Astarte’s Knight Chapter 3

“I made otou-sama angry…”

The next day.
Beside me, Astarte complained with teary eyes.
A huge b.u.mp appeared on her head.

Afterwards, Astarte was taken back to the castle’s upper level by Sebastian.
It seems what awaited afterwards was a severe scolding and a sermon.

But in the end she still came here.
This child didn’t reflect.

“Vah…(Don’t mind)”
“What? Are you conforting me?”
“Ah…(I guess)”
“Un! Thank you.”

Within the daily communication between me and Astarte, it’s a miracle that conversation is established for a short while.
And consequently, her honorifics disappeared.
It’s natural that I can understand Astarte’s speech, but the reverse is amazing.
Of course, complicated conversations are impossible.

What is possible at the very most is an ordinary exchange between kindergarten children.
It seems she’s able to interpret my speech and read my emotions based on my actions and speech in past situations.
This isn’t just my self satisfaction, but it’s amazing for her to have a good likelihood of guessing it right.
To read emotions from my eyeball-less, nose-less, and tooth-less face.

In reality, doesn’t this child have a fairly good mind?

“Gah…(Is it alright for you to come today?)”
“Today? Otou-sama isn’t in the castle today. So it’s okay.”

Not here? What is this.
“Otou-sama” should be speaking of that old man though.

Well looking at it from the standpoint of his health and mind, it probably isn’t good secluding himself in this castle all the time.
The typical standard is gloomy, and the floors and walls are rugged.
Beyond being a castle, I think it’s design looks like a dungeon from a RPG game.

Staying in such a place for long makes you depressed.
Anyone would become like that. Even I became like that.
Rather, I think Astarte should go outside more often.
Wait, why isn’t the old man here?

“I don’t really understand, but it seems great people are made to “kon-veen-“”

Kon-veen-?
It should be “convene”.
No matter which way, it was a talk I couldn’t understand the point of.
There’s no feeling of my image that such inhuman creatures are living wildly and freely, but do demons have things like cla.s.s and society?
I imagine myself lowering my head with a “pekopeko” (*bow*) like an ordinary company employee when the old man pa.s.ses by.

U~n…it’s somewhat unpleasant.
It’s a request for my convenience, but I wish monsters would behave like monsters.
I don’t want to see such worthless giving and taking in such a world.

But there no meaning to imagining anything.
In the first place, I have no means of checking the world outside this castle. I have no interest too.

“But because of this, he said today is very dangerous.”

Dangerous?
In what way is something dangerous?
In such a creature covered monster house.

“Usually Otou-sama is in this castle so there’s a magic barrier. Thanks to that bad people can’t enter.”

“Bad people”?
Haha.
What on earth is this child saying with these demon-like guys and monsters running rampant in the castle.
No matter how I see it, shouldn’t your side be the bad guys.

I would snort if my nose was like a human’s, but unfortunately my current nose is degenerate, and it doesn’t have the function of respiration.
Or rather I don’t need respiration itself for life activity.

Why am I living right now.
Don’t I feel the mysteries of life?
Even though I’m a corpse.

“But because Otou-sama isn’t here today, the strength of the barrier is weakened quite a bit. So getting attacked today is quite dangerous. But it’s okay because Sebastian and everyone in the castle is here.”

Fumu.
Speaking of which, a “castle” normally has the function of repelling enemies outside. So there’s obviously non-human “enemies” for me and these guys.
Just what monsters are they.

At that moment, an ear-splitting sound resounded in my head.

“Intruder Warning! Intruder Warning!”
“All of the castle’s soldiers should eliminate them!”

What is this.
It’s directly resounding in my head.
Intruders?

“Intruders! It can’t be!”

Astarte opened both her eyes in surprise.
And she muttered with a sigh.

“The humans have come”

Humans?
I inquired about Astarte’s words.

“Humans have stepped inside the castle…”

1 of h.e.l.l’s castles, Astarte Castle’s first floor.
In the corridor, there were the footsteps of two humans.
One is a plump man, and another is a giant with a fearless-looking moustache.

