Monster Musume chapter 92: Dining together

We came to the Zakurion Empire because of Yukurishisu´s invitation. While being drawn to the view of the capital from the window, we went to dinner first. Her younger brother and sister are waiting… they may be half-siblings. No, I don"t even know the s.e.x of the previous emperor. Maybe her mother was the empress.

After a few minutes of walking in the long corridor, we finally arrived at the dining hall when I thought that we might be lost. It is a castle after all, and the structure is really complex. I don"t remember how many corners we pa.s.sed to come here. Like a TV station, I wonder if it is hard to suppress even if attacked by any chance.

“Well then, we are here. Please enjoy yourself." Wo-kun
“Emm, what about the room we are staying..." Tsuchio
“A maid will guide you after the meal. I don"t know where you are, but as long as you are in the castle, one person will be by your side, so please ask anything you"d like. They will answer to the extent that they can answer." Wo-kun

Well, there might be places they don"t want us to be seen in the empire. It might be to monitor us so that we don"t examine something without permission. I"m not going to do such a thing and it would be more helpful if I had a guide. Therefore, I don"t care.

“Come to think of it, Yukurishisu. Did you tell your brother and sister that I"m human? They will understand by feeling my magic power.” Tsuchio
“Of course, I told them. Even if Tsuchio rampages, the troubles will quickly become ineffective, so there is no problem. They are people who have the ability." Yukurishisu
“It"s so scary. Those who are watching from a while ago are also attendants." Tsuchio

“...I warned them to not be rude to Tsuchio since you are a guest. But the war has just ended.” Yukurishisu

“I understand, it"s natural to be alert. If there was no one here, I would be hit." Tsuchio

From the time we reached Yukurishisu´s room, I felt something looking at us. They´re hiding their magical powers well, but this is too hidden. There was a strangely thin magical power there and Shadow-san felt uncomfortable. Perhaps the others are also aware of it, however they seemed to keep quiet. It was probably because there is no hostility.

“It would be helpful if you could say so. Even so, I had to say that you should not be aware of them... " Yukurishisu
“Everyone is sensitive to magic. I wasn"t aware of it, but I was taught by Shadow-san." Tsuchio
“Still, these servants are the elite, perfect for the job. Normally, it"s their top priority not to be seen by the people." Yukurishisu
“Well, I think you can call them the elite.... By the way, what about you, Ruu?” Tsuchio
“I felt their gaze, which couldn’t be helped, because they"re monitoring us." Ruu
“They used some magic. Because they looked at father´s face, I asked elder sister Rin and Shadow-san to overwrite that magic. I wonder what kind of scary images they are watching now?" Lime

“Lime, well, you can do that... and I could have lent you some magic! You are better than Shadow-san, however she is just a shadow demon"

Well, did Shadow-san do that too? Well, that kind of hallucination magic is pretty good....

“Emm, with what did you rewrite the magic?" Tsuchio

“I asked them to reflect a video that they felt most fearful for several hours. Since we take away their sight and show it directly to their heads, they have to wait for the magical effect to cut out completely. I made the plan, Shadow-san created it and Rin overwrote the magic. Uhuhu, if they want to monitor father, at least they need do it in front of me." Lime

Uuwaa… are they okay or will they have a trauma? Seeing the footage they don"t want to see for hours, is a torture.

“I was checking the magical response with my sensor and I ignored them because there was no hostility. Would it have been better to report it?" Nichrome
“Why didn"t you report, Nichrome?" Tsuchio
“I was only watching them from here for the time being and have been monitored only for a few minutes. I wanted to avoid making master worried excessively, so I decided to report later." Nichrome
“Yes, that"s a good decision. Indeed, I would like you to report a guy who is likely to be involved in our life, but it"s troublesome to report such trivial things. Good decision, Nichrome. You"ve come to be able to think for yourself." Tsuchio
“Oh, thank you, Master. Since time has pa.s.sed since I woke up, I gathered a lot of data. It is a good trend." Nichrome
“...Are the maids okay?” Yukurishisu
“Sorry, my daughter troubled..." Tsuchio
“No, Tsuchio doesn"t have to apologize because I started this. Lime just did her job. With this, we will be going to monitor the servants directly." Yukurishisu
“That"s good to hear… but is it really alright?” Tsuchio
“It is a good opportunity to demonstrate the results of their torture training. Let"s say we eat without worrying." Yukurishisu

That"s it and Yukurishisu opens the door of the dining room. We followed her and entered the room. Just before closing the door, I felt like I heard a scream of a woman from the distance....

