CH 101

Chapter 101 – Feeding Is Fun

That evening, Ellen visited me again in the room where I was resting. Perhaps she was busy today, but she hadn’t shown her face since her visit in the morning. I wondered if something had happened to her.

“Are you okay? Did something happen to you?”

“Yes, something a little troubling.”

Although her face is expressionless, I feel that a somewhat tired or anxious atmosphere exudes from Ellen.

“Trouble…? Come to think of it, I heard something bad about the south.”

“Yes, it’s related to that.”

It seems that there has been some movement in the Liberation Army, although she does not seem to be willing to give details. It’s already been more than half a month since I disappeared. I don’t think the southern part of the country has been liberated yet, but if the subhuman slaves who were being used in various parts of the southern part of the country have been freed, the total strength of the Liberation Army should have improved considerably.

Although it’s not clear if the equipment will be distributed in time, there may be equipment that was seized from the Holy Kingdom’s army, and the production base in the rear should have started mass production of Goatsfoot crossbows. My materials and prototype weapons from my inventory are probably being used as well. The people in the research and development department were also developing their own weapons based on the ones I had created.

But no matter how much their strength increases, I don’t think it’s possible for them to invade Merinesburg yet… They may be able to win the battle, but they won’t be able to control the towns and villages they’ve conquered. They need to have enough people to handle the southern part of the country.

In addition, the subhuman slaves who have just joined the army have lost a lot of strength due to their long and hard life. With a week or so of rest, they won’t be able to fight, march, or even train.

In other words, what I’m trying to say is that it’s too early for the Liberation Army to take another action. If they were going to rescue me, I would have thought that they would have infiltrated with a small group of elites or something like that.

“You seem to be lost in thought.”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“A lot?”

“Yes, a lot.”

I nodded to Ellen, who tilted her head. It’s rumored that she cannot be fooled by lies. It’s better not to talk to her than to lie to her.

“Ellen, you said something about whether or not I’m an apostle of God, right?”

“Yes. Are you ready to talk about it?”

“Well, yes…”

I think about whether or not I should tell Ellen everything.

From Ellen’s perspective, I’m completely her enemy. It’s no wonder since I killed and injured many Holy Kingdom soldiers with explosions and provided many weapons and food to the Liberation Army. If I told her everything straight out, there would be a definite crack in our relationship. I was tempted to tell her everything without thinking about it, but I held back.

“I want to talk to you alone.”

“Just the two of us, huh…? You want to be alone with me and rape me. You animal.”

“I’m serious now, okay? It’s not proper for a saint of truth to say such a thing, so stop saying that, okay?”

You see, Amalie-san and Berta-san’s gazes are stern because you say things that people don’t like to hear! No, no, no! I’m not even thinking about that! I mean, I don’t have that much energy to do that! You know that, Amalie-san!

“You are so serious.”

“Can I just knock you down?”

“It’s not right to attack a weak woman.”

“I don’t think it’s right to make fun of a weak, sick man, myself.”

“You’ve got the point. I won’t stop, though.”

“You won’t?”

Whether my desperate plea had been heard or whether she was satisfied with teasing me, Ellen gave Amalie-san and Berta-san a look and had them leave the room.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes, this is okay. No one is eavesdropping, right?”

“No, I don’t think so. The walls of this room are thick, and there is only one door. The door is also thick, so unless you shout too loudly, no one will hear you.”

“I see.”

“So even if you were to attack me like a wild animal, as long as I don’t scream, it would be fine.”

“I won’t attack you. First of all… that’s right. Let’s talk about whether or not I’m an apostle of God.”

“Yes.”

Ellen straightened her posture and took up a listening position. Her face was as expressionless as ever, but she must be nervous in her own way. The tense atmosphere was palpable.

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve never met a god before, and I’ve never had a god tell me that I am an apostle. But I can tell you that I am not from this world.”

“Not from this world?”

“Yeah. In my world, there were no planets that big covering the sky. There was no magic; there were no monsters. Also, there were no sub-humans. It was a world where there were only humans.”

“So you’re saying you’re from a different world other than this one?”

“Yes. I’m not from this world.”

Answering Ellen’s question, I locked eyes with the red jade eyes that were looking straight at me.

“I see… So you’re a marebito, huh?”

