Chapter 10: Night Sky and Proposal

Chapter 10:
Night Sky and Proposal

HALF A DAY had passed since we were surrounded by that swarm of monkeys and were almost killed by their saturation attack. Since we then ended up encountering several more swarms, I had gotten more practice with this special move of mine.

The triumphant monkeys in this particular group raised both arms. Large, brown stone bullets the size of rugby balls formed in the air. This seemed perilous, but there was no need for concern.

First, I waited for the right moment to raise my hand toward my target, which was the monkeys’ spell. To be more exact, I didn’t necessarily have to raise my hand, but it was easier for me to focus if I did. I felt that it slightly increased the accuracy of the move as well.

Next, I made a small inquiry to the heart of the enemy’s spell, such as: “Rather than obeying those dumb monkeys, won’t you listen to my request?”

I could have used a commanding tone or an imperative statement, but the pride I held as a cultured man would not allow for such churlish behavior. I had decided to be polite whenever I reached out.

Now for the last step. The command I delivered next became the activation trigger. I think it was like the “chant” for a spell. The actual words of the command didn’t matter. For example, the Open Sesame I used before would work, but even something like Pain, pain, go away would do the trick.

What should I use this time? Um…

“Eat this, you damn monkeys!”

The brown stone bullets were dyed black in the blink of an eye. With this color change, I had gained complete control of the spell, stealing it from my enemy.

Mm, but I shouldn’t keep using these random commands, I thought. After all, this was my only special move. In the near future, I wanted a cool name for it.

“Bwa ha ha! You barbaric monkeys! Know the true strength of the strongest primate!” I shouted as I made the jet-black rugby balls swoop through the air and chase after the monkeys.

The confounded beasts raised hell, crying in terror as they attempted to escape. They scattered toward the cliff edge.

Ha ha, serves you right, I thought, then winced. Ah, one of them fell off.

It was spectacular. Once I stole control of a spell, I could do whatever I wanted to it. I could manipulate it as easily as moving my own limbs. This power was likely the true culprit behind the opening of the Grand Stone Gate and the explosion of the binding on the stone book, seeing as those two were both dyed black before being obliterated. However, I couldn’t use this move until my opponent first cast a spell. Therefore, tactically, my special move could only really be used for defense.

As such, it was utterly powerless against the monkeys’ melee attacks. In those cases, our team could only rely on Goltarou’s kicks and punches.

“Nevertheless, the mana beasts seem to lose their fighting spirit as soon as I steal control of their spells…” I mused.

The monkeys’ expressions when their stone bullets began turning black were, if I had to describe them in a single word, tragic. Their despairing faces resembled those of someone who lost the person or thing they trusted most in a single breath.

How would you describe such a thing? Hmm.

Ah, right. That was the expression of a husband finding his wife of many years had betrayed him with the plumber.

“All right. I’ve decided.” I turned to Goltarou. Then I announced, with a grin stretching from ear to ear, “My special move shall be named NTR!”

What do you think, Gol—whoa, your face is close! Y-yeah, I think Goltarou was complimenting my sense of naming. Well, he was a nice guy, so I was sure that even if we were in a parallel world where my sense of naming was catastrophic, he wouldn’t abandon me.

I had learned my special move NTR, but the first battle with the monkeys was the only large-scale run I’d had with it. All the battles since had been fleeting things. The fight just now only involved twenty monkeys.

That was partly due to how Goltarou seemed wary of being surrounded by monkeys now; as soon as he spotted one, he would charge off to eliminate it. Whether they were hiding in the cliff’s shadows or stationed in a blind spot, Goltarou would promptly discover and crush them.

Incredible. He was as merciless as a housewife who discovered an insect in her kitchen.

To tell you the truth, Goltarou looked kind of excited whenever I used NTR. Every now and again, he would purposefully let a few harmless monkeys slip past his mysterious radar.

Goltarou, is that really the caring, gentlemanly thing to do…?

Moreover, if he possessed such amazing perception, how did he let that swarm of monkeys surround us in the first place? Was it that the difference in their combative strength made him underestimate them?

No… I shook my head. I think Goltarou never saw the monkeys as a threat—not in the beginning.

When I thought back on it, when we first observed the beasts, I started nonchalantly describing the monkeys from my original world. Was that carefree attitude in the face of potential danger the cause of our current troubles? Was everything my fault? But if that was the case, at what point did Goltarou realize the monkeys were our enemies?

I doubted monkeys were the only mana beasts in this world, so I was sure we would face more dangers in the future. As such, it was critical to our safety that I grasp the way Goltarou determined whether something was dangerous.

What bothered me most was that I was pretty sure Goltarou had started this war. What was the exact moment it all went sideways? I wracked my brain when it suddenly hit me.

Ah. Right before Goltarou fired the first shot, I had admired a monkey by calling it “cute.”

A roar suddenly ripped through the air. Goltarou had just sent a giant monkey flying into the red cliffside, where it died on impact.

Um, what was I talking about again?

Right, I was talking about big monkeys. I was actually a little bothered by them. It seemed that the farther west we went, the bigger they got. The first monkeys we encountered were about the size of a Japanese macaque. However, their average size now was as big as that boss monkey from the first swarm.

Nevertheless, the difference between their strength and Goltarou’s was like that of an ant and elephant.