The dining room was as luxurious as Yukurishisu’s private room. A chandelier made of crystal-like material illuminates the room and some paintings are displayed on the wall. Everything is a landscape painting, but it is a wonderful piece that could be understood even by amateurs like Tsuchio. That chandelier isn"t made with candles. Do magic tools lights the lights?

In the center of the room is a long table accompanied by chairs that rich people often use. Well, this table is also made from high-quality wood… I have to pay close attention to not spill any dish.

There are already some people in this room and are sitting on the chairs. Both of them are showing their backs, so we can"t see their faces from here. The arms of that male are really big and the height of the woman is over 2m slightly. ...I had predicted it, but they seems like dense people. And I realized again that this is a demon country.

“Oh, older sister! You"re late, is that Tsuchio the human..."
“...Somehow, a strange feeling."

Two people raise from their seat and look back at my face. The man looks like a strong elder brother with a skinhead. With sungla.s.ses, he would be perfect. The woman has somewhat sleepy half-eyes and although her height is high, her face looks like a young girl. She braids her brown hair to the back and a large horn protrudes from her forehead.

“You"re rude to our guests, staring at their faces." Yukurishisu
“My bad, I"m curious about what human beings are like." Girl
“Small and weak.” Man
“Not at all..."
“I"m sorry. I"m Tyres, the second Prince of Zakurion empire. I was a bit defensive in front of humans, but you’re really weak, so I"m relieved.” Tyres
“Toururi, the 2nd Princess. I don"t trust you yet. If you do something bad, I will immediately kill you." Toururi

Tyres was favorable contrary to his appearance, but the younger sister is going to kill me. She will be overlooked, but she is more intimidating. Behind me, all my familiars are also defeated by that hostility.

“Toururi! I"ve said many times that Tsuchio is my guest! Such an att.i.tude is rude!” Yukurishisu
“...Huh, a guy who is defended by a woman is pathetic.” Toururi

Ugh, this is pretty harsh.... Because it is actually so, I don"t make a complain. I was wondering if I could ever say something.

That said, Toururi-san returned to her chair and turned her face away. Haha, well this is an ordinary reaction. I’m just a special guest for Yukurishisu, Wo-san and Tyres.

“It’s worse since elder sister got to know you, Toururi has been so for a long time. She can"t trust a human." Tyres
“I’m sorry, Tsuchio. I"ll tell you a lot later." Yukurishisu
“It"s okay, so please don"t say it too strongly. I don"t really care.” Tsuchio

We take the seats on the opposite side of Tyres-san and Toururi-san. Yukurishisu sits to my right, while all my familiars sit on my left side. Nichrome is sitting well, by bending her lamia body. The maids are coming and serving food on the tabletop. There are many dishes and they are piled on a platter. And, that"s not one or two. All the dishes are super large.

“These dishes have been cooked by the kitchen chief personally. It is different from the cuisine of the kingdom, but the taste is guaranteed!" Yukurishisu
“Is that... an normal imperial dish normal?” Tsuchio
“If you mean local cuisine, then this isn"t normal as expected." Yukurishisu

Oh, I guess so. This amount is too much, which is surely only for the royal family.  

“There are not many kinds of cuisines for ordinary families so far. There are about 2 or 3 types of side dishes and they also fill your stomach such as sweet potato." Yukurishisu
“Type？Not the amount?”  Tsuchio
“Yes everything is usually in this amount. Oh, I remembered that the kingdom"s dishes were quite small." Yukurishisu

Is this the default… what a wonderful thing for demons. Well, with their huge bodies, there will be a lot of necessary energy, but Yukurishisu will eat this amount as well. Is it related to this that demons live longer?

