmaiden responds to the king’s every desire, devoting everything in loyal service.
One of the inherited 『Servant』 series skills he acquired after becoming an Alchemist. He had obtained it back during his time at the School Tower, but since he never faced any real inconvenience in daily life, he’d never once used it. More than that, Ryuuichi had a strong feeling that if something, or rather, someone, called a 『Maid』 were to appear in front of his classmates, it would definitely lead to nothing but trouble.
However, since there were no prying eyes in this place, and he could use some help with daily life. Now was the time to summon the maid.
「Sh*t, I dunno why, but I got a real bad vibe about this…」
He knew his gut was usually right about things like this, but with no other choice and necessity pressing in, he had to go through with the summon.
After a moment hesitating, Ryuuichi reluctantly activated the skill.
「… 『Servant・Maid』」
The moment he chanted the words, a golden magic circle spread out. Just like with the Alchemist, golden particles burst forth from the circle, gathering and taking the shape of a human form.
When he summoned the Alchemist, multiple silhouettes resembling fairy-tale dwarves had been formed. But this time, only one figure was taking shape before his eyes, and it wasn’t a dwarf, but a full-sized human.
A petite girl, probably. She stood about chest-high to Ryuuichi, and the particles continued to weave her clothing. A long skirt fluttered as it took shape, followed by an apron adorned with delicate frills.
There was no mistaking it, it was a maid outfit.
And then, with a final brilliant flash, the maid girl was complete————
「Did you call for me, Master?」
「… Momokawa, what the hell are you doin’?」
No matter how he looked at it, it was Kotaro Momokawa, in a maid outfit.
「Does my face resemble someone you know, Master? If so, that may simply be a manifestation of your subconscious desire… A desire to be cared for by that person————」
「Shut up for a sec.」
"So this is the reason why I felt something bad would happen if I use this skill in the School Tower." Ryuuichi let out a sigh, covering his eyes.
It wasn’t like he’d ever wished for Kotaro to dress up as a maid or anything shady like that. He swore to the heavens and all the gods, Tendou Ryuuichi had absolutely no fetish for femboy maids.
Although he didn't know why, it was highly likely that that person's image was reflected in the manifestation of the skill.
In short, the image in Ryuuichi's mind of someone running around taking care of others was strongly influenced by Kotaro, who had struggled to manage and look after his classmates in the School Tower. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
That said, he never expected Kotaro to be summoned as a maid.
「Whatever, at least better than Ryouko appeared in maid uniform.」
The reason he ultimately came up with to cope with the reality before him.
「Well that's a trivial matter, you are————」
「You need not say a word, I understand, Master. Just looking at this situation, there can be only one reason why you summoned me.」
Not only could she speak fluently, but she also seemed to possess human-level cognitive abilities. Alchemists typically just followed orders and forged weapons, they weren’t the type one could hold a conversation with.
However, this Kotaro maid, or rather, attendant, seems capable of grasping the situation on her own and understanding her master's intentions even without explicit verbal commands.
「————You require a companion for the night, do you not?」
「Okay, I guess it's time to send you back.」
Hearing her speak with Kotaro's smug grin seriously pissed Ryuuichi off.
「Eh, what's the reason then?」
「Clean up this place. Just enough so I can get an enough space to sleep with.」
「How careless of me, I got a little ahead of myself. You're right, I should start by preparing the bedchamber first.」
There wasn't even the slightest hint of remorse on that cheeky, brazen face of hers.
What should I do… maybe I should just erase her and clean up myself… Even Ryuuichi, a hardened delinquent, couldn't help but feel helpless facing this situation.
「Well then, time to clean, make it clean and sparkly~」
Humming smugly, the maid held out her hand, and with a small light-blue magic circle, a stream of water burst forth from within.
She washed away the mud and blood from around the fountain with that stream of water. It didn't seem like ordinary water; there was no way the floor could look that spotless just by rinsing it with water.
She had cleaned a ten-square-meter area in no time, leaving the fountain and the fairy statue spotless. Naturally, the damaged parts remained as they were.
「If you’d like, I can inform the alchemist and have some bedding prepared as well.」
「Do as you like.」
「Now then, an order has come in from the Master. Craftsmen, I leave it in your capable hands.」
Then, even without Ryuuichi activating it, the magic circle of the 『Servant Alchemist』 appeared on the floor. The treasury opened, and materials like furs stored inside were automatically drawn in and fed into the circle.
It seemed that, as long as she had his permission, the maid could use Ryuuichi's magic in his place.
「Thank you for waiting, Master. Now then, please relax and enjoy your peaceful night.」
And just like that, a bed was swiftly prepared.
Using fur, she crafted a mattress, blanket, and pillows, and even fashioned a bed frame from the carapace of the monster defeated in this place.
Sure enough, the maid had prepared comfortable bedding, more than sufficient for spending the night.
Regardless of his frustration, he had to admit that the maid’s performance was outstanding.
「Good job. You may return now.」
「The very thought of sending me back is unthinkable! From this moment on, I intend to serve at your side in every way imaginable, tending to your daily needs, supporting you in battle, and even keeping you company at night.」
「Don’t need ya. Get lost.」
「Nope! I refuse!」
The maid clung to him in tears, but since she had Kotaro’s face, it just looked like she was messing with Ryuuichi.
And yet, despite being a servant, her outright defiance didn’t feel unpleasant. Perhaps it was because he had come to acknowledge her assertiveness, an expression of her own will, as proof that she possessed a sense of self.
「Okay okay, I got it. You may stay and keep a watch.」
「Eh, what about my night duty?」
「Didn’t I say I don’t need you? You wanna get wiped out by force or what?」
「As you wish, Master. Despite your tough, aggressive demeanor, your unexpectedly shy side is quite adorable, it truly makes my heart flutter.」
Am I really going to be stuck with this maid from now on…?
Ryuuichi was exhausted just thinking about it, nevertheless, it was probably better than being tormented by loneliness. For now, Ryuichi decided to see it that way.
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