Death March — Fixed

POV: Tama

Meat?

Meat is tasty.

Always tasty steak of Wolf meat.

Stir fried vegetables with chicken meat, more meat.

I want to eat grilled Giant Frogs again!

What’s tooooday’s meal, I won-der.

--Nyu?

Today’s meal?

Ah!

I think I understand Liza’s worry, maybe.

As it is, noon will pass, while master is still away?

Uuu.

At that time, if I didn’t use scissors for rock-paper-scissors, I could have gone together--

Aah, today’s lunch is.

Wolf meat. Lulu made, best cook!

 

POV: Nana

The reasoning circuit reports that the probability of completing the mission has reached 100%.

On the command queue, there is no next directive given by master.

Let’s go back to the normal routine.

Self-Diagnostic--. No problems. There is no need for MP supplement--there should be no need to, but master’s face floats up in my mind.

I wonder what is causing this loop in my logic circuit.

It’s alright.

It has been demonstrated that if I observe Pochi or Tama when this happens, the loop will self-terminate.

Tama is rolling around while watching Lulu’s cooking.

She’s very cute.

Is this cat-rolling?

There does not appear to be adequate vocabulary in my preset language database.

Upon completion of delighting myself observing the cuteness of Tama, the illogical logic loop has terminated, activating next sequence.

Diagnosing individuals of cluster--

Mother is stable.

There are no anomalies occurring with Lulu, who is currently cooking.

Tama is cute--cute--cute--error.

Visual circuit shutting down to prevent error…Restarting.

Cuteness resistances increased.

Resuming diagnosis of cluster--

Tama is cute.

Liza is-- Error.

Liza appears to have reached and possibly surpassed safe stress thresholds after separation from master.

This stress has been caused by *Unknown Entities* called nobles. These *Unknown Entities* were priority Elimination Targets for the previous master as well. I’ve never seen one, but it has been deduced that *Unknown Entities* are similar to Monsters.

However, according to reports from my logic circuit, the chance of master falling is 0%. He is the master who won a complete victory against the strongest iron golem of the maze, in the blink of an eye.

Even if master were to be confronted by an army, master would return victorious.

I cannot comprehend the source of Liza’s stress--but calculating a solution is simple.

“Liza, go to where master is.”

“But then, I will be going against master’s orders.”

“No. Master’s instructions are: ‘Give work to the villagers’, ‘Collect 100 red stones’, and ‘We do not collect the stones ourselves’. Only these three components. After acquiring the villager’s cooperation, mission completion is assured. No problems will occur even if Liza goes to master’s location.”

“However, the wagon’s guard--”

“What master wants to protect at all costs is not the wagon, but Lulu. I will assure Lulu’s safety--bring Mia and Tama with you to aid master.”

Liza hesitates a bit longer, but then she leaves for the city, riding the horses alongside Tama and Mia.

I go to support Lulu.

I am Nana. The seventh generation Homunculus, cultivated in the seventh adjustment tank.

Cooking, sleeping together, shopping, inspecting workshops.

Inside the libraries of the previous generations, there are no experiences this varied.

I wonder what kind of experiences I will have under master from now on.

That is, yes, I’m truly looking forward to it.

 

POV: Tama

“Tama, Mia, let’s go to where master is. Prepare in 30 seconds.”

“Nn.”

“Aye” I respond to Liza.

Yay, we are going to see master.

The horses are spirited too.

It looks like the horses want to see master too.

 

I put the saddle on the horse.

I’m already used to is, hum.

“Tama, the girdle is loose. You’d fall.”

Liza’s check is harsh as always.

 

POV: Liza

I lead Tama and Mia as we leave the village.

If Nana didn’t push me, I would probably still be staying in the village and feeling irritated. I have to thank her somehow next time.

Of course I know that master is strong.

He lead the three of us, who were nothing but a drag on him, through a series of battles inside the labyrinth. He even taught us how to fight Monsters.

However, nobles are different.

They’re not enemies that can be fought with purely with simple power. Even my father, who was the strongest in my race, got deceived by nobles and was forced into slavery--even regardless of all of his accumulated techniques.

“Liza?”

“Ahead.”

After hearing Tama’s and Mia’s voices voices, I pull myself together.

There are ten cavalry soldiers a small distance from the entrance to the village. They’re not wearing full body armour like a normal knight, they’re wearing breastplates and helmets like Tama and I.