“Everyone you haven"t started to eat so far...... are you enduring something?"
“That"s not true. The amount of meals I am eating did not change before and after my evolution." Ruu
“I am eating the same thing as father. In the first place, meals don"t have much meaning in terms of taking nutrition. It is not much necessary. For me, eating the same things as father is the most important." Lime

“I"m not the same as before. Well, I"ve only eaten gra.s.s and meat before.” Rin
“...Oh yeah, the cafeteria was having trouble with your eating habits. I gave everyone the same amount all the time, so I didn"t notice it at all. Certainly, it is quite a lot than the amount we humans eat." Tsuchio

The amount of meals for my familiars seem to be strange. The Engel factor will exceed the average. If they eat the meat of demon beasts, they may save a little. Haa, I"m really worried about my life after graduation.

“Let"s eat before it gets cold. Please take as much as you want and eat it freely." Yukurishisu
“Then, Itadakimasu.” Tsuchio

I take some side dishes on my plate. Yakitori fried potato and is this lizard? Does it taste like chicken? Bugs are a bit harsh, but lizards are all right. Because I want to eat everything for the time being, I keep it aside for the moment.

“Hey, Tsuchio. You don"t need to hold back. If you don"t take it more quickly, then nothing will be left soon." Tyres-san

Tyres takes a large amount of a large number of side dishes and puts it on his plate steadily. The plate is overfilled with side dishes and you can"t even say anything about it....

“Tyres, that"s not good." Yukurishisu
“It"s alright and fine in such a place. I don"t arrange my plate as beautiful as elder sister." Tyres

Yukurishisu also took a large amount of side dishes, but she doesn"t mix them together and arranges them beautifully on the plate. You can well divide it so far… absolutely perfect.

“I"m used to this. If you are careful, you will naturally learn." Toururi
“Even so...” Tyres

“You don"t have any difficulties as long as you can do it... well, try it out next time." Yukurishisu

Toururi´s plate isn"t as good as Yukurishisu, but it"s also well arranged. At least nothing is mixed up. She is trying to avoid mixing the side dishes with each other. That takes a little bit.

“The seasoning is thick. All the dishes in the kingdom are so pale that you might like them." Ruu
“Well, especially this meat fish is delicious. Oh, father. Which is the sweet potato?” Lime
“Well, these vegetables have a deep taste. This is a little too dark.” Rin
“Spices and oils are used abundantly. These fried foods are rare in the kingdom. I"ll record it in the database." Nichrome

Somehow, it reminds me of j.a.panese cuisine… the taste is different but somewhat similar. Yeah, yummy. In terms of cooking, I prefer this way from the kingdom.

“How was it, Tsuchio. Did you like it?" Yukurishisu
“Yes, it was very tasty. Because my home cuisine was like this, I felt nostalgic for a while." Tsuchio
“I see, that"s good to hear. I was wondering what I should do if I was told that it was unpleasant." Yukurishisu
“I won"t say such a thing when I was invited. It was really delicious, maybe we won"t have enough to go back to the kingdom." Tsuchio

I can eat this dish for a while and I am looking forward to the other towns.

==========

Monster Musume chapter 93: Imperial Capital

The next day after we came to the Zakurion Empire, we went to the capital with Yukurishisu´s guidance. The neighborhood where there were many aristocratic streets and luxury shops where people gathered are seen from above, while all buildings are shining white. On the contrary, the common town and shopping streets were clumsy. Tyres-san and Toururi-san seem to be working today. Well, I wonder what kind of work they are doing. Yukurishisu said that they will eat dinner together with doc.u.ments and the n.o.bility… but is that helpful? Or maybe there are orders? Next time I see them, why don"t I ask about it.

“Anyway, why does Yukurishisu guide us? Even though you"re the empress, can you really guide us?" Tsuchio
“I remember the time when I slipped out in the past. The town hasn"t changed much, so it is all right." Yukurishisu

It is natural for Yukurishisu to change her appearance with magic. It seems that she came in front of the people only a few times, but some people may remember. She is the empress, so she should be careful.

“Apart from that, are you alright Tsuchio? You"re not feeling sick, or?" Yukurishisu
“No, there is no problem.... Why do you ask?” Tsuchio
“Well, there are only demons around. For humans, they are all enemies. Are not you scared?" Yukurishisu

I knew it before I came here… but after all, it is a demon country. People who are walking along the streets, parents who are standing before stores and soldiers patrolling the town. Everyone was a demon. Some have a human form and others have their beast form.

“I"m not afraid, because there is no hostility. And it"s different because of the facial expressions." Tsuchio

Emotions can be seen on their faces. It was a lot different from monsters who act instinctively and it was rude to compare them.