Still, mana beasts infested the road, and after half a day of walking, we had yet to encounter a single person. I was beginning to nurse a faint sense of unease.

Nevertheless, the two of us continued westward, heading toward the setting sun.

***

Underneath the night sky, I hadn’t yet fallen asleep. I drifted off once but woke right up, shivering.

“C-cold…” I muttered through my teeth, which chattered in the bone-chilling wind.

My breath was white in the moonlight. I hadn’t thought the temperature would drop so low at night. This was definitely the climate of somewhere inland.

Then what exactly was going on inside that basin? It was a completely different world in there. And there had been no mention of such a climate difference in anything Luvel Zairein left behind.

I did remember him writing that the basin wasn’t isolated by topography alone—that there was also a barrier of some kind. Was that the reason why? Were barrier spells that amazing? I thought they would be like those barriers in Japanese shrines…

Since Goltarou was tending the fire, it hadn’t been extinguished. But the fire and the thin blanket weren’t enough to stave off the cold. The frigid air and relentless wind mercilessly ate away at my body temperature.

Once the sun had set, the monkeys suddenly stopped their assault. They probably knew about the temperature drop. Those damn monkeys were spending the night all warm and cozy in their burrows, tucked away from the chill. Damn it!

I was raised in the heated rooms of modern Japan, so I was unaccustomed to the terror that was nature. Ugh. This was bad. Really bad. I had planned and packed for the journey based on the forgiving climate of the basin.

What should I do…? I wondered hopelessly.

Then Goltarou sat down in front of me. Silently, he opened his arms as if he were inviting me to sit on his lap.

“Y-you… Goltarou, are you going to block the wind for me…?” I asked. Sorry and thanks, Goltarou. I’m going to cry at my own worthlessness.

A great figure of history once said, “Cold and hunger will weaken the soul.” Spiritually drained, I sat between Goltarou’s knees.

They were soft like silicone. I had no doubts now. My golem could adjust the hardness of his body. He was attentive to every little detail to ensure that feeble and fragile little me didn’t get hurt.

Ah, I’m crying again… I leaned into him. “Hey, Gol, your body feels kind of warm…”

For some reason, I thought I felt soothing warmth coming from his body.

You kidding me? How does he do that? I can’t even anymore. I was powerless, uneducated, and ignorant… I couldn’t even fathom what fundamental law could imbue warmth into stone.

***

Roughly thirty minutes later, I was wrapped in the blanket and Goltarou’s soft, warm embrace. I stared at the night sky while chewing on a piece of dried meat warmed by the fire.

I want to try this meat not with salt, but spices, I thought. Just warming it up had coaxed out the smell and flavor beautifully. This was probably some high-quality meat.

The sky looked like an expansive indigo sea above my head. The two moons floating there were breathtaking, and once again drove home that this was another world.

No, wait. I peered. It might not just be two. Although I said “moons,” I realized there could well be other celestial objects orbiting the planet. Maybe even three or four. Wait, that’s right. That means, depending on the situation…

I shook my head slightly. No, let’s stop coming up with theories.

I was losing confidence in my knowledge of the laws of nature… To be frank, that confidence was as wavering as a candle in the wind.

Ah, you know what? That’s probably a magic moon. If a green hermit were to fire a spirit wave at it, it might be blown away.

I sighed, and my sigh was white. Now that I thought about it, this was the second time I had gazed at this world’s night sky like this. The only other time I was active after the sun set was my first night after being summoned.

This world didn’t have any artificial light… No, that wasn’t entirely true. Those devices in the hideout and inside the cave were a form of illumination, but I didn’t know how to operate them. As such, whenever the sun set, I would head to bed.

It had been troublesome, but I hadn’t found anything to light a fire. It was highly likely that the previous owner of that house, Zairein, had just relied on fire spells.

But my Goltarou, on the other hand, was super-amazingly good at starting fires. And you know what? That made this a win for the Earth attribute against the Fire attribute. There was no longer a need for Fire spells, not for us—no, the world! The Fire attribute was a relic of the past. Goltarou’s fire-starting feat alone had given historic meaning to his creation. With Goltarou’s power and versatility, I could light a fire in no time.

He really was helpful, while I was no match for him.

The fire crackled and spat out embers. Goltarou quietly tended it while holding me.

As the world outside the basin was a barren wasteland, there was plenty of dead vegetation. We didn’t lack for firewood. Many of the places we passed had tall, dead trees packed close together, making me think the area might once have been a forest.

Did that mean that up until some point, the local climate was tree-friendly? What had made it look the way it did now?

As my mind slipped through such thoughts, I began to feel drowsy. I was warm, full, and comfortable, and there was an unbelievable sense of safety to be found within Goltarou’s arms. Ah, it was like being nestled in a down futon in the middle of winter.

Goltarou, are you my bed…?! My consciousness waned under creeping drowsiness. In this state, a thought popped into my head. Thanks to Goltarou, I can be warm. I can rest easy. I have to thank him.

As a cultured Japanese man, I would say this to convey my deepest gratitude toward my warm futon: “I’ll marry Goltarou…”

Yeah, I proposed to my bed.

For just a moment, I felt Goltarou’s embrace tighten a bit. However, by the time that happened, my consciousness was falling into a deep sleep.