by Aneko Yusagi
“But now that you mention it, I do think I had some clothes for demi-humans that were capable of transforming. Which reminds me, go to a normal clothes store if you want clothes.”
“You want me to barge into a store I don’t know with a naked girl at this time of night? One that turns into a monster?”
“You got a point there. Anyway, hold on.”
He went into the back of the shop and I could hear him shuffling various boxes around.
“I don’t know if these will fit, and they are seasonal clothes anyway—so don’t get your hope up.”
“Fine.”
It took him quite a while of hunting back there before he eventually returned.
“Sorry, but I don’t think I have anything big enough to survive the transformation.
“What?!”
But that was my only idea… No I… What should I do? There was this little naked girl hanging off of my arm, and I couldn’t find any clothes to put on her. I was finally starting to repair my horrible reputation, and now this! This wouldn’t help one bit.
“Master!”
“Don’t you dare transform!”
Even if I could set certain rules for the monsters I controlled, there was no setting to prevent the monster from turning into a human. Monsters turning into humans! It must have been rare.
“But I wanna…!”
What would satisfy this girl?!
She refused pretty much everything I said. Was she in a rebellious phase? She’d only been born a few days earlier, so that didn’t seem very likely.
“Because if I stay the way I normally am you won’t sleep with me, will you, Master?”
She squeezed my hand hard and smiled, looking up at me with beaming eyes.
“What? I have to sleep with you now?”
“I’m lonely…”
“Oh boy… You’re in for it now, Hero-Boy.”
I wasn’t summoned to this world so that I could babysit. Even still, I guess I had decided to watch out for Raphtalia.
“That reminds me. Where’s Raphtalia?”
“I finally caught up.”
The door swung open and Raphtalia came in, nearly out of breath.
“You ran off so quickly… I’ve been looking for you.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Yay! Raphtalia!”
Filo waved excitedly to Raphtalia.
“I’m not giving Master back!”
“What is this kid saying?”
“You won’t give me back? You know I’m not yours!”
“Because Master is my papa!”
“No I’m not. I’m your… owner.”
“You’re not. Then what about Raphtalia?”
“Raphtalia is like my daughter.”
“That’s not true!”
“Huh? I don’t follow…”
“Anyway, I don’t have the clothes you wanted. I’ll look around for you, but you should go home for now.
“Right… Sorry.”
“Thanks for the soup!”
“I swear, kid… You’re always showing up and surprising me.”
We left the shop and made our way back to the inn, but once we were on our way Raphtalia stopped.
“Um… the slave… I mean monster trainer was looking for you.”
“Huh? Oh. Okay.”
We changed course and returned to the tent, where the slave trader was waiting for us.
“Well that was certainly unexpected. Yes sir.”
“Sure was.”
He pointed over at Filo, who was wrapped in the cape.
“Filolial Queens are capable of very advanced feats of transformation. I think they do this so that they may hide out among the other Filolials without interference from humans.”
I get it now. So these kings and queens were able to change how they looked to hide out among the other Filolials. Filo used that ability to turn into a human.
“I am very surprised and excited to have the opportunity to see and study one of these. They are very rare you know. Your ability with monster training must be very impressive. Yes sir”
“Huh?”
“That you could raise a Filolial so well, and so quickly, that it became a queen is very impressive. How were you able to do it?”
There we go. Now I knew what the slave trader wanted. If he could figure out how to produce more of these kings and queens, especially considering their rare transformation abilities, he’d be able to sell them for a massive profit.
“I think it has something to do with my Legendary Shield.”
I really did think that Filo’s amazing maturation had something to do with the maturation adjustment ability the shield had given me. Or at least I didn’t have any other ideas.
“I was afraid you’d respond with some equivocation like that. How much money would it take to get you to tell me?”
“It’s not like that!”
“Then I will provide you with another Filolial hatchling, and you can raise it…”
“No thanks!”
I would not be able to afford raising another one. And besides, I needed to think about getting Filo some clothes. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed.
“I guess the only other thing that might have done it, you know… that thing…”
“What thing, exactly?!”
Ew, the slave trader was excited, and his eyes were shining. Gross.
It was just something I’d thought of, but Filo did eat the Chimera meat. That’s not to say that it caused her to transform, but it was true.
“Well then, that’s a shame.”
The slave trader sighed and stepped back, as either from disappointment or simply because he didn’t believe me.
“I can supply you with another Filolial at any time, so don’t hesitate to stop by. Yes sir.”
“I’d like to refuse…”
“If you raise it into something useful, I’ll see to it that you are properly compensated.”
“Ha! I’ll think about it when I have a bit more time and money on my hands.”
I was aware that I was becoming a bit of a miser, but this conversation only set my mind further. Now being frugal was a conviction.
“Speaking of which, what should we do?”
“About what?”
Filolial stuck her head into the conversation and asked.
