EP.18 Vorpal Rabbit -5
EP.18 Vorpal Rabbit -5
Ruin the Divine Beast Forest.
A destruction simulation game where you wreck a Divine Beast village using adorable Divine Beast characters.
A creative work designed to provide the thrill of rampaging while simultaneously helping players shake off their fear of Divine Beasts.
It was currently a game receiving widespread national acclaim and rave reviews.
But... as of today, I didn't think I'd be able to enjoy that game ever again.
-Boom! Crunch! Crrk! Crash!
The sound of furniture being smashed to pieces one by one, cracks spreading through the walls of the room, and the two Divine Beasts relentlessly tearing through that very room.
Alice constantly used her ability to evade the fox's grasp, while Miho rampaged through the room trying to catch the fleeing rabbit.
And in the process, the only collateral damage was my poor furniture getting destroyed.
'Stop it! You crazy bitches...!!'
In my heart, I wanted to scream that, but honestly, I couldn't even handle Miho alone.
So, the reality was that I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut on the bed and do nothing but spectate, as I was doing now.
"If you stop right now, I'll consider letting you off with just breaking both your legs. What do you say?"
"Vulgar fox."
"Oh my? Who's the one who broke into someone else's husband's bedroom? That's rather brazen talk, isn't it?"
"The boss was trembling because of you, fox. So it's entirely your fault."
"That can't be true~? My dear husband loves me dearly. He was trembling because the night air was cold. Isn't that right, dear husband?"
Mid-pursuit, Miho's eyes slanted upward and she fixed me with a murderous stare.
An intensity that suggested she'd kill me on the spot if I didn't answer carefully.
I shook my head up and down vigorously, left with no choice but to affirm Miho's words.
"See? My husband says so too, doesn't he?"
"Poor boss..."
Alice was looking at me pityingly, as if she had caught on to my predicament.
It couldn't be helped. Even I couldn't handle Miho's insane obsession...
If I provoked her needlessly and that rage lost its target, I'd definitely die.
No... even if I didn't die, I might end up living a life completely dependent on the fox, with both arms and legs severed.
I wanted no part of that future. I wanted to walk, touch, and feel things with my own body.
What's more, I had precious companion animals besides Miho whom I had to take responsibility for.
I had already given up half my senses to protect them, so having Miho's jealousy render me unable to do anything would be beyond unfair.
So even if I wanted to speak honestly, I couldn't, and I had no choice but to side with Miho.
"Anyway, what exactly is your relationship with my husband that you're running riot in here?"
"Employer and employee. I was just hired exclusively by the boss moments ago. And the one running riot isn't me—it's you."
"Is that so? Then you're fired. Pack your things and get out right now."
"That is a matter for the boss to decide. I see no right for a fox to dictate one thing or another."
The fox and rabbit glared at each other as if sparks would fly at any second.
The war of nerves between the two, neither showing any sign of backing down, just continued.
Miho being like that was one thing, but I didn't understand why Alice was fighting back that fiercely.
Was it perhaps to repay me for retrieving her game?
If so, I was grateful, but my personal wish was for her to just run far away.
Because the current situation was only detrimental to my heart.
-Bzzz!
In the midst of this situation that felt like it would drive me insane, my phone on the nightstand beside the bed was vibrating.
I quietly picked up my phone and checked the incoming message. It was a message from Yata telling me to sneak out of the room.
I doubted I could sneak out of the room alone in that situation.
Surprisingly, the two Divine Beasts were so focused on keeping each other in check that they didn't pay attention to me walking out through the open door.
No, to be precise, it seemed like they noticed but let me go.
The moment I stepped out, the sounds of destruction grew even more chaotic.
It meant they had been holding back because I was there, and now they were spectacularly wrecking my room.
Once everything was over, I'd have to quarantine that room for a while.
'Seriously driving me crazy.'
Anyway, as I stepped out of the room following Yata's instructions, a black-winged woman was approaching from afar, carrying something slung over her shoulder.
"It's been a while, my dear husband."
"Yeah, it's been a while."
"Seeing your gaunt face, it seems you've been having a hard time as usual."
"If you knew that, I wish you'd help me out a little..."
"Haha, sorry. As you know, the matters I can interfere with are limited. If I meddle carelessly, the future could be overturned, and that would be troublesome."
Certainly, even if it would be easier right now, causing greater chaos later on would be problematic.
Like the saying 'better to take the hit first,' I thought it was better to endure the current hardship and get it over with, even if it meant putting up with some discomfort now.
"But this time, I came to help you out since you were in a bind, my dear husband."
"Really?"
"Yes. See, I even brought a present?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, what's that thing you've been carrying on your shoulder? At first glance, it looks like a person..."
"It is a person."
"Huh...?"
With a 'Heave-ho!' Yata set the person she'd been carrying on her shoulder down in front of me, beaming brightly.
Meanwhile, the man Yata had dragged here—I thought he might be dead, but judging by the faint breathing sounds he was making, he was simply unconscious.
Appearance-wise, he was a man in his forties with a shaggy beard and a savage look, with a pistol holstered at his waist.
And on his bare, exposed shoulder was a symbol I had seen many times somewhere before.
"Don't tell me this person is a terrorist?"
"That's right. He's a terrorist bastard connected to the club you visited today. I found him loitering in front of the house, so I secretly grabbed one and brought him here."
"He was in front of the house?!"
