Chapter 8. I couldn't win against Fluffy Tail...

"And so the Hero Heinrich vanquished the Monster Lord. The world was at peace, and everyone lived happily ever after... or so the story has been passed on among humans. Obviously enough, the part where he traveled with Black Alice was never mentioned."

"It only makes sense since not even the monster side knew about it. But to think the megalomaniacal Monster Lord that wrought tremendous destruction and mayhem did such a thing..."

The two of us were camping for the night on the road to Iliasport. Since there was usually some time between filling our bellies and going to sleep, it had become something of a habit to exchange stories while sitting at the campfire and gazing at the stars.

"The monsters of that time were also roughly split in two. The half that wanted to dominate humanity was mostly in favor of Black Alice. But because of all the trouble they caused for everyone who just wanted to get along, eventually, talks of rebellion started even in the Monster Lord's castle. Those friendly monsters gathered under Black Alice's sister, the Ninth. Apparently, they also helped Heinrich out a number of times. And, of course, the human side was also incredibly afraid of Black Alice."

"...I had heard the Ninth lost her life in combat with Black Alice. To kill even her own sister... I wonder what the point of it all was."

"...Who knows? Despite journeying alongside her, we don't understand either; not even Heinrich seems to. But the impression I got from Alicetromeria was that she only cares about things that are fun."

Despite the world being on the brink of destruction, no, exactly because of it, Black Alice was enjoying herself. Viewed from the outside, she must seem quite the nuisance... Just what could be her true intentions?

"Because of her, circumstances changed considerably on the monster side as well. Ever since the Eighth, those foxes have been put in charge of the education of any child of the Fateburn bloodline from a young age. I, my mother, grandmother, and even great-grandmother were all taught by those damn ill-spirited foxes...

Alice seemed strangely hateful at the parts involving foxes. Did she start hating the others by association due to resentment for Tamamo?

Speaking of which, it seems Alice is unaware of Tamamo being one of the Six Ancestors... If Tamamo herself didn't let her know, I should probably keep quiet, too.

As I was recalling the truly overwhelming power the two Tamamos displayed in Grangold, a bored Alice decided to change the subject.

"By the way, where did you learn to use a sword? There were a few moves I recognized mixed in."

"Right, until starting my journey, I was entirely self-taught. After that, Alice taught me... as well as Ilias."

She frowned at the mention of Ilias' name but continued the conversation.

"I see. So you were taught by another me..." She muttered with a complex expression. "But self-taught... you had no master?"

"No. I knew someone who was a former swordsman, but... his way of fighting was quite reckless, which resulted in his right arm being damaged. He said that's why he didn't want to teach me."

"Obviously. Something that dangerous is not taught to others."

"He said the same thing. So, I guess I only ended up becoming stronger after starting my journey. I fought a lot of monsters and saw a variety of skills, magic, and racial abilities. It was great reference!" I said, proudly sticking out my chest.

I tilted my head, seeing Alice's expression turn a little envious.

"...Hm, well, you know. It's just hearing you talk about it so happily. And me not having done anything for you also feels somewhat vexing."

A joyous journey and a relationship of fighting together and even teaching one another skills. Envying yourself from another world... Alice couldn't help but feel a sense of self-derision.

"If you ask me, just having a companion to travel with is something to be grateful for. After all, traveling on your own can get quite lonely."

"...Even if you are satisfied, I am not," she said, moodily puffing out her cheek.

I guess several days' worth of free meals started gnawing at her conscience a little. But even if she wanted to teach me something, I already knew most cursed sword techniques and other martial techniques used by monsters. I was also quite well-versed in magic by now. What else is there...

"Ah, in that case, I'd like to learn some more demonic eye techniques. The other Alice also used to be good at them, but apparently, she forgot a lot of things after being weakened."

"Hmm, it cannot helped. I shall be the one to teach you then." Despite putting on airs, her tail was happily waving about. I kindly pretended not to notice.

"Please do!"

