Chapter 326 - 326. [Special Chapter] The Vow of the Muu Tribe 3 (Love is the Color of That Sky)
This is the third episode of the Special Chapter.
"Sam, wait!"
Samueim's white, inverted-triangular dog ears drooped straight down. When she turned around, Fam was trying to chase after Samueim. However, Mami pressed her shoulder to stop her. Fam tried to move forward as if shaking it off, but this time Mami hugged her from behind.
"Sam is leaving!"
"...Calm down. Be calm!"
"I am calm!"
Fam dragged Mami along and pushed forward forcefully.
"...It would be better to leave Sam to Mash."
At that single sentence released by Mami, Fam's movement stopped dead.
"Are you saying it's impossible for me? Sam is my friend."
"...Just because you are friends doesn't mean you can do anything."
"Even the Master might not be able to do that!"
"...At least Mash helped you get back on your feet."
"..."
Fam turned her gaze toward Samueim. Then she stepped forward to move ahead. Samueim sighed and began walking so that Fam could not catch up. The events that happened in the village were not the villagers' fault. Everyone was a victim. Fam and Samueim had tasted the same suffering. The two were picked up by different Heroes from another world; Fam was saved, while Samueim was not saved. Fam was serving Mash to fulfill the Covenant with Okita Soji passed down among the Dog-Eared Race. She had found her own star. And that man, who was unlike any Hero, had used some kind of magic to erase her shadow. But Samueim was different. Clovis, who had bought her, had allied with the village's enemy (T/N: kataki, meaning enemy/revenge target). But that was fine. If they acted together, an opportunity to defeat the enemy would surely come. So, becoming a pawn as they wished, she had continued to wait for that moment, guiding them to kill the Hero from another world. However, Fam appeared with her own Hero. She had freed Samueim. And she had let the village's enemy escape. Samueim had lost her anchor. Fam had regained her smile. She was trying to forgive those who attacked the village. Samueim, who had placed herself in the dim stagnation and made it her only comfort, could not forgive it. It was not Fam's fault. She knew that. But she could not forgive Fam. Tears gathered in Samueim's eyes, and her vision blurred. She wanted to escape their gazes quickly. Just as Samueim increased her walking speed, a sound like mud dropping, pochari, was heard.
She raised her head and opened her eyes wide. There, a Monster with a body resembling a mountain leech swayed as if floating in the air. Its size was about as large as Samueim's body, with a light blue skin and blue stripes running across it. A highly viscous liquid was dripping slowly from its mouth. Distracted by Fam and the others behind her, she had not sensed the presence of the Monster at all. It had already approached to a close distance from which escape was impossible. Before Samueim could brace herself, its body swelled greatly, and saliva was spat out toward her.
"Guh!"
She twisted her body to dodge, but the liquid grazed the hem of her skirt. A hiss of white smoke rose up, and the smell of burnt flesh stung her nose. The mountain leech glided over her head and circled around to her back. Just as she tried to retreat deeper, another Monster appeared. It was the same type of mountain leech Monster. Before she could prepare to throw a kunai, the Monster spat saliva. She jumped back to dodge, but the slime that splattered on the ground flew up and hit her feet. The pain felt like her skin was burning, and she nearly fell. Clenching her teeth and enduring it, Samueim threw the kunai. However, although it hit, it did not pierce; like bouncing off a cushion, the kunai lost its force and fell to the floor.
"T-that's impossible..."
When she belonged to Clovis's party, a body-enhancement magic had been cast on her. However, that magic had been dispelled, and she currently lacked the strength to fight Monsters. As she tried to slip through a gap and escape, the Monster, as if sensing it, blocked her escape route with its body covered in mucous membranes. Facing Samueim, who stood frozen in a state of having no way forward or backward, the Monster swelled its body again, preparing to drench her with the slime from before.
"Sam!"
At that moment, Fam's voice echoed. And a vacuum wave released from her blade pierced the Monster's body. Simultaneously, a flash of light shot from the tip of Mami's wand, and a thunderbolt wrapped around the other Monster's body accompanied by a roar. The Monster vanished amidst that intense flickering light. Weaving through that lightning, Fam ran and leaped toward the remaining Monster. With a single flash, she tore the Monster's body apart.