“That"s good, then." Yukurishisu
“Even so… after leaving the castle, this is a dramatic sight." Tsuchio
“A demon with a perfect human form is unusual, because only higher demons can be a perfect human type. There are demons who have a human form from the beginning, but those people are reasonably strong as well." Yukurishisu
“Hee… well, what kind of demon is Yukurishisu?" Tsuchio

Yukurishisu is a human type, who is a royal and is powerful enough to become the empress. There is no doubt that she is a remarkably high demon, however there is no big feature in her appearance.... Why?

“Speaking of which, I haven"t told you yet. I"m a vampire.” Yukurishisu
“A vampire... but Tyres-san and Toururi-san are giants?”
“In the royal family, half siblings are normal. Tyres and Toururi are blood-related siblings.” Yukurishisu

If a giant becomes a vampire, he would be very strong even among the demons that are in the same cla.s.sification as dragons. As expected of the royal family, they have good blood veins.

“Perhaps your older brother is a dragon?" Tsuchio
“Yes, that"s right. How did you know, Tsuchio?” Yukurishisu
“No, it seems like that somehow. In short, the way of the communal town is more complicated than the aristocracy. You won"t get lost if you stay in the main street, but it seems that you won"t be able to understand it immediately as soon as you are standing on the side streets." Tsuchio
“Although I did organize the streets, the residents don"t agree with me. Because buildings that should definitely be destroyed come out, so they are against it..." Yukurishisu
“Well, if a house is destroyed there will be no place to live. Therefore, I don"t think it is necessary to forcibly proceed further." Tsuchio
“At the very least, I would like to grasp the population and detect illegal stores. We need to do it as soon as possible" Yukurishisu
“It"s hard work, to be the empress. Even so, that wall is amazing. Even from here, you can clearly see it. It is quite thick. How did you make such a wall? " Tsuchio
“Oh, that was made possible by the great war in the past, which founded the empire. Didn"t we talk a little about it yesterday?" Yukurishisu

The ancient Great War...it was before the empire and each race fought against each other. Something like a Warring States era.

“Hundreds of years ago when the empire wasn"t founded, this was a big cove. That was blown into a bowl shape during the great war." Yukurishisu
“How was the cove blown off?" Tsuchio
“Well, this is a story told by my parents, so I don"t really know. However, in the story, I heard that the breath of a dragon and the magic of a powerful demon collided against each other and caused an explosion. It seems that the soil which was blown away at that time was acc.u.mulated around the mortar and became the origin of that wall. Thanks to that wall, water came out of the ocean, where there was only a big depression and the empire could be founded. The royal capital is in the middle of a mortar." Yukurishisu

The castle is in the center of a crater that seems to have several large towers connected, unlike the kingdom. The bottom part is a solid building, but as you go up it is divided into towers.

“Is it okay to be in the center of a mortar? If it rains, the water will flow toward the royal castle..." Tsuchio
“Many waterways are stretched in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the capital. Rainwater flows through the waterways and flows to the sea. The town is a mess, but public health is solid. We"re in trouble if infectious diseases become prevalent." Yukurishisu

Well, underground waterways. It is possible to make such things with magic… which is pretty good progress.

“There are waterways in all big cities in the empire. If there is no sea, they will sink into a river or lake." Yukurishisu
“A waterway in the bas.e.m.e.nt, the empire is really amazing. The kingdom cannot win." Tsuchio
“That"s a different story. Even though the empire is certainly superior in magic, there are things that can"t be overcome against the kingdoms and humans." Yukurishisu
“Really… the performance of individuals is quite inevitable, and we humans would be defeated by magic, so you would surely win.” Tsuchio
“It is not so easy. Because each person is very strong, the coordination in military units don"t go well." Yukurishisu

Really? When I fought at the fortress, goblins and other demons fought in groups....

“Well, goblins and other weak individuals are good at battle in groups. But it is only with family members they follow cooperation. They cannot fight with other tribes well together." Yukurishisu
“Well, a weak race is a drag for a strong race. It"s a weakness unique for a multiracial nation." Tsuchio
“In that respect, human strategy is excellent. I think that if you can imitate even a sufficient one on one, I think that it will lead to a considerable strengthening...but I can"t accept it internally." Yukurishisu

Well, what do I think? Even if a demon imitates a human, it is doubtful whether it will work well. I think they need to think about strategy and collaboration.