“About YOUR condition.”
“I’m sleeping with Master!”
“I won’t let you!”
“Aw, but I want to! Raphtalia wants to keep Master all to herself!”
“I do NOT!”
What were these girls fighting over?
“Ok, Filo. Let’s sleep in the stable attached to the inn, okay?”
“No way!”
She snapped out a refusal, very bird-like.
“I’m sleeping with you, Master!”
It was just like a kid. Kids always wanted to sleep with their parents.
“Okay, okay.”
“Mr. Naofumi?!”
“If we keep saying no she’s just going to whine the whole time. I guess we need to bend a little too.”
“I suppose you are right.”
Raphtalia whispered her agreement, very disappointed.
“But you can’t walk around naked in front of people anymore.”
“Okay!”
Did she really understand? Whatever. All I could do is pray that the owner of the weapon shop would think of something in time.
We went back to the inn, paid the innkeeper for an extra person, and went up to our room. Our typical evening activities, of studying and compounding, were no longer possible now that Filo was running around.
“Wow! The bed is so soft!”
Filo was jumping up and down on the bed. It took a while to calm her down, and by then we were all tired enough to fall asleep.
Why is it so hot?!
“Ugh…”
My body wouldn’t move the way I wanted it to. What was going on?
I slowly opened my eyes
to find myself surround by white. I was covered in feathers.
Snore… Snore…
The whole bed was snoring!
I finally raised my face from the feathers to find that I wasn’t sleeping on the bed anymore but on Filo’s massive stomach, as she had returned to her Filolial form in the night.
Apparently she had rolled from the bed and hugged me against her, using me as a pillow as she slept.
“Get up! You fat chicken!”
Who gave her permission to turn back into a bird?
Yawwwwn.
Oh? So she could talk, even though she was a bird now?
“What…what are you doing?!”
Raphtalia was rubbing her eyes. Then when she saw us, she screamed and pointed her finger at us.
“Raphtalia! Help me!”
I was hitting Filo, but she never woke up. It was probably because my attack power was so low though.
“Filo! Wake up!”
“Mmmm… oh! Master!”
Filo rolled off me.
I could hear the floorboards creaking under the burden. Surely there was only so much weight that they could bear.
“Wake up!”
It didn’t look like she was going to let me go and wake up anytime soon.
“Wake up!”
Raphtalia ran over and pried Filo’s wings apart, creating just a big enough space for me to slip out.
“This is pretty intense for a morning.”
“Hrm?
Filo was suddenly noticing my absence, and as she started to look for me she finally came to her senses. She noticed that Raphtalia and I were shooting daggers at her, and she looked confused as to why.
“What happened?”
“First things first, turn back into a human!”
“Huh? But I just woke uuuuup…”
Dammit! I didn’t want to do it this way, but I didn’t have any other choice.
I opened up my status screen, looked at Filo’s settings, and checked the box that demanded she do as I say. Now she had no choice but to do as I say.
“Turn back into a human!”
I turned to Filo and shouted the order.
“But I… I want to sleep with Master a little bit more!”
But the mark of the monster trainer curse appeared on her chest and started to glow.
“Huh?”
“If you don’t listen, it will hurt you.”
The glowing curse seal grew to cover her whole chest then continued to expand.
Yaaaawn!
Glowing geometric patterns appeared on her wings, and began to fly towards the glowing pattern on her chest.
They collided, and with a small fizzle, the monster trainer seal faded away.
“Huh?”
I quickly reopened the status screen only to find that the boxes I’d previously checked had all been unchecked. I tried to check them again, but no matter how many times I attempted it, the boxes remained empty. What’s the use of a monster that doesn’t follow orders?
Dammit! The whole reason I bought a monster in the first place was so it would do what I said!
That damn slave trader. Just you wait. I’m coming to see you… You better be waiting!
Chapter Eight: Carrot and Stick
“Slave Trader!”
First thing in the morning, we set out for the slave trader’s tent.
“What is wrong, Hero? This early in the morning? Yes sir.”
“The monster seal you put on my Filolial didn’t work. It was junk. Depending how you respond to my complaints, my monster and slave might make a real mess of your place here. Right?”
“I’m hungry, so I’ll be back later.”
“If you don’t behave yourself, we’ll make breakfast out of YOU.”
“The seal we’d put on Filo wasn’t working, and I couldn’t even take it off.”
“You don’t say? Tell me more about it.”
I explained the morning’s events to the slave trader. It was pretty hard going from that point on. Eventually I calmed Filo down and convinced her to return to human form, and then we all made our way to the tent. Raphtalia was clearly on edge, worrying the whole time about keeping Filo from doing anything crazy.
“It seems that a normal monster seal is not strong enough to control a Filolial Queen. Yes sir.”
“What does that mean?”