"And that is how you use magic to transmute substances in your opponent's body to induce poison."

"L-like this?"

Luka learned Demon Eyes of Poison!

"As expected, you learn quickly. Since you do not seem to overly rely on magic, I suppose I can just teach you in order of ascending difficulty, starting with the easy ones, so prepare yourself accordingly."

"Yes, thank you!"

Learning new skills and becoming stronger was a warrior's joy. Thus, I was excited at the prospect of having my options expand further.

"Now then, it is time for me to receive my reward."

"Eh?"

As those words left her mouth, her tail simultaneously curled around Luka. If he was serious, escape should be possible, but for some reason, he did not budge as the tail curled around him.

"A-Alice, we're outside right now... if other monsters hear us..."

"Kukuku, seeing you wriggle around in embarrassment is quite enticing as well. Let us give them a lot they can listen to."

"I-Isn't it bad if one of them attacks wanting to steal me, and you end up in a fight?"

"Beating up anyone insolent enough to attempt stealing another's prey right from under their nose poses no issue even as the Monster Lord. Rest assured, whenever I eat, I ensure nobody else receives even so much as a single drop."

Ah, It's already too late.

"P-Please be gentle?" I asked with upturned eyes... I should not have done that.

"Ab-so-lute-ly not~"

My pants were gone the next instant.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

The next day, a gaunt-faced Luka arrived at Iliasport shortly before noon. The increasing amount of man-eating monsters in the area were mercilessly cut down with powerful attacks using Angel Halo, engraving the meaning of fear within them. Watching him, Alice briefly wondered if she had overdone it before her mind quickly moved on to the next meal. She was already looking forward to finding the next rare delicacy, but...

"This place feels rather lifeless."

"...So it's the same here, huh."

"You have an idea what happened?"

"Pretty much. But we'll find out for sure if we just ask around a little."

Seeing Luka's angry expression, she had an unpleasant premonition. After asking around, it turned out a monster was to blame for the storm that caused this situation. Even while nibbling on a fried fish sold by a street vendor, Alice's expression was rather upset.

"...Despite having written that they had a lot of specialties from other countries..."

"With the ships stopped, getting any imports isn't possible. It's also why almost nobody has been coming to Iliasville for pilgrimage or otherwise since last year..."

As we passed through the streets, there were seemingly more locked-up stores than passersby. Vagrants sat in places where they could shelter from rain, and burly sailors were seated in a row, casting fishing lines into the water. Altogether, it gave the impression of a very poor and dangerous town.

"The one who is doing this is... Alma Elma?" Ilias made such a prediction back in my world. So, since Morrigan shouldn't be here...

"Indeed. She says that those calling themselves Heroes harm monsters, and is therefore stopping them from being created in the first place... or so she claims." Likely seeing the damage caused to humans for the first time, Alice crossed her arms with a sigh.

"...Do the Heroes of this world really harm monsters that much?"

"I was told that they persecute monsters using Ilias' power and authority. Alma Elma and Granberia insist that the damage they cause cannot be ignored."

"...I see."

I came from a world where monsters and humans coexist. Anyone mistreating monsters would be scorned by monsters and humans alike, so the only ones who did so were bandits or fanatical followers of Ilias... But here, they hurt monsters and seemed to cause trouble for other humans to boot.

"But... even knowing that, Alma Elma is going too far. Most people just want to live in peace; only a small portion do bad things. This is no different from those who say all monsters are evil and shouldn't be associated with."

Strangely enough, Alice and Luka both thought back to the same thing at that moment—that child airing their grudge against monsters as the two of them were gathering information. With no ships coming in, his father's store collapsed, and they were forced into poverty. Experiencing such things from an early age, who was to say he wouldn't become a Hero hurting monsters, just like the two Heavenly Knights said? And the result of such a thing...

"Normally, I would have to stop you..."

"...And normally, I would probably have to fight against you, Alice..."

But neither wanted such a thing.

"Anyway, I will save these people... At the very least, I know this situation isn't right."

