AN: With this chapter, the first story arc of this fic is finished. I'll be taking a short break due to real life issues, but the next chapter shouldn't take too long.
Heinrich scooped up a spoonful of stew and held it out, but Mary didn't accept it. She simply sat there and stared into the distance.
He hesitated for a while, then said, "Please. You have to be hungry, and the stew's getting cold."
Mary did eventually start eating, but she only had a tenth of her usual portion. There was still some left in the pot and Heinrich, out of stress, ended up finishing it off.
After dinner was over, the two of them sat with some distance between them. Mary gave off an aura that made it hard to even look at her, let alone approach her. And this was actually an improvement from the past few days, when she had barely eaten anything at all.
Heinrich was deeply unsettled. To see his traveling companion lose interest in food, to the point of even eating less than him, seemed to be more disturbing than anything else.
The two of them were currently travelling northeast, still heading towards Yamatai. It seemed foolish to continue their original course, but it was really their only option. Back when Mary had revealed her true identity and purpose, she had dejectedly offered to send Heinrich to whichever human settlement he wanted, and he had chosen Yamatai. Returning to Grand Noah was completely out of the question – aside from the distance, Heinrich didn't want Mary to commit suicide upon being reminded of her failure regarding the city. The smaller villages and towns would be difficult for a stranger like Heinrich to assimilate into. Only Yamatai was left, and it was the closest as well.
Heinrich looked at Mary's back, which seemed far smaller than before. The future Monster Lord had gone back to her human guise, saying that it was necessary for her to avoid being found out by other monsters. She had mentioned that when explaining the reason for her journey around the world.
He still had trouble believing that part. While growing up, he'd been taught that the Monster Lord was the dark counterpart to the Goddess Ilias. Not in the sense of being just as powerful – for it was the height of blasphemy to even insinuate such a thing – but in the sense of being as evil as Ilias was good. They were said to devour scores of humans every single day to maintain their power and beauty. They were said to kill even other monsters for the slightest provocation, and were thus feared even by the ones they ruled over. And these were just some of the least implausible stories told about them.
And, for the past month and a half, he'd been spending every single day with the daughter of the current Monster Lord, who would eventually become the next one. For almost all of that time, she had shown herself to be kinder than everyone else he'd ever met, and idealistic to the point of letting clear criminals go free with a warning. If the Monster Lord of rumour was the villain of a children's fairy tale, Mary could only be the hero of the same story.
Heinrich held his head in his hands, his heart filled with turmoil. Seventeen years of Ilias' teachings didn't go away that easily. Even if the priests and nuns had been negligent towards bullying among their charges, they had still put in the time and effort to raise Heinrich. And yet his recent experiences, in which he was able to see monsters, to talk to and understand them, could not be denied either. No matter what, the only reason he was still alive today was because Mary had saved him, all the way back in Finoa.
But when I think back on that, it's awfully convenient that she happened to arrive right on time, Heinrich thought. By saving me and that girl, she gained the loyalty of a human, who would be useful for her mission.
When such thoughts ran through his head, Heinrich frantically tried his best to banish them. That's wrong, it wasn't like that! In the first place, I ended up travelling with her because I managed to find her out in the forest, that's not something anyone could have planned.
Heinrich looked at Mary again. Normally, at this time of night, she would be doing something like gazing at the star-filled night sky, watching the activities of ants on the ground, or simply sitting back and contentedly digesting a huge dinner. Now, she was uncannily still. She gave Heinrich the impression of a corpse, even though she was sitting up and he knew she was alive.
He wondered what he could do to help her. If there were words he could say to raise her mood even slightly, he had absolutely no idea what they were. He also wasn't able to bring himself to hug her again, and doubted that would even help at this point.
There has to be something I can say to her… 'Hey, even though you lied to me all this time, I'm okay with that'… 'Even though you're a monster who was pretending to be a human, I'm grateful to you'…
Heinrich cursed himself for only being able to think of stupid ideas. Eventually, he decided that there was nothing more he could do tonight, and went to bed.
Sleep didn't come easily to Heinrich. Even after lying down and closing his eyes, he simply couldn't clear his mind. A turbulent storm of thoughts and emotions swirled in the depths of his consciousness, denying him the chance to relax.