“O-,oi! is it really okay?”
“It’s okay.”

The other man replied to the fl.u.s.tered plump man.

“If the information I obtained is right, the castle lord isn’t in the castle today. The fact we trespa.s.sed successfully without getting turned into cinders by the magic barrier is proof. Let’s take this chance to kidnap that guy’s daughter.”

The moustache man’s mouth corners raised into a broad grin because he was satisfied that the operation is going according to plan.

“But hey…what will we do if we are caught by those guys?”
“Haa?”

The other man already seized the collar of the plump man who vomited timid words.

“Hii-!?”
“Valuing your life? In any case, unless this goes successfully, we are nothing but sc.u.m who can only die a dog’s death. It’s too late to be scared of these monsters’ bulls.h.i.t.”
“…O-,ou.”

The plump man was speechless at the moustache man’s cold, but on- point words.
His hands released the man’s collar slightly.

“I need gold…gold to just raise my family…”

Those words weren’t for the plump man.
He was speaking to himself.
The man muttered with a grumble as if instructing himself.

“You’re also the same right?”
“A-,ahh..”
“Then stop being scared. Pull yourself together.”

The man got up and the plump man clapped with a “pan”.

“Y-,you. You should have came back from a battlefield. I’m depending on you…”
“I grew accustomed to killing humans, but I don’t know monsters very well. Don’t rely on me, go protect your own body by yourself.”
“Ahh…u-,understood…”

This moustache man is a human who returned from a battlefield.
A man who unhesitantly chose a road avoiding his fears.
Honestly, it was scary covered all over with wounds, and his character was quite wild.

He strongly wanted to return.

That’s what the man thought.
But right now, there’s no reason to talk about this man, as it’s the time to start quietly walking ahead.

“Gugyaa…”
“っ!!”

A beast-like growl. Hearing this, the moustache man drew out a saber from his scabbard.

“Wh-,what is it.”
“Don’t you understand idiot? It’s the enemy. Prepare yourself.”
“Hii-…”

Saying this, the plump man prepared a weapon for the first time.
A battle axe with a length of around half his height.
It was an eye-catching object, but the wielder’s lack of self-confidence is apparent and you can only imagine being killed by the weapon’s looks alone.

To be blunt, it’s just a weapon he bought with his parent’s money because he thought it looked cool.
As it is, there were quite a few people who thought he is a plump man of valor after looking at the large build he’s rich in counterbalanced with the expensive weapon, but neither his outer appearance nor the fearful look he’s giving has any effect on the monsters.
(TL: sentence fixed, thanks forgetfuldreamer!)

Before long, the true colors of the growling noise appeared a few meters ahead in the darkness.
It wasn’t just one.
5 bodies, 8 bodies, no, it was even more.

“Gruuu…!!”
“Gahh…!!”

What appeared were undead of the human figure variety.
Their whole body is decayed and they’re completely covered by sticky slime-like bodily fluids .
They slowly approached, walking like carnivorous four-footed beasts.

“Ghouls?”

It was his first time meeting them directly, but the moustache man saw through their true colours immediately.

(A low-grade corpse eating demon who reacts to living humans and attacks them. Though they normally are dull and lazy things, they only get serious when eating humans. These guys don’t have intelligence. It doesn’t feel like a crime killing any amount of them.)

“Gahhhhhh!!!”
“Hii!”
“Step aside!”

Zashuu. (*slash*)

The moustache man kicked the plump man away, and cut down the ghoul trying to eat him.
The vigorously lopped off head drew a parabola, and rolled over to the plump man’s feet with an unpleasant sound of “Gachari” (*click*).

“Hiii!!”
“Don’t be scared of a ghoul, Pig! You should know this!”

Saying this, the moustache man lopped off the weak points of the attacking ghouls, their head, in a flash again and again.
And then he shouted.

“Search for the staircase first! The castle lord’s daughter should be on a higher level!”