"...I, too, shall stop anyone who seeks to commit atrocities against monsters."

"Those are my enemies, too. When that time comes, I'll help you."

"...Don't come crying to me if you are branded as a traitor, idiot."

A mountain of problems with no solution in sight, yet the presence of people in need before me was reason enough to act. And so I headed for the Treasure Cave after hearing its location from Amira.

"Ugh... smells awfully like fox." Alice sniffed as we entered the cave first thing in the morning.

"As usual, you're quite sensitive when it comes to foxes..." I was somewhat astonished, thinking back to how she used to get bullied even back over there.

"Unlike over there, this place seems to be in good order, along with a lot of traps." Thinking about all the small differences, I decided not to overly rely on my knowledge. "But with this many dead, I wouldn't be surprised if a ghost appeared."

"...G-Ghost?"

As I was thinking about how we'd been able to get along even with ghosts before, Alice was suddenly sticking to me. It seems like this one was scared of ghosts, too.

"I-It's fine. There probably aren't any ghosts here... wait, there is something up ahead."

"Eep!?"

Now, even her tail was coiled around me. I wasn't quite sure how she expected me to deal with it if I couldn't move. Anyway, the moment she realized it wasn't a ghost, she quickly separated.

"F-finish this quickly! Quickly, you hear me!?"

I exasperatedly watched her vanish and then turned my eyes to the figure peeking at me from across a corner. With the ears sticking out, it was fairly obvious she was there.

"W-What do I do... I got separated from Tamamo, and now there's a human too..."

Speaking of which, didn't they also come here with Nanabi in the other world? And for them to become separated just like there... was there something I was missing here? Looking at her intently, she pulled back completely for a moment before gingerly stepping out.

"Uhm, is something wrong?"

"W-What are you planning to do ahead of here!?"

"Treasure hunting, I suppose."

Of course, I wanted Poseidon's Bell, but I also wanted some travel funds, especially considering my current ones were basically empty. Even selling rare medicinal herbs along the way, I couldn't keep up as every coin I earned was transformed into food and deposited straight into Alice's stomach.

"Y-You can't! I was told Poseidon's Bell can't fall into human hands. I won't let you pass!"

"And... who told you that?" I asked just in case, though I already knew the answer.

"T-That's a secret!"

"...That Tamamo you mentioned earlier?"

"Ack!"

It seems I was right. The first Tamamo I met was apparently something like a copy from a parallel world, though I didn't entirely understand it. This was likely the real deal.

"Well, I don't really want to fight, so I would prefer it if we could just talk this out..."

"No! If you want to pass, you will have to go through me!"

Youko appeared!

"...I don't really want to hurt you, you know."

Luka attacks. A light smack on the head with the sheath of his sword.

"Oww!? N-Now you've done it! Clone Jutsu!" Instantly, two clones appeared, three identical figures standing there lined up.

"Hehehe, amazing, right? Can you tell which one is real?" Only one of them changed expression, making the fakes obvious. I suppose I could always hit a fake one, but...

"Wow, I can't tell at all. I guess I will just have to hit all at once."

"...Eh?"

Luka used Cyclone Blade (restrained)! Youko took 53 damage!

"Oww!"

Youko was defeated! 280 Experience points obtained!

"W-Waaah!" Holding her head, she started crying. Sealing her in a cave with Mimics and Spider girls was dangerous, so I didn't, but... It looks like it still hurt even if I held back.

"H-Here, I'll give this to you, so please stop crying."

When I gave her some inarizushi I had prepared in advance, her expression instantly brightened. Her tails waved as she chewed on them.

"This... might be the first time I've had something this delicious!" Hearing that was a great honor for me as a chef.

"Thank you... You're a good guy, after all!"

"Well, I guess. I don't actively want to fight against monsters either."

"You won't bully any other foxes either?"

"I won't, promise."

"I see... Then you can pass!"