“Do you know that, Raiden?”

“It’s Ellen. Of course, I know. I know about them, of course, because there are legends of marebito all over the world. Though I’ve never seen one in person before.”

“I see.”

Sylphy also said that there are many legends about marebito in various places. Ellen must have heard of some of them.

“And I have a special power. According to the mages who have closely observed my abilities, the phenomena I produce are not magic in nature, but more akin to miracles performed by divine magic.”

“Your abilities… Can you plead for a miracle too?”

“No. But I can do these things.”

I took a plate of pancakes out of my inventory and showed it to her. It’s a dish made with flour, eggs, milk, and flower nectar. I won’t tell her what the eggs and milk are from. I’ll keep quiet about it.”

“This is…? What’s the sweet smell?”

“It’s called pancakes. It’s sweet, fluffy, and delicious. Here, aahh.”

I took out a fork from my inventory as well and cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces, and brought it to Ellen’s mouth. She was a little confused and then opened her little mouth as wide as she could. As soon as the pancake is stuck in the fork, I gently push it into her mouth and feed it to her.

“…It’s sweet and delicious.”

“I know, right? Yes, aahh.”

“…Aahh.”

The pancake was cut into pieces and brought to Ellen’s mouth, who opened her mouth like a baby bird. What is this fun?

“There’s milk, too.”

“Itadakimasu.”

When I handed Ellen a wooden cup of milk, she took it in both hands and gulped it down.

“The milk is delicious. It doesn’t seem to be from a goat… What kind of milk is it?”

“Cow, I think.”

“You’re lying.”

“It’s mostly cow, mostly.”

It’s mostly cow. Maybe half of it. If I don’t squeeze them regularly, they get sore and sick. For some reason, it comes out even if they don’t have children, so it’s quite a problem.

“…Well, that’s fine. So, what’s this?”

“Yes, aahh.”

“Mgumgu…”

Let’s be prepared. There’s no turning back now.

“I’m not creating something out of nothing. I’m just taking out what’s already in there. It’s like an invisible bag or warehouse.”

“Hmm… is it like spatial magic?”

“I don’t know what spatial magic is, but maybe it is. It allows me to store and retrieve things at will, anytime, anywhere. For no compensation.”

“It’s a humble ability.”

“Compared to your eye for truth, maybe.”

I tried to hand the plate to Ellen, but she didn’t take it and opened her mouth. I had no choice but to feed her the pancake as it was.

“I’ve never had a pastry like this before.”

“Really? I think there is something similar.”

It’s just flour kneaded with eggs, milk and sugar and baked softly. Oh, no, not only that, I wonder if it needs baking powder or something? But I’ve heard that Galette is also a kind of pancake in a way… Well, let’s not worry about the details.

“Anyway, I’m a marebito. If you ask me if I’m an apostle of God, I honestly don’t know. But I am pretty sure that I am a marebito.”

“There is a theory that marebito appears in this world under the guidance of God. Since God has told me that you are my destiny, I think it is safe to say that you are His Apostle.”

“I see. I don’t have a shred of faith, though.”

“You just have to start nurturing it. Aahh!”

“Yes, yes.”

I think about it as I bring the pancake to Ellen’s mouth. As far as Ellen is concerned, she doesn’t have any issues with the fact that I am an apostle of God. Now, let’s see how I can take the story from here.

“Name.”

“Yes?”

“Speaking of which, I haven’t heard your name.”

“Name, huh?”

If I say my name is Kosuke, it will be definitive. No, maybe she already knows.

Ellen may have heard about my abilities from Qubi. If she did, she would have figured out who I was just by looking at the abilities in my inventory. Qubi must have known that I was a marebito.

In fact, it’s possible that Ellen already knew that from the beginning. It would not be surprising if Qubi told her about my appearance.

“It’s Kosuke.”

“I see… Hmm.”

As Ellen opened her mouth, I brought the last piece of food to Ellen’s mouth. Ellen slowly chewed and swallowed the pancake with no expression on her face.

“So that’s how it is?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

The conversation stopped. Ellen took her gaze off me and stared into the cup in her hand.

“God said. Live with your destiny.”

“I see. Well, the trials God gives you are pretty hard, aren’t they?”

“…Yes.”

Once again, silence reigned in the room. Now, how should I start?