“Well, let"s forget such a story and enjoy the sightseeing of the imperial capital. Yukurishisu took a day off for it." Tsuchio
“That"s right! Well then, Tsuchio, I will take you to where you want to go! What kind of place would you like to see?" Yukurishisu
“Well… for the time being, I would like to go to a magic store. I am interested in the technology of the empire that can make a underground waterway. Also, I hope they are selling magic paper. They aren"t sold much in the kingdom." Tsuchio
“I don"t know if they have magic paper, because it isn"t my specialty, but I certainly know that there are magical tools that use paper. So, paper may be sold somewhere. If it"s about a magic store, I know some good shops, so let"s go there! If we are walking, we will also find a store selling paper." Yukurishisu
“Alright!"  Tsuchio

We follow Yukurishisu and step into the crowd in the street. I wonder if there are paper specialized shops...there is a demand for magic, so there should be a good one. Well, we will visit other cities as well. Therefore, let"s not hurry up and believe that we should be able to find it by the time we go home.

“The imperial capital was amazing. Especially the magic shops, they sold cheap magical tools which don"t even exist in the kingdom." Tsuchio
“We develop magical tools that can be use to live normally in our country. Even if the capital has been the most popular so far, most magical cities have these kind of things in their homes." Yukurishisu
“If you open a shop in the kingdom too, then you would sell very well. Speaking of the so-called magical city, I was told that the paper I bought at that specialty shop was made from gra.s.s cultivated in a magical city." Tsuchio
“Oh, that"s expensive paper. You cashed in with coins of the kingdom, was the empire money not enough?” Yukurishisu
“Somehow. But I only bought a little, because I want to go to the magic city and buy it directly. It is cheaper than buying in the capital, because there is no transportation fee involved." Tsuchio
“We will definitely go to a magical city as well." Yukurishisu

“That"s good. Or, even if I have money from the kingdom, why did you pay for it? I am really thankful for this..." Tsuchio
“The next time I go to the kingdom, I won"t have any money. I had a little, but everything ended up into Wo-kun´s belly." Yukurishisu
“Yes, while walking around, I ate a lot. That snack was delicious, too” Wo-kun
“It is my favorite. Melt flour with water and bake it with eggs and ingredients. It has outstanding compatibility with hot sauce!" Tsuchio

Before the evening, we returned to the royal castle. On the way, we found a shop selling materials for making magical tools and bought paper for magical tools sold there. It isn"t much, but it seems to be able to tolerate far more magical power than high cla.s.s paper. I showed it to the shopkeeper and confirmed it, so there is no doubt. The overlap limit was two pentagrams, but now we could lay even more pentagrams. Well, my magical power isn"t so much, but...there is no loss in making it. Later, I will probably rebuild the rock snakes and the hornets. Since I can use more magical power than before, I can increase their function. As expected, it becomes very exciting when I think about such things. It"s exquisite to make it.

“Oh, it is elder sister and Tsuchio. Have you already come back?" Tyres
“Oh Tyres, have you finished your work?" Yukurishisu
“Because sister took a rest, we finished the big ones. We only handled those that were fine. It wasn"t that much." Tyres

On the way back to Yukurishisu´s private chamber, we met Tyres-san and Toururi-san who finished their work in the hallway. Are they also involved in the work of the country?

“What kind of work do the two of you do?" Tsuchio
“We"re my sister"s a.s.sistants. When my busy elder sister can"t do it, we become her subst.i.tute in that matter.” Tyres
“You two may become emperors in the future. You"d better get used to it now." Yukurishisu
“Eh, won"t the next emperor be Yukurishisu"s child..." Tsuchio
“I"m a vampire, we rarely get a child." Yukurishisu

Because vampires bite humans to suck blood, isn"t it necessary to make children? Or is Yukurishisu another original demon? Or, what kind of demons were her parents?