I kindly refrained from pointing out how I could do as I pleased anyway after winning. As I proceeded, I could hear her footsteps as she followed me. Seems she took a liking to me. We continued forward for a while, following the trail of broken traps left by the one who came before us until...

"...Prey... human and fox..."

Meda appeared!

A monster that absolutely intended to eat us appeared.

"Ah! Don't eat me!"

"...Hungry..."

Seems there was no room for negotiation there.

"Thrust like the wind!"

Luka used Gale Thrust! Meda girl took 85322 damage!

Meda was defeated! 320 experience points obtained!

"Sheesh... trying to kill and eat a fellow monster like it's something ordinary. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, thank you... You're actually really strong, aren't you? She... isn't dead either?"

Hiding behind me, she cautiously peeked at the Meda sealed into the form of a wharf roach.

"Don't worry. I only sealed her; she'll be back to normal before too long."

"O-Oh, okay... With that scary sword, I was wondering if she'd be cursed to die a painful death."

...

Well, I suppose that way of thinking really can't be helped due to its appearance.

"Anyway, there seem to be a lot of dangerous monsters around, so be caref—" "AAAHHH!"

"That voice... Kamuro!?"

As a voice I recognized as well echoed through the cave, my companion dashed off into the direction it came from, heedless of the danger...

"EEP!?" Only to add another scream to the pile.

When I hurriedly caught up with her, I found a Two-tails wearing a Kamuro outfit stuck in a spider web. Slightly in front was the Youko I met earlier in the same condition.

"Hehehe, first two prey and now even a human, lucky me~ I'm going to take my time slowly squeezing out your semen~"

Spider girl appeared!

A lot of insect-type monsters were carnivorous, but especially the spider tribe consisted of many particularly cruel monsters, preying even on their own kind and friends.

"H-Help me!"
"Nanabi-sama, Tamamo-sama, save me!"

The law of the jungle was a basic rule of this world and shouldn't be thoughtlessly broken... But there was no way I would just watch two little girls get eaten right in front of me.

"Hey, would you let them go for a sausage?" I tried to negotiate using their favorite kind of meat, but...

"No way. You look way more delicious. Still, it looks like it will make for a good snack, so I'll just take it after eating you~"

Seems I didn't manage anything other than making her think she'd get even more food. With a sigh, I pulled out Angel Halo.

"Falling cherry blossoms, dancing as if a dream..."

Luka unleashes a secret katana dance of darkness! Dark slashes descend on the spider girl and her web!

"W-What is this power!?"

Spider girl was defeated! 350 experience points obtained!

"Sheesh... are you two alright?"

"T-Thank you..."
"Thank you very much!"

A frightened Youko thanked me, while a quivering Kamuro Two-tails gave me a deep bow. I knew both of them for a long time in the other world, so I was relieved that we would likely get along fine. To cheer them up, I handed them some fried tofu. Two tails each waved about happily as they ate.

As they proceeded with four tails in something resembling a wild dance, they came upon a small room with a clearly suspicious chest.

"Is that..."
"Probably..."

The two of them became wary, certain it was a trap. Luka, meanwhile, flung the chest open with no hesitation whatsoever, revealing a mimic. But instead of attacking, she quickly closed the lid.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you; I'll just leave."

"No. You opened me, so you have to be eaten."

Apparently, if I turned my back, she would swallow me in a single gulp, and if I were to attack, she would counter. That would probably work fine on your average warrior, but...

"Oh well..."

I swung down Angel Halo, and with that single hit, the mimic was sealed, unable to put up any resistance.

"H-How awful..."

And then there was a tiny treasure chest in her place.

"W-Why did you open it?" Kamuro asked, referring to the exceedingly obvious trap.

"Eh? There's usually treasure in that kind of chest, you know?"

"H-Huh?"
"?"

And an unexpected answer was returned. Though the two were suspicious, the dungeons in the other world did hold many treasures, causing a tremendous difference in perspective. But after opening a good deal more chests, which actually contained treasure, the two experienced a bit of a culture shock. Of course, the mimics, who were the outliers, were all beaten to a pulp.