-ooo-
Pain.
Iron bands around his chest, squeezing, crushing his ribs.
No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free.
Then she appeared in front of him. Dirty blonde hair, blood-red eyes, a smile filled with sadistic glee. Her body covered in swollen pustules, out of which burst writhing tentacles, swarms of chattering insects, streams of viscous slime.
She approached him, as close as a lover, so close that her warm breaths brushed against his lips.
"It's been fun, Heinrich. But I always get tired of my toys eventually, so… time to finish this."
The tentacles slithered all over his body, sliding into his clothes and caressing his skin. He shuddered in disgust. But no matter how much he protested, the tentacles didn't stop.
She spoke again, with the tone of someone about to savour a delicious meal.
"Don't worry. Even if your mouth says no, your body is honest. This'll feel incredible for you. Now… I hope you're as tasty as you look."
She closed in for the kill…
-ooo-
Heinrich woke up, his heart racing with unrestrained terror. He held himself tightly, fingernails digging into his arms, trying to reassure himself that he was safe in the world of reality. Then he looked at Mary, who was currently on watch, and couldn't suppress a shudder.
Mary shifted her body very slightly. Even though she wasn't looking in his direction, Heinrich could tell why.
For the rest of the night, Heinrich couldn't sleep at all.
-ooo-
The next morning, they prepared to travel again. The two of them completed preparations without exchanging a word, and not because of familiarity with the work. They then set off, still in silence.
The forest thinned out and gave way to a meadow. It was an idyllic landscape, a seemingly endless sea of grass under an azure sky, but it was worthless to the two of them in their current state. They simply trudged on, one step at a time, not caring for the gentle wind on their skin or the warmth of the morning sun.
Because of the open terrain, Heinrich could see what lay between them and their destination. A row of mountains, poking just above the horizon. The mountains were an indistinct blue band right now, but at this speed they would reach them before nightfall.
That still left the current problem unsolved. Even in the light of a new day, Heinrich was still no closer to a solution than he had been yesterday. The few ideas that did come to mind, such as pointing out the various kinds of plants and animals in sight, just seemed childish in the current situation.
And so they advanced towards Yamatai without speaking at all. The absence of their usual lighthearted conversation resulted in an eerie atmosphere, even in the bright light of day.
Noon arrived, and they made a quick stop for lunch. A simple affair, wild berries with some dried meat – Mary wasn't in the mood to try catching anything, and the few animals around were too small and quick for Heinrich. Then they resumed the trek.
The mountains grew bigger and bigger. Heinrich could now see the outlines of trees on the lower slopes and the caps of white snow on the peaks. He also realised that there was no clear way through the mountains.
The sun was setting when they reached the base of the mountains. The sheer size of the obstacle became apparent at this distance – there were mountains stretching from horizon to horizon. The problem of how to advance did have one benefit, though, in that it forced the two of them to start talking again.
Heinrich hesitated to speak, so Mary ended up breaking the silence first. She said, in a flat tone, "I'm sorry, I forgot to bring this up earlier. I was…"
"No, you don't have to – I understand," Heinrich said awkwardly.
Mary looked at the mountain range, her eyes scanning from left to right, and sighed. "From the looks of things, that mountain over there" – she pointed at a mountain on the left, " – is the shortest one. If we go across by climbing, it would take us two days at the very least, more likely three and potentially even four, to reach the other side."
"That sounds about right," Heinrich said. "It doesn't look like the path continues here, so we'll have to be careful and go slower than usual."
The conversation ended there. Heinrich was still grateful for it, even if they hadn't looked at each other while talking, as anything was better than the painful silence of before.
They decided to start the climb the next morning. But just as they were about to set up camp for the night, two people approached.
From a distance, the pair were human in shape. But as they got closer, Heinrich could see that they were taller than almost any human, being over two metres in height. Despite being female, their bodies bulged with thick muscles. They looked like they could easily uproot a tree with their bare hands or deflect a sword with their bare skin. They had bright red skin and each one had a single conical horn growing from her forehead. They wore loincloths of tiger skin and nothing else, leaving their upper bodies exposed. Both of the strange monsters – for they could be nothing else – were armed with massive clubs that, Heinrich realised on a closer look, were made of solid iron. Despite the fearsome power of their weapons, the monsters held the clubs at a nonthreatening position.