"Sam, are you okay?"
Fam, without even a single breath out of place, sheathed her blade, picked up the kunai that had fallen in the passage, and held it out to Samueim. That figure appeared large in Samueim's eyes. And she clearly looked stronger and more composed in battle than when they fought in Migul's town. However, her expression still strongly retained the innocence of when they ran through the village together as children. That smile overlapped heavily with the memory of the past. For a moment, she almost returned a smile to such a girl, but Samueim furrowed her brows and feigned a blank expression. Everything was different from back then. Samueim herself was not the person she was back then. She silently accepted the kunai.
"...You have injured your leg."
Mami, who had approached from behind, spoke up. The hem of Samueim's skirt was torn as if scorched, and through the gap, a burn-like wound was visible on her leg.
"Sam, take this."
Fam held out a stamina recovery potion taken from her bag. Samueim silently shook her head.
"I don't need it..."
"Just drink it!"
Pressed by the strong words, she drank the stamina recovery potion. It felt as if the pain in her leg was disappearing smoothly.
Even after finishing the potion, Fam's gaze did not waver. Feeling the discomfort, Samueim lowered her head, and unable to endure it even that, she turned her back on her and began walking toward the depths of the corridor.
"Wait."
Fam grabbed her clothes. Samueim tried to pull her clothes back to shake her off, but Fam's hand did not let go. Samueim sighed.
"Why do you care about me? Fam is in a different place than I am. I cannot go to Fam's place. So why..."
"Before that, please let me apologize..."
Lowering her dog ears, she slumped her shoulders weakly. Even so, the hand grabbing her clothes remained strong.
"Fam has nothing to apologize for. Fam is always right. I know that too. Fam is the Arbiter, after all."
"That's not true! I don't understand anything. So please let me apologize!"
That figure was the Fam who had spent time together in the village. That is why Fam was hateful. But she had nothing to say in return.
"Then, tell me."
"I was envious of Sam and Nick. For a long, long, long time... But I didn't know what I was envious of."
"So what?"
"I met the Master. The Master is a special person who came from another world. But actually, he is an ordinary person. ...No, he has a few strange points, but..."
Fam stopped speaking. Beside her, Mami tilted her head, saying, "...A few?"
"The Master set me free. He said I could go anywhere. I could do as I pleased. Actually, at that time, I should have gone to look for the villagers, to look for Sam. But the Master had it. The thing I was envious of and desperately wanted could only be obtained from the Master..."
"And then..."
Samueim, with her dark, stagnant eyes, urged her to continue.
"The village, Sam, the fate of the Dog-Eared Race... all of it seemed unimportant to me. I wanted to... no, I wanted to follow the Master. But when I saw Chicchi in this town, I realized how terrible and ugly I was. The Master said that he did not want the villagers to be unhappy together, but that he wanted me to be happy... I clung to those words. But that... that is no excuse for Sam."
Fam lowered her head.
"Sam. I'm sorry. What I truly must cherish are the villagers, and Sam, you. I do not want to be separated from Sam."
Fam's head remained lowered. She tried to say many times, "Fam is not wrong. I am the one who is wrong. I want Fam to be the usual Fam." But those words remained stuck deep in her chest. Instead, she gently reached out and touched Fam's head. Chestnut-colored, thin, and supple hair. And the soft texture of the large, brown dog ears hanging down. As she stroked them, the usual peaceful village scene floated before her eyes. Everyone was smiling. Fam, Nick, and Samueim too. As Fam tried to raise her head, she hurriedly pressed it down and gently wiped away the tears.
"...It would be better not to stay in this place for too long. Let's find the dungeon exit quickly."
Mami, with a composed expression, peeked around the surroundings. Looking back and forth along the corridor, fortunately, there was no sign of Monsters. However, only the creepy feeling of having wandered into the body of a giant creature clung tightly to her skin.
"Indeed, encountering Monsters is a concern, and I am worried about Julius-sama as well."
Fam placed her hand on the sword at her waist as if to check it. It was only then that Samueim realized she had completely forgotten about that fat man. And remembering that she was about to be forced to marry him, she shivered involuntarily. She had been on the verge of giving up and letting herself be swept away, but she had to clearly convey to Fam and Mami that she had no such will. Just as she was about to voice that thought, Fam looked at Mami and Samueim with a tense expression.
