Settlement Time (1)
I was the one who killed the Beast King.
"Muhahahaha! At last — my world has arrived!"
"I offer my congratulations, Master! I, Telmuer, shall devote this very life to you! Should any traitor dare challenge Master's authority, I shall slay them all myself!"
And yet Jericho — the Beast King's younger brother, who hadn't lifted a single finger to help kill him — and his Fairy Telmuer were absolutely ecstatic. Watching those two celebrate as if they'd been the ones to take the Beast King down left me speechless.
I suppose I should thank them for helping me make up my mind.
I stared at Jericho and Telmuer, still blathering away without a shred of awareness, my eyes gone cold and still.
The truth was, I'd been considering whether I could squeeze some use out of them — or more precisely, out of Jericho. Being the Beast King's own blood brother was a useful card no matter how you played it.
Now that I'd accomplished my goal of killing the Beast King, there was no reason to linger here. All I had to do was smash the blue orb in my pack, notify Montblanc that the mission was complete, and head back to Littleberry. After I'd stripped this place of everything worth taking, of course.
Killing the Beast King didn't mean Pista Castle would become mine. Montblanc had deployed me — along with her subordinates operating across the entire south — into the east for one reason: to shrink the power of the eastern administrator, the Hawk, and absorb it into her own. Naturally, Pista Castle — the Beast King's former domain — would go to Montblanc's other people. She wasn't the type to hand something like that over to me. For all I knew, her subordinates were already waiting at the castle. Montblanc was a woman whose thoroughness made your skin crawl.
You never try to use someone like her.
Anyway. Back to the point. I'd been thinking of using Jericho to siphon off the Beast King's wealth — but watching him act like a complete idiot, I quietly shelved the idea. As a rule, you never try to use someone who's too smart or someone who's too stupid. Both will wreck your plans, just in different ways. The too-smart ones are always spinning their little schemes, waiting for a chance to stab you in the back. The too-stupid ones do unpredictable things precisely because they're too stupid to follow a script.
Jericho, the Beast King's brother, belonged firmly in the latter category. Try to sweet-talk him into being useful and I'd only end up taking losses.
"Sonic."
"You called, Master?"
I led her somewhere secluded, then dropped my voice to a whisper.
"The moment I've claimed the Beast King's Fairies, we're clearing this dungeon. When we do, kill those two without Kanisia noticing. Got it?"
"By 'those two'... you mean Jericho and Telmuer?"
"Yeah."
"Understood."
Sonic didn't ask why they had to die.
This is why Fairies are the best. A Master gives an order, and a Fairy obeys without question. Absolute obedience. That's what a Fairy is.
If I'd asked Kanisia to do this, she would've grilled me endlessly about why I wanted those two dead. She could spend that time sucking my skewer instead.
Having given Sonic her assassination orders, I returned to the rest of the party.
"Alan."
"Yeah?"
"So what are you going to do about them?"
Kanisia pointed at the Fairies she'd restrained — the Beast King's Fairies the party had taken down while I was dealing with him and Bunny.
The Fairies under Aquaril and Oralisa's watch had lost all will to resist. The death of their one and only Master had left them half out of their minds. Even Bunny, the one I'd dragged back myself, just sat there staring at the ground with empty, lifeless eyes.
"Them? Hmm... good question."
I shook my head as if I hadn't decided yet. In reality, I'd already decided exactly what to do with the Beast King's Fairies.
Why would I kill assets this useful? Obviously I'm making them mine.
The wealth the Beast King had stockpiled at Pista Castle mattered, sure — but the Fairies he'd poured so much effort into raising mattered even more. Every last one of them had pushed their primary stats — everything except Wisdom and Luck — all the way to the stat cap. And they weren't just any Fairies. They were Beastman-class Fairies.
I killed the Beast King. That means his Fairies are mine now. Obviously.
Tch. Should I just come clean about everything?
I'd already decided how to handle them, but I hadn't told Kanisia — because she still didn't know I had the ability to steal another Master's Fairies. I'd opened up to her about a lot of things, but two secrets I'd kept: that I was a reincarnator, and that I could take Fairies.
There was no real reason to tell her I was a reincarnator. As for the Fairy-stealing — Kanisia didn't see Fairies as Fairies. She saw them as people. Equals. Forcibly ripping away someone's heart when they already had a Master? There was no way she'd look kindly on that. Not even if I was the one doing it.
I had no intention of souring things with Kanisia at this point, and even less interest in stirring up trouble by being honest for no good reason. Of course she'd find out about the Fairy-stealing ability someday. But that was a problem for future me.
"Let's just sit on it for now. It's not urgent. Leave it to me. Once we've got them fully under control, we'll decide what to do with them."
"Alright."
Kanisia nodded.
That night, after finishing dinner, we set up camp. Since we were already inside, we figured we'd clear this C-rank dungeon — Lightning-Struck City — before heading out. The Beast King's Fairies, plus Jericho and Telmuer, had bumped the dungeon's difficulty up to C-plus, but the recommended clear level was so low it wasn't a real threat.
"A-are you really giving us a tent as well?"
"Yeah. Did you think I was joking when I said we should join hands? I'll back you all the way from here on out. Become a king to rival the Beast King — no, a king who surpasses him."