One of the monsters called out, "Hey there! What business do you have here?" She spoke the common tongue, albeit with a strange accent that Heinrich had only heard once or twice before, from passers-by in Grand Noah.
By all indications, the monsters weren't hostile. Heinrich replied, "We're heading to Yamatai! Do you know how to get there?"
"Why do you want to go to Yamatai?" the humanoid monster asked.
Heinrich hesitated before answering, as the truth would be painful in many ways if revealed. He decided on an answer that was partly true, at least with regards to him: "We heard stories about how humans and monsters live together peacefully in Yamatai, and wanted to see it for ourselves. Please, we don't mean any harm."
After hearing these words, the two monsters looked at each other and started talking in a language foreign to Heinrich. They glanced at Mary, who remained silent and didn't meet their gaze. This was worrying to Heinrich – though he was certain that the two monsters were far weaker than Mary, if it somehow came down to a fight, he wasn't sure how the future Monster Lord would fare in her current state.
Finally, the monsters came to a decision. One of them said. "Alright, it doesn't look like you'd be any trouble. We'll guide you to Yamatai. But first, are you ready to set out now, or do you want to wait until tomorrow morning?"
Heinrich looked at Mary, but she didn't show any signs of interest in the conversation. He said, though not without some hesitation, "I think we're ready to go now."
The monsters began to guide them to the route to Yamatai. Along the way, they explained that they were Oni, a type of humanoid monster distinguished by their single horns and great strength. Oni were in turn part of the youkai family of monsters, or demi-humans as they were known outside the Yamatai region. The two of them were part of the village's guards. Their job was to guide travellers to the village and to give advance warning of any threats.
They arrived at the entrance to a cave. It was well disguised, with overhanging ivy that caused it to blend in with the surrounding mountainside. Heinrich didn't even notice it until he was ten metres away.
Stopping at the entrance, one of the Oni said, "It'll take us most of the night, maybe the whole night, to get to the other side. Are you sure you still want to start now?"
Heinrich said yes and they entered the cave.
Under normal circumstances, Heinrich would have been awed at the scenery. The cave was, in many places, as tall as a two storey building and just as wide. Rows of stalactites and stalagmites, many taller than a man, lined the ceiling and floor. Lighting was provided by large spherical gems embedded in the walls, which gave off a soft green glow.
But right now, Heinrich paid barely any attention to that. He was still worried sick about Mary. She hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived at the mountains, nor had she shown any signs of emotion.
It must be because of how I looked at her that night, after I woke up from that nightmare… Damn it, what was I thinking?
He thought deeply, trying to find some way to cheer her up. But as he sifted through his memories for answers, he only became discouraged.
He remembered an incident back in the orphanage, when one of the other kids had been feeling miserable that day due to a minor illness. They had heard someone else laughing and that that they were being laughed at, causing them to punch the one who was laughing. The laughter had actually been because of hearing a joke, but that didn't change the fact that the punch had knocked out several teeth. After that incident, those two had a permanent hatred of each other, and wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to explain the truth.
This was the same. Even though Heinrich had never explained the contents of his nightmare to Mary, it was easy enough for her to guess. Frankly, he was amazed that she was putting in the effort to escort him all the way to Yamatai.
And with the two Oni around, it was even more awkward to try to talk to Mary about their problems.
They walked for hours – the lack of the sun or moon prevented Heinrich from knowing the exact duration. The air became cool but not bone-chilling cold, as it would have been if they were outside the cave.
Finally, they reached the exit. The first faint beams of sunlight could be seen through the exit, showing that dawn had just arrived. Heinrich was slightly tired by this point, but none of the monsters around him showed signs of fatigue, so he pressed on.
Upon emerging from the cave, Heinrich took in a few breaths of fresh air and then looked around at the landscape. The cave entrance was located a fair distance up on the mountainside, giving him a good vantage point.