"That's right. We don't have time, but let's perform a ceremony to get along here."
At those words, Mami raised her head in surprise.
"...N-no way..."
Mami took a step back while holding her lower abdomen. Samueim had no idea what she was talking about, but it was certain that Fam was thinking of something utterly absurd.
"That is after our friendship has deepened."
"...Then, what exactly is the ceremony?"
Mami still held her lower abdomen as if on guard.
"The Nipple Guessing Game."
"Haa?"
Mami and Samueim opened their mouths wide in shock and exchanged glances. Their cheeks were dyed red.
"...I must have heard it wrong. Fam, say it again?"
"Don't make me say it multiple times. It's the Nipple Guessing Game!"
And Fam's cheeks also turned red.
"...Haaaaa? What are you saying? There's no way we can get along with something like that!"
Mami raised her voice in a bizarre tone.
"We can! I did!"
"...With whom?"
Fam quickly turned her face away. Seeing that, Mami sighed.
"...What exactly were you two doing? Mash is definitely not an ordinary person. He's just a pervert! Fam is definitely being deceived."
"That's not true. I'm not being deceived! Mo, I don't want to tell you of all people."
After glancing at Mami, Fam shifted her gaze to Samueim. Then she raised both index fingers straight up.
"Sam, are you ready?"
As Fam lightly bent her fingertips with a choi-choi motion, Samueim twisted her body and crossed her arms to cover her chest.
"There's no way I'd do that!"
"Sam... you're scared, aren't you? Of losing. Even though you were always talking about dirty things in the village for a long, long time!"
Fam raised the corners of her mouth with a malicious look and made a smile.
"I, I wasn't saying anything dirty!"
"Hmm, is that so?"
Taking the bait of Fam's provocation, Samueim glared back at her with a frown.
"Fine. I'll do anything! Fam, if you lose, we're cutting ties. I will absolutely never speak to you again!"
"I-is cutting ties too harsh? We aren't children anymore!"
"Hmph! Fam is the one who's scared, isn't she?"
To retaliate, Samueim also raised the corners of her mouth and made a smile.
"I, I'm not scared at all! I've been with Sam for so long. No matter how big that chest gets, I know roughly where the nipples are! Besides, I've seen all sorts of chests with the Master up until now!"
"Then try to guess!"
Samueim thrust her chest out in front of Fam. At that moment, her chest wobbled with a pyon sound. Fam placed her index finger on her chin and observed that chest as if glaring intently. Overwhelmed by that serious gaze and the sheer embarrassment, Samueim regretted the rashness of her actions and the fact that she had said "cutting ties," but having made her declaration, she had no choice but to keep her chest out. Fam eventually stopped observing and thrust out the fingertips of both hands, taking a stance. At that pose, Samueim involuntarily held her breath.
"Here and here!"
Fam touched Samueim's chest. The chest that caught her fingertips deformed softly, and her fingers sank deep into it.
"Kyafun"
Samueim writhed and squatted down flat on the spot.
"I poked something useless again..."
Fam said that, blew on her fingertips, and then looked down at Samueim.
"Sam, I win. I want you to listen to one thing I say."
"W-what do you want me to do?"
Samueim covered her chest with her arms as if to hide it.
"Sam, please be my friend forever."
Fam lowered her head and held out her hand. Samueim could not answer; she just stared at Fam's hand. A thin, small hand. However, several hardened calluses had formed on the palm. Suddenly, Samueim's hand was grasped. Mami had taken it. And she placed it on top of Fam's hand. She gently wrapped them both with her own hands. A slightly cold sensation. However, from within, something warm began to flow gently into Samueim's body.
"...It's okay. We are the Muu Tribe. Friends forever."
"So, what does 'Muu Tribe' even mean? I hate that greeting. It's embarrassing to do it in front of everyone, isn't it!"
Samueim's voice was slightly nasal.
"...It's okay. Actually, I'm embarrassed too."
"Yes. That is really embarrassing."
Fam answered, caught up by Mami. The corners of Samueim's mouth were also curving into a smile.
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