"Thank you! I'll give it everything I've got!"
"Thank you, Master Alan!"
Jericho and Telmuer were delighted when I provided them with a meal and a tent so they could rest comfortably. I turned a sly smile on the two of them.
"Just so you know, that tent has a sound-blocking enchantment on it."
"Huh? And that's supposed to mean...?"
"What do you think it means? It means you can fuck her like an animal, screaming your heads off, and not a sound will leak out."
"Uh, umm..."
I said it with that same sly grin. Jericho coughed awkwardly. Telmuer's face went red.
"Go on, get in there and rest easy. Let's get along from here on out."
"Ah, hahaha. Yes — I look forward to working with you."
I clapped Jericho on the shoulder as I said it. His face stiffened for a split second, then smoothed over just as fast.
"Go ahead and turn in first."
"Yes. We'll retire first, then. Come along, Telmuer."
"Yes, Master!"
Jericho and Telmuer went into the tent. I'd been smiling the whole time. The moment they closed the flap, the smile vanished.
"Aquaril."
"Yes, Master."
"I know you're tired, but keep an eye on those two. Don't miss a single thing they scheme about. Understood?"
"Yes."
I'd already decided to kill Jericho and Telmuer, but I figured I'd give them one last chance. If they genuinely intended to follow my orders, I was willing to raise them up. But if they were harboring other ideas... then I'd handle them as originally planned.
To get a read on Jericho's true intentions, I'd lied about the tent having a sound-blocking enchantment. It didn't.
After assigning Aquaril to surveillance, I went over to Kanisia and Abraham.
"You two worked hard today. I'll take the night watch myself, so get some real rest."
"You're tired too, aren't you? If anything, you had it worse than we did."
Kanisia offered to take a watch herself. Fair enough — I had taken the worst of it. I'd gone up against a 6-Star Beast King and Bunny at the same time, after all. But Kanisia and Abraham couldn't be on watch tonight.
"I'm fine. You know as well as I do... I've got that ability."
"...Alan. Don't tell me."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Did you... die fighting the Beast King?"
Kanisia's face went grave. She'd misunderstood.
"Is that what you thought? I didn't die even once. That bastard's attack patterns were simple, but he hit so hard I just had to keep using the ability."
"...You're sure?"
"I already said so. What, you don't trust your oppa?"
"Pfft. Oppa? I'm older than you, you know."
"Heeung~ Noona!"
"...Let's go inside, Abraham."
"Yes, Master. You have my thanks for your efforts, Lord Alan. And I would prefer you never say such things again. Frankly... it was rather nauseating."
Apparently the joke hadn't landed. Kanisia and Abraham went into their tent. Abraham saying something like that to me was actually pretty shocking.
"I thought it was kinda cute, though? Tch."
I clicked my tongue and turned around.
Jericho: handled. Kanisia: handled. Now it was time to start making the Beast King's things mine, one by one.
"Oralisa."
"Yeah!"
"If those Fairies try anything weird, just shoot them dead. You're a million times more precious to me than they are. Got it?"
"Hehehe! Oralisa thinks Master's a million times more precious too!"
Oralisa beamed at that and threw her arms around me. I patted her plump little ass and hugged her tight.
"Just for tonight, okay? Oralisa."
"Okay! But tomorrow you have to love Oralisa for sure. Promise?"
"Of course. Promise."
"Pro! Mise!"
I pinky-promised Oralisa I'd fuck her tomorrow, then turned around and walked over to Bunny, who still had her head buried against her knees.
"...Ngh!"
I grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into my tent.
"Aaaah... Master! I've been waiting for you!"
The moment I stepped inside, someone rushed over and threw their arms around me. Bunny lifted her head at the familiar voice, her eyes going wide.
"Amulie...?"
The Fairy who'd called me Master was none other than Amulie — former Fairy of the Beast King, and a cat Beastman.
"H-how are you still alive?!"
Bunny couldn't hide her shock at the sight of Amulie, very much alive and well. It made sense. The whole reason the Beast King had come here in the first place was because he'd believed Amulie was dead.
But Amulie hadn't died. She'd been pinned beneath me, raped over and over, until she'd become my Fairy.
"Ohohoho! I've been waiting, Bunny! Isn't it nice to see each other again?"
Amulie smiled at the Bunny staring at her in horror.
"That's impossible! Master said you were dead!"
"Mm, that's right. I did die."
"What... did you say?"
Amulie, who'd been looking at Bunny, suddenly hopped up and clung to my back. Hanging off me, she rubbed her body against my back while burying her face in the nape of my neck and breathing me in.
"Nngh~ haaah~ it feels so good. The me who followed a moron like the Beast King is dead. My Master here was kind enough to let the real me be born again."
"W-what are you even...!"
"Alright, alright. We're short on time. Besides Bunny, I've got seven more I need to fuck. Get ready, Amulie."
"Yes, Master!"
Amulie answered energetically, hopped down from my back, and stripped my clothes off. In seconds I was naked, walking toward Bunny with my erect cock swaying.
"W-what do you think you're doing?! Stay away! Don't come any closer!"
"Your back! Let me see that back!"
I pounced on Bunny as she tried to flee and pinned her down.