Near the base of the mountain was lush forest, which was a pleasant shade of bright green in the morning sun. Beyond that, Heinrich could see what appeared to be a vast treeless swamp, dotted with a few houses. And beyond that, he could see a faint blue band. While it looked a little like another mountain range, it was entirely level without any peaks or valleys. It was something that Heinrich had heard many stories about, but never seen in person – the sea.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been excited at the prospect of seeing it in person. A vast body of water, so vast that you could travel for months and never see land… in his usual state of mind, he might have run himself ragged trying to get to the coast as fast as possible. But now? He wasn't sure what to do.
One of the Oni said, "Okay, we're making good time. At this rate, we'll reach the village before noon. Can you keep up?"
Heinrich looked at Mary, who simply said, "We can," and they set off again.
They walked through the forest. It had plants and animals that Heinrich had never seen or heard of before. However, that wasn't what grabbed his attention.
There was a Nekomata, a cat-like monster with triangular ears, bushy tail, and paws instead of hands and feet. There was a Kappa, a monster with green skin, a turtle shell on her back and a strange plate-like structure on top of her head. There was an Akaname, a monster who was mostly humanoid save for her extremely long tongue, as long as a person's arm.
As they walked along the path, they encountered many monsters. The passing monsters greeted them cordially and either introduced themselves or were introduced by the Oni. Heinrich had never heard of these kinds of monsters before, but they apparently made up the monsters native to the Yamatai region. They seemed quite interested in him and Mary, as it was rare for human travellers to come here. Given the village's reputation, Heinrich could understand why.
Then they came to the environment that Heinrich had previously mistaken for a swamp. He now realised that it was in fact flooded fields, with the buildings being farmhouses. There was a seemingly endless expanse of strange green crops, poking up above the shallow water. Farmers waded through the fields and tended to the crops. Although the farmers were dressed oddly, with flattened conical hats woven from straw, they were still a familiar and reassuring sight to Heinrich.
After thinking about it, he realised that the strange crop was called rice. He had seen the finished product in a restaurant in Grand Noah, though he had a hard time connecting those soft white grains to the plants he saw before him. From the little he'd heard, it was a staple crop in the east of the Noah region and was notable for being grown in water.
They continued on the narrow but dry path through the fields. Along the way, Heinrich saw several more youkai working in the fields alongside the farmers. At one point, they encountered a trio of monster children, who each had fox ears on their heads and two fluffy fox tails swaying around behind them. The children ran up to them, excited at the strange humans. Heinrich chatted with them awkwardly – he wasn't that good with children to begin with, and he wasn't in the mood right now – learning that their kind was called Kitsunes. In the end, the Oni boisterously lifted the Kitsune children up into the air and patted their heads, then sent them off.
The sun was well above the horizon when they arrived to the village. The houses looked outwardly like the ones Heinrich was familiar with, with wooden walls and thatched roofs. However, as he saw people enter and leave, he realised that the doors opened and closed by sliding, rather than turning on hinges. As in the fields, monsters freely intermingled with humans in the streets, browsed the same stalls, and in some cases walked together as couples. It was an astounding sight, one that Heinrich would have considered impossible just a few months ago.
One of the Oni said, "Wait here, I'll go and ask about what to do with you two," and left.
The other Oni remained behind. She was helpful and answered their questions – well, just Heinrich's questions, as Mary still remained silent. She gave off an invisible aura that made it impossible for either of them to approach her. Meanwhile, the passing villagers looked curiously at the newcomers.
Eventually the first Oni returned, looking shocked and surprised. She said to Heinrich and Mary, "You – I've been told by the nine tails to bring you to her."
These words meant little to Heinrich, but they elicited a reaction from Mary. She blinked and said, "Wait, really? Why would someone like that – "
"I – I don't know either, that's just what I've been told to do," the Oni said.
Mary looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Heinrich and said, "We'd better do as she says."
Heinrich was surprised, but also relieved, that Mary was opening up a little. He nodded.
They followed the Oni through the village. Along the way, Heinrich learned about the mysterious figure who wanted to meet with them.
"How should I explain this… first, I need to explain what monsters are in this village," one of the Oni said. "Erm… basically humans here worship monsters as gods."
Hearing this, Heinrich couldn't help but say, "What? That – sorry, but I don't really get that impression." He gestured around at the village to prove his point.