As we approached the end of the cave, I felt a familiar presence, and my two companions looked ahead nervously.

"Greetings. My name is Nanabi... Coincidentally, I would like to ask you a question. Why are those two girls standing behind you?"

"They were about to be eaten by other monsters, so I saved them."

"I-I am sorry."
"Nanabi, we got fried tofu and inarizushi! They were really good!"

"...I thank you for taking care of our pupils, but by the orders of my mistress, I cannot allow you to pass. Please turn back."

She appeared amicable, likely due to my help, but it seems she couldn't compromise on that point.

"There is something I really need ahead... won't you let me through? I'll give you some fried tofu and inarizushi if you do."

...

"...No. I cannot. If you must pass, you shall have to defeat me first!"

Barely managing to ward off the temptation, Nanabi prepares to attack. Long ago, she was an opponent I did not stand a chance against, even with all my allies.

"I don't want to be too rough either, but if that's how it is..."

But it was different now. I had grown strong enough to take her on by myself. Seven tails closed in on me in a relentless assault... that would not even reach me.

"Gaze upon the seven polar stars... Twinkling from heaven to earth, Seventh Heaven!"

Using both Angel Halo and my custom sword, I parried her tails with a slash each. Her expression became startled, and the moment an opening presented itself, I lunged forward with Angel Halo in a Lightning Sword Flash.

"Impossible... felled... in just one strike..." Though not quite sealed, she was no longer able to fight.

"W-W-W-W-Wha—Nanabi-sama, are you alright!?"
"No way... Nanabi got defeated that fast..."

As the two panicked behind me, the damaged Nanabi moved to the side, unable to fight for a while. Before I could gather my thoughts, the door behind her opened, revealing a nine-tailed fox.

"Hmm, who would have thought there would be an opponent capable of defeating Nanabi in this kind of place?"

Her stature was roughly equal to the Youko, but the magical power within her body was tremendous.

"Forgive me, Tamamo... I was not strong enough."

"Oh, it's fine. Someone being here that could be your match was a miscalculation on my part. Don't let it bother you... So, you are that Luka I've heard so much about? Beating Nanabi in one hit even while holding back... I can certainly understand why Granberia took a liking to you."

"Granberia? You already know about it?"

"Sure, she was talking about it quite happily! Well, she didn't speak to Alma Elma about it... I suppose she doesn't want her to take you." She giggled as she approached me, taking several sniffs while circling me.

"Ooh, that's the scent of some really tasty fried tofu and inarizushi! I can't restrain myself!"

"Hey!"

Smelling the scent of her favorite food, she clung to me, rubbing against my body. Her touch was strangely erotic.

"You gave some to Kitsune and Kamuro, right? Don't be stingy; give me some too! If you do... I don't mind offering an appropriate reward in return," she said as she touched several sensitive spots. Combined with the fluffiness of her tails, it honestly felt so good I was about to give in before I frantically separated from her.

"A-Alright! Then how about a trade for that Poseidon's Bell in your hand?!" As expected of one of the Six Ancestors, she almost managed to make me surrender to her.

Hearing my conditions, Tamamo puffed out her cheek a bit. "Hmph. You could have just let me thoroughly pamper you in bed... what a modest fellow. Well, fine, you can have it; now, hand it over!" She tossed the bell at me.

I wanted to interject if it was really fine to hand the bell over so easily, but just ended up heaving a small mountain of food on a plate, which the five of them quickly gathered around and started eating... wait, five!?

"Hey, Monster Lord! Don't just suddenly come in and steal my share!"

"Oh, be quiet! With all that delicious scent wafting over since earlier, I was at my limit, too! I shall take a plentiful share for myself!"

"Let's trade then! Lend me Luka for the night!"

"That is not acceptable either! As if I would let anyone else have such delicious semen! After not teaching me the joy of squeezing men, at least let me have that much to myself!"