“Very powerful monsters cannot always be restrained by a normal monster seal. The Knight Dragons, for example, require a special seal.”
“So a normal seal isn’t enough to control Filo?”
“That right.”
The slave trader opened a notebook and began frantically scribbling in it, like he couldn’t stand to let these new developments go unrecorded.
“So are you going to put on a special seal for me or what?”
“Unfortunately we don’t offer that service for free here.”
What?”
“Well it does cost a fair amount of money to perform, therefore we are unable to offer it without compensation. There is only so much we can do. Yes sir.”
So I guess he wouldn’t do it for free.
“How much?”
“With how much I believe I can expect from you in the future, Hero, I’ll give you a deal at only 200 pieces of silver.”
Ugh… That was expensive.
“Isn’t there anything…”
“Before you continue, I’ll have you know that the typical market price is 800 pieces of silver. I have great respect for you, Hero, and therefore would never lie to you.”
Ugh! That hit where it hurt.
I recovered from the shock and, mind still reeling, and with extreme trepidation, handed the slave trader 200 pieces of silver.
“If you’re lying, I’ll let my friends here rip you apart.”
“Naturally. Yes sir.”
All of a sudden I noticed that Filo had returned to her Filolial Queen form. Raphtalia was holding onto one of the wings, as if it was her hand, and led Filo into the room.
“Just stay still for a minute, okay, Filo?”
“Why?”
“If you stay still, I’ll give you a present later.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Filo looked thrilled, and she went to where the slave trader was pointing and stood there silently.
Good, if there was any time for magic, this was it. I caught the slave trader’s eye and signaled that he should start, and he quickly nodded. Suddenly twelve robed men appeared and formed a circle around Filo. They then emptied a jug of some type of medicine over the floor, and then turned to Filo and began chanting. The floor began to glow, and a magical square appeared.
“Wh…What?!”
Filo snapped her beak rapidly in protest, but she was unable to fight it off, and the square expanded to cover her.
“Ow! Ouch! Stop it!”
The monster control spell was hurting her, apparently, and she ran in distressed circles, snapping her beak here and there. The magic square began to shake.
The robed men all let out a gasp of astonishment.
“We’ve taken all precautions, using as many people as we have. I’ve never seen a monster be able to move under so much force. Who knows what she is capable of. Yes sir.”
That reminds me, she was only at level 19. Just imagine how powerful she would be at 70 or something like that. The slave trader’s words carried great weight.
Finally the spell subsided, the monster control spell was etched into her chest, and she quieted down.
“It is finished. Yes sir.”
I could see a monster icon flashing in my periphery, but it looked different than it had before, as if to imply a greater level of control. I didn’t even stop to think, but quickly checked the box that detailed necessary conformity to my orders.
Huff… Huff…
Filo was nearly out of breath when she walked over to me.
“Master! That really hurt!”
I felt a little guilty about tes
ting it so quickly, but I immediately gave her an order.”
“Turn into a human.”
“But it hurt so I don’t wanna! Give me something yummy!”
She had immediately refused my order and demanded food, and so the curse on her chest began to shine.
“What? No! I don’t like this! Make it stop!”
Filo released some type of magic that moved towards the curse, but this time it was unable to break it, and the curse itself began to react.
“Ouch! Ouch!”
Filo fell to the floor in pain.
“If you don’t do as I say, it will only hurt worse.”
“Ouch! Owwwww!”
She complained the whole time, but finally turned into a human. Once she did, the curse stopped glowing and disappeared.
“Heh! At least it worked this time. Nice job, Slave Trader.”
“Yes, well, it is very powerful magic. It’s not so easy to break, you see. Yes sir.”
I went to stand before Filo, who was lying on the ground.
“It cost me 100 pieces of silver to buy you, and now it’s cost me 200 pieces of silver to control you. That makes for 300 pieces of silver. I’m sure you’ll pay me back.”
“But… Master!”
She was reaching out her hand for me. It felt bad, talking to a little kid like this. Even still, I couldn’t keep going on if my party wouldn’t listen to what I told them to do.
“Do what I say.”
“No!”
“Fine then. You don’t want to listen to me? I’ll just give you to that creepy old man over there. You want that?”
“…?!”
Filo finally seemed to understand her place, and stopped protesting. Her face twisted up with emotion.
The slave trader was looking me over. He looked somewhat distressed, but also very happy.
“How much would you buy her for?”
“Good question. She’s very rare, but considering how much trouble she seems to be, I think that 30 gold pieces seems fair. Now that she has the stronger curse on her, she should be much easier to control, and there is certainly no shortage of work that I could have her do. Yes sir.”
That slave-trading bastard. After all he said about not wanting her, and not being able to sell her—and here he was, already had a price in mind! I didn’t know what he was really up to, but I got the impression that if gave him Filo, that would be the end of her, then and there.
And Filo, she was looking up at me, abject terror in her eyes.