"It's not like that goddess most humans worship," the other Oni explained. "I can't think of any other word for it, though. Anyway, you could say that our idea of gods is different from yours. Here, gods are something you meet in everyday life. You talk to them, you work with them, you can marry and make a family with them."
Heinrich remained silent as he digested this information. The very idea was the highest of blasphemy. Ilias' fourth commandment was "Thou shalt not rely on other gods", and the humans of Yamatai didn't just break this commandment, they even considered monsters their gods. Moreover, the Goddess Ilias was a being without equal, the creator of all in this world. Only those with unrivalled faith could ever hope to meet her. If a priest or nun were to hear about this, they would probably either die of shock or attempt to punish the sinners even at the cost of their life. But right now… Heinrich wasn't sure what to make of it.
"You said it was the nine tails… to be clear, this is a Kitsune that you're talking about?" Mary asked.
"Yes, that's right," the first Oni said. "She is… she is the highest-ranking monster in this entire village, maybe in this entire region. No one knows just how old she is, but she's been here ever since this village was founded, over two hundred years ago. She is basically the leader of this village."
"Kitsunes get more tails as they grow older and become more powerful," Mary explained to Heinrich. "Nine tails is the highest number they can get… in fact, I've never heard of any still alive."
"She is – well, she doesn't leave the village and she rarely talks to people, so that makes sense," the second Oni said. She turned to look forward and continued, "Ah – we're here."
Heinrich looked in the same direction and saw a magnificent building, easily twice the size of any of the others. Its roof was made of tiles and oddly shaped, with the eaves curved upwards. It definitely looked like a place to worship a chief goddess. In front of the building were several Kitsunes and more than a dozen normal foxes. The Kitsunes had tail numbers ranging from three to five. They wore what was clearly ceremonial clothing, consisting of a long-sleeved white upper garment and long red trousers.
"This is the Fox Shrine," the first Oni said. "We'll leave you to the miko here."
The two Oni left, then the Kitsunes approached and led Heinrich and Mary inside the building.
The interior of the shrine was clean and sparsely furnished. The Kitsunes led the two through a wooden corridor and stopped just outside the door of a room.
The door was pulled open, allowing Heinrich to see the lone Kitsune in the room.
She was, to say the least, nothing like he'd expected. Heinrich had been expecting someone with a divine majesty comparable to the Goddess Ilias. While that comparison wasn't exactly flattering towards Ilias, it was the only one he could think of right now. He had imagined an imposing, tall figure, one who filled all who beheld her with awe.
The Kitsune Heinrich saw could only be described as… as adorable. She only came up to Heinrich's chest, and Heinrich was far from tall by human standards. She had a round face and large green eyes filled with a sense of playfulness. A pair of fox ears, the insides filled with white fluff, stood on top of her head and quivered excitedly. Her hair was blonde with a touch of orange, and decorated with a red string tied into the shape of a butterfly. Nine voluminous tails, with fur the same colour as her hair, waved about behind her in cheerful defiance of gravity. Her clothing was similar to that of the other Kitsunes, but with purple in place of red. To complete the picture, she held a strange tool called a 'fan', one that Heinrich had seen some of the villagers use to cool themselves.
The nine-tailed Kitsune spoke, in a high voice that was perfectly suited to her appearance, "Hello there! I hope your enjoying your time in this humble village. My name is Tamamo, what are your names?"
Heinrich was caught off guard by the Kitsune's childish exuberance and childish… appearance. As a result, Mary replied first. She said, with cautious formality, "My name is Mary Fateburn. I am the daughter of the current Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn the Seventh."
"And – and my name is Heinrich. I'm – " Heinrich said hastily. "I'm just a normal human traveller."
Tamamo gestured for the other Kitsunes to leave, which they did silently, and continued, "Okay then, Mary, Heinrich, welcome to Yamatai Village. You're probably wondering why I've called you two here when you only just arrived."
After some hesitation, Mary said, "I was suppressing my aura as much as I possibly could, but… I'm guessing that wasn't enough."
"That's right!" Tamamo said. "But you don't have to feel too bad about that. You're actually doing a good job, it's just that, to someone who's lived as long as I have, it's not enough."