What an ugly dispute. Of course, I wanted to stop them from treating me like a prize as if it were natural, but there was probably, or rather certainly, no way they would listen.

"U-Uhm..."
"That... is the Monster Lord?"
"Ah, how unsightly..."

And thus were the reactions of the three foxes munching on their share at a safe distance. Well, they weren't coming to blows, so it was probably fine. I poured some tea and enjoyed a leisurely lunch with the three. The dispute continued all the way until the second helping.

"That was really delicious. And you took good care of my little ones, too. I will have to thank you in due time."

"Well, we will probably see each other again anyway, so you can just do it then... apart from that, can we talk alone for a moment?"

The gaze of Alice burning into the back of my head was terrifying, but I had to push through. There was a lot I needed to talk about and ask Tamamo.

"Oh? You want to do some nice things with me, after all? In that case, I don't mind accompanying you..."

"That's not it!"

"Oh, how boring..." Yet despite saying that, she still followed me into the treasure room. After closing the door, she promptly erected a barrier.

"So, what exactly did you want to talk about with just the two of us... Mister Angel?" Her eyes narrowed, and the harmonious atmosphere was instantly toppled as the sharp gaze of a beast pierced me.

"Well... I said for a moment, but it will probably take quite a bit longer..."

"Lucifina's son from a parallel world!?"

Well, as anticipated, that information was so utterly unexpected that it completely caught her off guard. Judging by the face she made, which almost felt like it should be accompanied by a comedic sound effect, she did seem genuinely surprised, too.

"So... You heard nothing about suddenly empty villages, legendary succubi, unknown seraphs, ancient Yoma, or an Alipheese the 17th?"

"Indeed. Not a single one of them has been caught in the foxes' information network, though I did hear plenty of rumors of some scoundrel who calls herself Black Alice."

"...That's probably the real deal."

"...No wonder we can't find her then."

Both of us heaved a sigh as an annoying issue came up. This world had a mountain of troubles, too, huh?

"So, what do you intend to do from now on?"

"Travel around the world, solve the problems of humans and monsters while trying to find a way back to my world, and finally, win over Ilias, hopefully."

At those words, her eyes narrowed once more, and I felt something close to hostility.

"Luka... do you really believe you can do something about Ilias?"

"Humans, monsters... and surely even a Goddess, can change... Isn't the perfect example right in front of me?"

"Ugh..." Sure, she might be a cute ball of fluff now, but back in the era of the Six Ancestors?

She crossed her arms, her gaze wandering up and down on repeat as she thought.

"...Alright. You may do as you believe. Either way, even if we combined forces right now, we would regretfully still not be a match for Ilias... Aside from that, I entrust the Monster Lord to you. Because of all the care I had to take when raising her, she turned out sheltered, knowing nothing of the world."

"Leave it to me. As a traveling companion, I definitely won't treat her badly," I replied smugly. Having been quite the country bumpkin myself in the past, it felt good to stand above Alice in that regard.

"My, how reliable. Well then, I will have to give you a reward, including the share for helping out the little ones! Here, my tails are the best, you know."

She extended her glossy, soft, fluffy tails toward me without any lewd intent. I was unable to resist the temptation. "Well... just a bit..." I said and promptly buried myself inside them.

"Aaahhh..."

Taking the soft, fluffy tails in my hands, grasping them, hugging them, and even rolling around inside them, I fully enjoyed myself. These were the tails of a nine-tailed fox; within no time at all, I was captivated by the fluffiness.

"Fufufu, how cute. I was going to hold back in front of the Monster Lord, but at this rate, I don't think I can endure... time for me to enjoy myself as well."

"Eh?"

Before I knew it, I had tails wrapped around my limbs. Escape didn't seem possible, so there was only one thing left I could do.

"P-Please be gentle." That is to say, beg for mercy.

"Nyohohohoho~ Of course~"

Needless to say, Luka was reduced to a moaning mess in short order.

Furthermore, when Alice finally lost her patience and burst in, the ensuing fistfight almost made the cave collapse.