Chapter 43 - [Special Chapter] The Muu Tribe's Vow (Muu Tribe Forever)
This is the final special chapter. We will return to the main story next time.
The area behind the mansion was a manicured fountain garden. Neatly trimmed trees stood in orderly rows. There were canals, and fountains spouted water into the air. The only reason it didn't seem beautiful was the massive flock of crows circling overhead and the giant, five-meter-tall cairn standing where a decorative folly should have been.
"…Let's go."
Marmie said the words, but she couldn't bring herself to move. The stares of the crows were terrifying. There were too many to drive away with a lightning spell.
"Are we going to that cairn?"
She nodded at Fam's question. The mana was flowing towards it. Fam took Marmie's hand.
"I'm scared, but since you're here, Marmie, I'll be okay. Let's go."
Fam started walking. Her hand was warm. It was enough to get Marmie moving as well.
"…Fam."
They walked along the stone-paved path. A man-made river flowed alongside it, lined with small fountains. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a beautiful sight, but now it was just unsettling. The gazes of the crows followed their every move.
"What is it?"
"…It's about your curse."
"You knew?"
Marmie nodded at Fam.
"…I can see the flow of mana. It's subsided for now, though."
"Yes. I plan to go to the church in Migul."
"…Do you have connections?"
"Yes."
Treatment at the church required a substantial donation. Could she actually be quite wealthy?
"…My family has a house in Migul. If you ever run into trouble, come visit."
"You're from Migul?"
"…I think you'll find it easily enough. We're pretty famous."
It seemed Fam didn't even know Marmie was a noble.
"Okay, I'll come see you when I get to the city. The bonds of the Muu tribe are strong."
"…Yeah. I'll be waiting."
The two nodded to each other.
"Marmie, do you know a dog-eared girl named Samueimu? She's the same age as me. We parted ways in Migul."
"…I don't. Migul is a big city. What kind of person is she?"
"Sam is my childhood friend. She's probably a slave now."
When Fam had visited Migul as a slave herself, Samueimu had been bought and taken away.
"…I see. I'll look for her."
"Huh? That's not why I told you."
"…It's fine. She's part of the Muu tribe, too."
Fam's face was etched with pain. She must have been a dear friend. Marmie felt a small pang of jealousy.
"Thank you."
Fam bowed her head deeply.
"…By the way, what kind of person is your master, Fam?"
"My master?"
Marmie nodded. Fam thought for a moment before she began to speak.
"He's a hard person to understand. He's very lewd. But maybe that's because, like me, he's scared of being alone. Sometimes he just goes quiet, waiting for a reaction. Sometimes I feel like he's acting cheerful even though he's afraid of people. He's cautious, but every now and then, he becomes incredibly bold. He can be naive about the world, but then he'll say something profound. Sometimes he says the most outlandish things to try and hide something. He treats me like a child, yet he treasures my words. And… he's a very kind person. That's what scares me the most, what makes me anxious and puts me in pain…"
Marmie had expected an answer like charismatic, a great leader, or a powerful swordsman or mage, but this was different. Fam perceived her master emotionally; she didn't seem to see him as a master at all. To put it bluntly, she was just gushing about her crush. But that was exactly what Marmie had wanted to hear. She found the 'lewd' part questionable, but it wasn't an unnatural relationship—just a bond that seemed dazzling, one she even envied. She thought to herself that Fam was just a young girl and her master was just some bland older guy, but she decided to keep that particular thought to herself.
"…Have you talked to him about Samueimu?"
Fam shook her head.
"If I did that, he would abandon his own duty. He's only going to Migul for my sake as it is."
What could this duty be? Were Fam and her companions on some kind of grave journey?
"…Wouldn't that be fine, though?"
"My master reached out and saved me when I was at my lowest point. So now it's my turn to lend him my strength. I want to see the things he's trying to see. But now… it feels like that role is being stolen from me."
"…I don't really get it. Is the 'second person' the one trying to take it?"
"The second person?" Fam repeated.
"…Right. The second person from last night."
"The second person from last night… last… night's… second…"
Fam's face turned a deep shade of crimson.