Heinrich was bemused at these words. Even if he had been told that nine tails was a sign of age and power for a Kitsune, it didn't mean that he could take someone with such a childish appearance seriously.
"But – hmm…" Tamamo held the fan to her chin thoughtfully. "This might seem like an odd question, coming from a resident of a village like this, but what are the two of you doing together?"
This question caused the two of them to look at each other awkwardly, then quickly look down at the floor. Eventually, Mary raised her head and began to explain.
She talked about how her mother had sent her out to travel the world and learn more about it. She talked about how she'd met Heinrich – though conspicuously leaving out the part where she had saved him and Ellen form bandits – and they ended up travelling together. She talked about the many places they had been to, the sights they had seen and the people they had met.
Heinrich paid close attention to every word. Because of that, he was able to realise an important truth: Mary had sincerely enjoyed her experiences. With the obvious exception of the parts she skipped over, she had a definite pride in her voice at she recounted the past. It was the first time, since that night, that he had seen her with any kind of positive emotion.
His mind then shifted to the topic of Ilias. An image of the golden-haired goddess, an image refined by seeing countless paintings and statues of her, appeared in his imagination. But he could no longer feel any particular attachment to her. He recalled the commandments of Ilias, one by one, but now he no longer wanted to follow them. The whole idea of a goddess high up in the heavens, who was all-loving and yet demanded that monsters be exterminated, was contradicted by everything that he had seen in the past two months.
Heinrich looked at the person beside him, and made up his mind.
Mary finished her explanation without mentioning the bandits or insect monsters at all. While she was talking, Tamamo had not interrupted her once. Contrary to her appearance, it seemed that she was a good listener.
Once she had heard everything, Tamamo snapped open her fan and said, "Well, it seems that you two have had quite the troubling experience. But I've only been hearing from one of you. Heinrich, what do you think about this? And, Mary, please remain silent until he gives his answer."
Heinrich flinched a little upon being addressed. He knew what he had to say, but working up the will to say it was another matter entirely.
"Was my question too vague?" Tamamo said. "In that case, how about this: now that you know the truth about her, are you still willing to travel with Mary?"
Mary blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but Tamamo silenced her with a gesture. The Kitsune then looked at Heinrich expectantly.
Heinrich didn't take long to answer. He said, "Yes. I am."
This answer caused Mary to open her eyes wide, and Tamamo to give a soft laugh. The latter said, "That wasn't so hard after all, was it? Sometimes, you need someone else to help you work through your problems."
Heinrich wasn't quite sure what to make of Tamamo's reaction. He looked towards Mary but immediately felt his face flush and turned away. Although he'd only caught a brief glimpse of her, he could sense that Mary had performed the exact same action.
Tamamo snapped her fan closed again and declared, "Now then, I'd like to talk to the two of you one at a time. After all, there are definitely still things that you want to keep private from each other."
The two of them agreed and, after a moment of discussion, Heinrich remained in the room with Tamamo while Mary stepped outside.
-ooo-
Mary looked at the door again. Heinrich and Tamamo had been talking for about five minutes now. She couldn't hear any of their conversation – while the walls were thin, it seemed that they were enchanted to block out sound, presumably for occasions such as this.
While she waited, she sipped from a cup of hot tea, brought to her by one of the Kitsune mikos. The tea was still boiling hot, but it produced no more than a slight tingle on her lips. She allowed herself to become lost in thought.
Could it be – no, that's just wishful thinking. You're a monster, and not just any monster, but the daughter of the Monster Lord. This whole idea was stupid in the first place. Mother and Dinah were right, I should have just kept to myself to start with. Then none of this would have ever happened.
Suddenly, Heinrich slid open the door and Mary found herself face to face with him. It was so sudden that neither of them managed to look away in time. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Heinrich averted his gaze and said, "Um – now it's your turn."
Mary muttered a quick thanks before stepping past him into the room. As the door slid shut again, she turned to look at Tamamo.