"Yes. Unfortunately, you were tracked by these guys, my dear husband. Otherwise, why would terrorists be surrounding your house?"
I hadn't noticed at all. I thought I had definitely shaken them off back then, but to think they had managed to follow me...
As I thought, should I have finished them all off back then, even if it meant making things troublesome...
Regretting it now was pointless. I should deal with the bastards myself, right now...
"My dear husband? Will you wait a moment?"
"But..."
"I know it's urgent. But there's no need for you to handle it personally."
"Why?"
"Why do you think I said this guy was a present? I called him a present because there's a purpose."
"What do you mean?"
"Just a moment. Can I borrow your left arm?"
Just what was she scheming this time?
I didn't know, but since Yata always acted with a larger design in mind, I promptly extended my left arm toward her.
Yata gently took hold of my extended left arm. However, regrettably, I couldn't feel her touch.
Because I had already lost all sensation in my left arm.
"It shouldn't hurt, but I'll apologize in advance, my dear husband."
"Huh?"
Pulling a sharp folding knife from her pocket without warning, Yata plunged the blade into my left arm.
There was no pain, but my flesh split open, and blood burst from the vessels within.
The overflowing blood soon ran down my left arm and began dripping onto the floor.
Just as I was wondering why Yata had attacked me, she shouted loudly enough to be heard outside the mansion.
"M-My dear husband? Were you ambushed or something?! You're bleeding!!"
"Huh...?"
At that moment, the commotion coming from my room subsided, and the sound of footsteps rushing toward us could be heard.
"Boss?!"
"Dear husband?!"
Alice appeared beside me in an instant, her expression one of shock. Likewise, Miho, who had followed her out, began to open her eyes wide upon seeing my state.
"Dammit! It looks like terrorists have even infiltrated the house! Are you alright? My dear husband?"
"Uh-huh? Yeah..."
I understood perfectly: Yata had stabbed the dagger into my left arm, and she had suddenly called the terrorist she brought a present, all for a reason.
The rabbit and the fox, who had been fiercely fighting just moments ago—their expressions, as they looked back and forth between my left arm and the terrorist lying on the ground, were growing cold.
As I stared at Alice with curiosity, Yata resolved a lingering question of mine through a whisper.
"Think about it. She was hired exclusively just a few minutes ago, and her employer is immediately in danger. It's only natural for her to grind her teeth at her own incompetence. Besides, that rabbit even swore loyalty to you, didn't she?"
"Aha...!"
When I looked at Alice again, her red pupils had lost focus and were swaying back and forth.
Thoroughly deceived by Yata's tantalizing method acting, Alice was lamenting her own failure as she looked at my injured self.
Perhaps because it was a fabricated situation rather than something that actually happened, I felt incredibly sorry for her somehow.
Meanwhile, Miho was grinding her teeth—crrk, crrk—slowly building up her rage stack.
That was surprising. I had expected Miho to definitely notice that it was Yata's doing, so the fact that she hadn't was a shock.
It seemed like she really believed a terrorist did it...
"I soaked that dagger I stabbed you with in the terrorist's scent. On the other hand, I thoroughly wiped away my own scent and fingerprints, so she'll never realize it was my doing."
"I-I see..."
The fact that she had been speaking so softly and gently from the moment she arrived must have also been to deceive Miho's ears.
As expected of Yata. Absolutely meticulous.
"My dear husband, focus on getting treated first. Leave the terrorists outside to me."
"There's no need for that, birdbrain! My dear husband's treatment is already done, and pest control is my job, not yours!"
Before I knew it, both the dagger embedded in my left arm and the wound itself had vanished.
Miho had used her Materialization ability to heal me.
I needed to thank her, but the current Miho was so murderous that I was afraid to even speak to her.
Yata, however, didn't seem to feel the same, as she began sneering at the thoroughly enraged Miho.
"Is that so? But what can you do? The rabbit's already left to clean things up. Is this a fox or a turtle?"
"Grrk...!!"
-Crash!!
Determined not to lose to the rabbit, Miho smashed through the window and rushed outside.
With the fox's retreating figure finally gone, I was able to let out a huge sigh of relief.
"How's that? It happened just as I said, right? Stopping the fight between those two, and taking care of the terrorists who followed you! Two birds with one stone!"
"Well, yeah, but... did you really have to use this kind of method?"
"There was no other way to satisfy both conditions. Besides, my dear husband, no matter how dirty the work, if it saves time, you're better off doing it."
"Is that so...?"
Sweet-talking Miho, manipulating a rabbit she'd just met like a puppet, while giggling and grinning wickedly behind the scenes—the crow.
I was sincerely glad that Yata wasn't my enemy.
Because if Yata had been an enemy, she surely would have been the final boss.
"More importantly, my dear husband. I'm really sorry, but it looks like you're about to be put through the wringer from here on out."
"What's that supposed to mean now?"
"A Divine Beast hostile to us has just appeared."
"Again...?"
I was encountering Divine Beasts frequently these days.
Beings I used to see maybe once every few decades—I'd been running into droves of them recently, and it was nothing but sickening.
Just a few hours ago, I'd encountered a Time-Leaping Rabbit, a Divine Beast I'd never even heard of before, and now another Divine Beast...
"Haa~! So where is this Divine Beast now?"
"Over there."
Beyond the window Miho had shattered on her way out.
Yata's finger was pointing at the largest building among the many beyond it.
"Out of the frying pan, into the fire."
It was my command center.