"W-w-wha-wh-why would you know about that?!"
Seeing Fam so utterly flustered, Marmie regretted saying anything.
"…The walls at that inn are thin."
They reached the foot of the cairn. The crows cawed raucously from time to time but didn't attack. More disturbingly, what they had thought was a pile of stones was actually a mound of large, coconut-like fruits. In some places, the fruits were crushed, leaking a foul-smelling juice.
"The smell is nauseating."
Fam pinched her nose.
"…I don't get it, so I'm just going to burn it."
It seemed mages really did want to burn everything. Fam felt a sudden urge to introduce her to the mage in her own party.
"…Hmph. Did you just think I'm some woman whose only skill is setting things on fire?"
"N-no, not at all… maybe a little."
"…You may not know it, but I passed the entrance exam for the magic academy next term with the top score. I am a child prodigy. Very well, I shall grant you the pleasure of watching me blast this cairn to smithereens with a super-sized lightning bolt."
Marmie raised her wand, her mana concentrating at its tip. At that moment, one of the fruits near the top of the pile broke loose and fell. It triggered a cascade, and other fruits began to tumble down.
"Something's coming out!" Fam shouted. Dozens of grassy vines slithered out, pushing through the pile of fruit.
"…I'll destroy it before it gets the chance!"
The bolt of lightning that shot from Marmie's wand streaked toward the cairn. With a deafening roar, the pile of fruit was obliterated. However, the countless vines that emerged from within were unharmed. They were coated in a transparent liquid that seemed to have deflected the lightning. The space around them distorted. Fam and Marmie now stood in an enclosed space with the plant monster. In front and behind them were sealed doors.
"It's an Area Guardian!"
Fam drew her short swords and took a stance.
"…We went too far ahead."
The plan had been to tackle the Area Guardian after meeting up with Wake. She had miscalculated. He and the others were probably still searching the mansion. She didn't regret sending him to search—she was certain he was alive. But in this space, the possibility of Wake coming to their rescue was gone. She stood beside Fam and raised her wand. The vine-plant grew at an astonishing rate. In its center, a giant, grotesque flower bloomed, releasing a noxious stench. The whole thing had to be over ten meters tall. Marmie launched a fire spell, trying to burn away the vines, but the liquid coating the plant prevented the heat from getting through. Several vines shot out, trying to entangle them. Fam swung her swords, attempting to sever them, but her blades couldn't get a purchase.
"[Kikuichimonji]!"
She thought a wave of vacuum might be able to cut through, but it was the same. The liquid deflected it. The vines began to wrap around their arms and legs. The liquid was slimy.
"Th-this is…!"
"…Fam, do you know what this is?"
"No, but it's a lewd one! We'll be in big trouble if we get caught!"
…Could this girl be an idiot? Marmie wondered, but she couldn't say such a thing to a proud member of the Muu tribe. They were cornered against a wall. A vine wrapped around Marmie's leg, immobilizing her. Then, a slimy tendril reached for her chest. Its tip grazed her nipple.
"Hk!"
A small sound escaped her lips. The vine then slithered down to her groin and coiled around it.
"…Th-this feels weird. But if I just shift a little…"
The vine touched a very pleasant spot.
"Ahn!"
She had never felt anything like it. She shifted her hips, rubbing against it. It felt a little… no, incredibly good. The sliminess was amazing.
"Marmie, what on earth are you doing?"
She came to her senses and saw Fam staring at her. Could this girl be an idiot? Fam wondered, but she couldn't say such a thing to a proud member of the Muu tribe.
"…Fam, the vines?"
"I'm managing to dodge them, somehow."
Fam was nimble. Just then, one of the vines slipped under Marmie's underwear, wriggling as if trying to enter her vagina. Marmie tried to push it away, but the slime made it impossible to stop.
"I was dodging them okay, but I slipped on the slime once and hit my head."
This was not the time for one of Fam's clumsy anecdotes.
"…Fam! Please! It's coming in! Stop it!"
"Which 'stop it' do you mean?"
"There's no 'which'! Stop means stop!"