The elder Kitsune was an enigma. It wasn't the childish appearance that was strange – many high-level monsters could change their appearance at will, and choosing a youthful form was, while uncommon, not unheard of. The strange part was that, behind the façade of immaturity, Tamamo was clearly hiding something – but Mary wasn't sure what that was. The simple answer was that she acted in such a manner to make others lower their guard and hence reveal more about themselves. Still, Mary couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it.
Tamamo looked at Mary and said, "Alright, you can tell me as much or as little as you want. You can also leave and take a break for the day, if that's what you want."
Mary looked down at the ground. "I don't understand," she said, "why would he say that? Was he just trying to spare my feelings?"
"I can't tell you what he just said to me," Tamamo said, "that would defeat the point of talking to you separately. I can tell you, though, that he wasn't just trying to spare your feelings. He was serious about that."
"How – how is that possible?" Mary said. "He's – I mean – "
"A worshipper of Ilias, you mean?" Tamamo asked. "It's not quite so simple as that. There's a lot of variation in how humans follow their faith. You may not know this, but the Noah region is actually quite unusual in how humans treat monsters. In the other three regions of the Sentora continent – the Ilias continent is another matter entirely – things are more relaxed and you can often see monsters in human towns."
"Really?" Mary said. "Wait, how do you know that?"
"This village isn't that isolated," Tamamo said. "We get travelling merchants every few weeks on average, and one or two of our people often go out to experience the world, then come back and tell us of what they've seen. Anyway, as I was saying, few humans adhere that strongly to the tenets of Ilias. Even in the Noah region, the leaders of the humans accept the existence of monsters, and even that a few humans become our mates. They do it out of pragmatism – they can't wipe out our kind or stop humans from being with monsters, and both sides know it – but still. And from what I've heard, Heinrich didn't exactly have the kind of upbringing that would endear him to Ilias and her faith."
While this all made sense, Mary still had trouble believing that anyone would want to still accompany her. She said, "In that case… did Heinrich tell you about what happened a few days ago, the reason why I had to tell him the truth about – about who I am?"
"He didn't," Tamamo replied. "I could guess that something major happened from his – and your – behaviour, but he didn't tell me any of the details."
Mary sighed. "I can understand why," she said. "To explain things, I need to start almost at the beginning. When I first met Heinrich, I saved him and another human from a gang of human bandits. I beat up the bandits and told them to stop committing crimes – and that's all I did. Then, later, we came to Grand Noah and found that monsters – specifically, insects from Plansect Village – were raiding it to kidnap men. I put a stop to that – again, letting the insects go free with just a warning. Then – " Mary choked back a sob and continued, "Then – a few days ago, we found a village that had been completely destroyed, there wasn't anyone left alive. It turned out that the bandits had attacked the village first, then the insects found them and captured them. I found – I found the insects again, and I – and I killed all of them."
Mary couldn't bear it anymore and crumpled to the floor, sobbing. She felt soft arms embrace her, and continued crying into Tamamo's shoulder.
After Mary had recovered somewhat, Tamamo stepped away and said, "You've definitely gone through a lot. However, I must say that you're not as bad as you think you are."
"…How can you say that?" Mary said.
"Killing someone for the first time is a horrific thing, I understand that," Tamamo said. "However – and there's no easy way to say this – there are times when it is necessary. In any society around the world, those who committed such crimes would be either sentenced to death or at least to a lifetime of hard labour. You don't need to – "
"'Don't need to' what!?" Mary shouted. "You don't understand anything! You don't know what it's like, seeing someone just disappear! You don't know what it's like to have hundreds of people die, all because of what you've done!"
After that angry outburst, Mary breathed heavily and gradually felt ashamed of herself. She remembered that a nine-tailed Kitsune could only reach that level after centuries of life, and it was unlikely for Tamamo to have done so without experiencing hardships of her own. She bowed her head and murmured, "Sorry. That was wrong, I…"
However, Tamamo didn't look offended in the slightest. With an understanding smile on her face, she said, "It's alright. Now, do you want to take a break first, or can you keep going?"
"I can keep going," Mary said, though not without a bit of hesitation.
"In that case, Mary, I have to repeat my previous point," Tamamo said. "You are not as bad as you think you are, and that's why Heinrich is still willing to go with you. You made a mistake, that is undeniable. However, you didn't mean for such consequences to happen, and you can learn from this to avoid making this kind of mistake again."