“Then, Yukurishisu was bitten by a vampire?" Tsuchio
“No, my father was a vampire. My mother is a devil." Yukurishisu
“Oh, your father is a vampire. As a male, can he make children?" Tsuchio
“He was the highest-ranking vampire, so the common sense of a race wouldn"t work. I haven"t reached that area yet, and I don"t know if I"ll be able to reach them. Therefore, it"s the most realistic thing to give my role as empress to my siblings in the future." Yukurishisu

Yukurishisu might be strong, but there is still a top.... How much strength does the highest-ranked vampire have? It"s unimaginable.

“There is still time until dinner...shall we move our bodies for a while?" Tyres
“That"s right, you have worked all this time. Shall we do it here? If you don"t mind, do you want to join Tsuchio? You won"t have much opportunities to do a mock battle with demons like us." Yukurishisu

A mock battle with Yukurishisu...I have never fought with anything other than my familiars or devil beasts. Nichrome would also like to get data, that"s why there is no reason to refuse.

“Then, please.” Tsuchio
“Then I will join too. Fighting a human in a 1 vs 1 mock battle seems interesting." Toururi

Toururi, who kept silent for a while since we met, glared at me and said that. 1 vs 1...why does she show her fists? In that case, my head is going to be blown off by one hit.

“I"m a talisman art user, therefore I"m not good at 1 vs 1. However, let"s do it.” Tsuchio
“Don"t make excuses when you lose." Toururi
“Of course, you"ll be challenged from the front fair and square." Tsuchio

“It"s a shame to give up from the beginning." Toururi

Very harsh.... I think it"s because I"m human, but what is said so far, I"m going to lose silently. Even if I don"t win, I will give my best.

We head towards the training ground in the castle. Several Knights trained inside, but as soon as they saw us, they cleaned up and left. Well, if three royals are available, they will run barefoot.

“Older sister, Tyres. Don"t intercept." Toururi
“Shadow-san, you"re also waiting this time, it"s a mock battle so it"s fine." Tsuchio

Toururi-san has a large axe with a single blade with a length of 3 meters in her hand. Because the blade is crushed, it is a hammer rather than an axe. Well, in my case it doesn"t matter.

“I don"t mind about Tsuchio fighting alone. However, even though it is a mock battle, you won"t just escape by receiving minor injuries with Toururi-san as opponent." Ruu
“I am worried, but Tsuchio will do it. I respect your decision."
“Even if you don"t like it, he won"t be killed. Besides, there is Lime..."
“Lime"s top priority is to behave normal, so I think that there is no problem."
“Lime? What do you want?" Tsuchio

I, who is preparing for the mock battle, is approached by Lime. When she arrived at my side, she took something out of her body and handed it to me.

“It is a mock battle and this time my opponent is Toururi-san. It"s only a mock battle.” Tsuchio
“...Mock battle. You won"t be killed or injured badly. However there is still a huge difference in your abilities." Lime
“Do you think she will wipe the floor with me only because of her height?" Tsuchio
“Father, a battle is a battle, even if it is a mock battle. In case of emergency, please take this." Lime

“What is this...it"s pretty heavy, this can’t be kept in my pocket." Tsuchio

It is a silver lump on the palm, but contrary to its appearance, there is a good weight. You might get out if you put it in your pocket.

“In that case, you should swallow it! Now, go, go!" Lime
“Eh, you want me to swallow it!?” Tsuchio

Suddenly, the lump flew out of my palm and stuck into my face. It crawled into my mouth shortly and went down my throat while rampaging.

“Haaaaa.... My body is inside father...finally..." Lime
“Geho geho! This is harmless, isn"t it? It isn"t any of your poison?" Tsuchio
“I"m not going to do that to father. If medicine is too old, it becomes poisonous and vice versa." Lime
“No, I don"t know what it is. Uwaa, something"s spreading!” Tsuchio
“Uhuhuhu, you are pregnant for a while. It"s a rare experience." Lime

Lime"s body that came into my belly shrinked as soon as I thought it was inflated. Even if I look around as usual, there is no discomfort.

“What did you really do..." Tsuchio
“It is an insurance for emergency, but I guess this is enough for the time being. I would like to enter more into father, if possible, but... it would be on another occasion" Lime

I don"t want this to happen again.... However, what was this pink lump, Lime is silver.

“If you are ready, let"s start quickly. I"ll crush you thoroughly.” Toururi-san
“Such lines suit you...let"s start." Tsuchio

I"m without my familiars and I"m only a normal person from a different world. I will challenge with the intention of training with a stronger opponent!