But, their armour and clothing is much too uniform, and their disciple is good too.

I wonder if they’re with the army?

They are in the way.

 

POV: Mia

“Let’s force our way through.”

“Nn.” I nod to Liza’s words, but isn’t it impossible? It’s impossible right? There are so many of those cavalry. What should we do? What should I do?

It seems that Liza intends to break through the soldiers to the forest, but won’t they be able to knock the horses down? They’re going to get pushed down right, I should move them aside, I guess?

That’s right! There should be a way to repel them. It’s the one from when I played with Magic with Arisa--

 

“*** ***, Water Cast!”

“*** * *, Balloon!”

 

Thanks to my smooth-talking practice with Tek, it feels that my chanting has become neat. It’s become neat, right?

I create belts of water from the water in the water bags strapped to the horse’s saddles, and stretch them out towards the Soldiers. I make the Magic, that looks like it’s chasing something, Evaporate.

The Soldiers’ route shifts slightly, since something invisible is pressuring them.

Did it work? It worked!

Arisa is amazing for arranging something like this, just for the sake of drying her wet hair. But, this spell for drying wet hair is a secret from Tek, alright? It’s a secret. I mean, I really like it when he dries my hair with a towel.

“Liza, now.”

“Understood! I’ll break through the column.”

I apologize briefly to the Soldiers as Liza is breaking through.

But, what should I do? The cavalry are chasing us from behind. Are they angry from being pushed? They’re angry right.

Jeez! Please don’t chase us with such scary faces!

 

POV: Karina

<Karina, it seems that the Zombies have appeared in front of us.>

“My, they’re in this forest, so close to the city’s wall, I’m surprised.”

<Hmm, the Demon is most likely planning something.>

‘There is no need to worry, o small one. They’re no different from fallen leaves in front of us. Trampling them down is easy’

My conversation with Raka is replied to by the head of the Wood Giants: Ishizuchi. I’ve asked him what his name is, but it’s really, really long. It’s rude, and it looks like he’d hit me, if I shorten it. So, we decided on me calling him by the nickname: ‘Ishizuchi’.

He speaks in a very deep, low voice, which causes my stomach to vibrate--which feels weird.

I’ve never heard their language before, but thanks to Raka, I can hear every word in the Shiga language.

Raka is really great.

Raka and I are riding on Ishizuchi’s shoulder. It’s almost like I’ve become a child, it’s fun. Sir Zotor is riding on another giant’s shoulder. Apparently, they never let people ride on both their shoulders at the same time, because they wouldn’t be able to recover if they lost their balance.

This is the first time I have seen anything like Zombies--they are sickening things.

Ishizuchi and the other wood giants easily eliminate them by trampling, as if they’re merely ants.

Huh?

When I look closer, aren’t those Zombies wearing the armour from my Dad’s army?

I wonder why, but Ishizuchi, who should seem reliable now suddenly looks hateful.

Ah, why do I raise my arm.

And then, towards Ishizuchi, who should be my ally, from the side--my fist is--

 

POV: Mia

“Coming ahead.”

Is there anything in front, where Tama is pointing? Eeh, you’re lying, lying, a lot of people are running along the road as though trying to clog it? No, not that, they’re escaping.

What should I do? What should be done? Swelling is no good, no good I say. If I use that Magic, some people will get hurt right? They absolutely will.

Is there nothing? There should be something. That’s right, I should ask for help from the forest, it’s a small forest, but Lia has said that we’re connected to the forest, that’s right, Raya has also said that.

Then, let’s ask it immediately? No, Lia also said some other things. ‘You can’t ask for help from the forest until after you’ve become an adult and have learn forest Magic alright? You’d get your Magic Power sucked dry by the gluttonous Dryad, you know?’

That’s right, I’m sure she said that. Ah, but, we’re going to clash like this, Liza will surely go straight at them. That girl would do anything in order to meet Tek.

There’s no time is there? There is no time.

“O forest, please!” I ask as hard as possible.

I don’t want to have my Magic Power sucked dry, but I’ll ask Tek to supply me with more, like with…Nana. Hehehe--I want him to touch me like that. I do! But it needs to be at night, right? Right?

‘I’ll comply, you can leave the price for later, little Bornean’ A childish voice is heard from the trees, and a road appeared between the trees, beside the crowd.

“Liza, forest.”

With just that, Liza changes her course towards the forest road. She’s turned. She earnestly believes my words.

Now, let’s go meet Tek!