"I get what you mean, but…" Mary said. "How do I put it? It goes against everything I've believed in, for my entire life. I always thought that I could get along with anyone with enough effort, and solve every problem that way."
Tamamo held up a hand and said, "I have to interrupt you there. You're probably thinking that you need to become hard, ruthless, merciless – whatever word suits you – from now on. That's not what I'm suggesting."
Mary widened her eyes in surprise. She said, "But, you just told me to learn from this mistake."
"I did, but you mustn't go too far in the other direction, either," Tamamo said sternly. "There's a saying in this village: 'The hand of peace is not always the best option, but neither is the sword of war'. Basically, a leader who is only hard and ruthless is just as poor a leader as one who is only kind and merciful."
"Really?" Mary said, uncertain of herself. "I – from what I've heard – "
"Did you hear something along the lines of mercy always being foolish?" Tamamo asked. "Pay that no mind. There are many people out there who believe such things, that much is true – but the world would not be able to function if they were right. They would argue that you should use fear and terror to keep your enemies from even thinking of opposing you. But, as I mentioned before, not everyone thinks the same way. There are those who only fight harder under the yoke of oppression, who will never stop resisting you… unless you know how to be merciful."
Mary spent some time thinking about these words. The message was actually a familiar one: she remembered hearing such things in her lessons. She now regretted, more than ever before, not paying attention in her lessons.
Eventually, Mary said, "You've given me a lot to think about. I do have one question, though: how can you keep it up? How do you manage to be kind when you need to, and ruthless at other times?"
"That is a good question," Tamamo said. "To answer that – please follow me."
Tamamo headed for the door and opened it, Mary behind her. The Kitsune told Heinrich, who had been waiting nervously in the corridor, to follow them as well. They headed for the exit, Tamamo courteously greeting the mikos they passed, and stepped out into the sunlight.
There were a group of children, humans and monsters, playing around a nearby tree. When they saw Mary and the others emerge from the shrine, they rushed over with the boundless energy of the young and crowded around them. They were particularly focused on Tamamo, delightedly pulling on her fluffy tails, but several of them also looked curious about the two strangers.
One of the children, a human boy of around six, looked up at Mary and asked, "Um, excuse me, but what – er, who are you? Why are you with Mighty Fox?"
Upon hearing the title "Mighty Fox", Mary briefly glanced at the Kitsune, who was around the same height as the children she was playing with. Then Mary's previous experience with children kicked in. She knelt down and said to the boy, "Hello there. My name is Mary, what's your name?"
"My – my name is Shiro," the boy said.
"Well, Shiro, I should say first that I'm actually a monster, even though I look like this. As for why I'm here…"
Mary told Shiro a brief summary of her journey. Then other children became interested in her, so she started playing with them as well. Even Heinrich was able to get over his nervousness and join in on the fun.
Eventually, the children lost interest and drifted away, some undoubtedly hungry for lunch. Mary now felt very different from before. When she had just arrived in the village, she didn't experience any of the wonder or joy that she would normally have. Despite the bright light of the morning sun, everything had seemed to be devoid of colour in her eyes. But now, she was able to see the vibrant scenery of the village, to hear the sounds of bustling activity, to feel the gentle breeze on her face.
Mary looked at Tamamo, who was smiling in a knowing fashion, and said, "Thanks." No more words were needed.
Tamamo waved her fan dismissively, replying, "No need to thank me, I'm just an old granny with too much time on her hands."
Mary then turned to Heinrich. Neither of them looked away this time. Mary said to him, "Thanks as well, for sticking with me."
Heinrich laughed, embarrassed. He said, "Don't worry, it's the least I can do to repay you for everything."
After the two of them had been looking at each other for a few seconds, Tamamo clapped her hands, causing them to jump. "Alright, lovebirds, that's enough flirting for today. Anyway, I need to stretch my legs once in a while, so why don't I show you around the village? One of the things that we're known for is our food, you simply can't leave here without trying it. And while you're here…"
Tamamo took both Mary's and Heinrich's hands in her own and pulled them with her in unbridled enthusiasm. The three of them walked through the village, giving the appearance of a strange yet happy family.