The vine was already a little way in. Any further, and her chastity would be in peril.
"O-okay! I'll just cut it!"
Fam swung her sword. But the vine, protected by the slime, couldn't be cut. The vibration traveled down the vine and reached Marmie's vagina.
"M-my membrane is vibrating!"
"Are membranes really a thing?"
"I-I don't know! Fam, please, help me!"
"Okay, here I go again!"
Fam swung her sword once more. It still didn't cut. A vibration even more intense than the last shot through her.
"I-it's going to break! Please, hold on, my virginity!" Marmie screamed.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"That sword is made to conduct mana! Just cutting won't work! You have to channel your mana into it!"
"Channel my mana…?"
"You have to make it gush… no, that's not right, unify your spirit!"
Marmie was on the verge of a full-blown maiden's-crisis panic. In that moment, Fam recalled the image of the ideal swordsman she had seen in several battles. The beautiful slash that had severed the Goblin King's wrist. And the perfectly aimed strike at Hecatoncheir's neck. She had chased after that back, wanting to unleash such a slash herself. But that swordsman was chasing an even greater ideal. His swordplay was too bold, neglecting his footwork and losing his all-seeing eye. She could see the ideal he was reaching for. Fam lacked physical strength. But strength was only the fourth element. She didn't understand mana. But she knew she could cut this vine. Fam swung her sword. She severed the vine. Then she cut the vines binding Marmie.
"…Thanks."
But if you could have, I wish you'd helped me sooner. She moved her now-free limbs, adjusting her underwear. However, cutting a few vines hadn't changed their perilous situation. Even more vines now assaulted them.
"There's no end to them!"
Fam swung her sword wildly, cutting down the approaching vines.
"…If only I could hit it directly with lightning."
"In that case, how about this?"
Fam took out a kunai embedded with a magic seed.
"I'll stick this in that flower!"
"…I see."
Fam hurled the kunai at the flower. Just as she'd aimed, it pierced a petal. Marmie aimed her lightning at the kunai. A brilliant flash erupted, followed by a tremendous roar. Amidst the smell of burning, the monster dissolved into particles of light. They could finally catch their breath.
"…The Muu tribe is invincible."
Just as Marmie proudly declared their victory, the door at the far end of the room opened.
Beyond the door, a small, transparent stone floated in the air.
"…A crystal core. If we destroy this, the dungeon will collapse and we can go back."
It was the magic stone that formed and maintained the dungeon.
"Before we destroy the crystal core, let's celebrate today's hard-fought victory with the Muu tribe's victory ritual."
Fam had suddenly started saying something completely incomprehensible.
"…A Muu tribe ritual?"
Was that part of the lore she'd made up? Marmie tilted her head in confusion. Fam's tail was wagging at an incredible speed. It must be a fun ritual. Ignoring Marmie's reaction, Fam started taking off her shorts, and then, her underwear too.
"…Does she need to use the bathroom?"
Marmie wondered, staring at Fam's bare skin.
"Come on, you too, Marmie."
Urged on, Marmie, still confused, lifted her one-piece dress and took off her underwear. Being bare was embarrassing, but since Fam was too, she felt a little more at ease. There were Fam's plain white panties, and Marmie's white panties with a small tulip embroidered on them. Fam swapped her panties with Marmie's, and put on Marmie's pair. Marmie had no choice but to put on Fam's. A little of the slime from earlier still remained. I'll treasure these panties, Marmie thought, experiencing a strange excitement and sensation. I'll have Patricia embroider a tulip on them.
"The ritual is complete. Now, let's destroy the crystal core."
"…Huh?"
The sudden shift was too fast for Marmie to follow. Fam struck the crystal core, and the jewel shattered into pieces. The surrounding scenery began to warp. When they came to, they were standing in front of the mansion's gate. Patricia threw her arms around them. From inside the mansion, Wake and the other knights emerged.
And so, their adventure came to an end.
Thank you for reading. To everyone who has liked, bookmarked, or rated this story, thank you. It encourages me to keep going. I'll do my best. And thank you for pointing out typos, it's a huge help.