Chapter 495: The Third Woman, Emi Rune 3

The Third Woman, Emi Rune 3

* * *

“Of course, it’s to protect this grassland!”

Shimegamamo, sitting upright, shouted, puffing out her chest.

“To eradicate dangerous monsters, thoroughly eliminate foreign plants, and eliminate intruders from the forbidden central area! For a thousand long years, our clan has maintained the Great Grassland of Beginnings in this way!”

She desperately appealed to her about her clan’s history and mission.

Sweat trickled down her cheek.

After all, to Shimegamamo, the girl before her is an unidentifiable, superior being.

Although she takes the form of a human, the power she possesses is on a completely different level, and through their short interaction, she has come to understand that her way of thinking is probably different from an ordinary human.

Currently, the superior being in front of her is generally being amicable, but she doesn’t know what will set her off.

If she displeases her, Shimegamamo would probably be easily slaughtered.

“The weight of this history is my pride, my everything! As the last woman of my clan! That’s how it has to be!”

But even so, even if there’s a chance of displeasing the superior being, Shimegamamo had to make her case here.

So she desperately spoke.

Her mouth is dry with nervousness, and she’s talking so frantically that she’s already forgotten half of what she just said, even though it was her own words.

“That’s why…!”

…At this point.

Shimegamamo’s voice, which had been flowing smoothly, stopped.

Her mouth is still moving, trying to say something, but—

Because.

She’s about to…

Tell a lie.

Her clan’s rules, their mission—

And Shimegamamo’s feelings.

Two conflicting thoughts clashed, the contradiction creating confusion, stopping her words.

“…That’s why… what?”

The superior being, who had been listening to her story, sitting cross-legged, her elbows on her knees, her chin resting on her hands, urged her on in a cold voice, her emotionless eyes on Shimegamamo.

Shimegamamo, intimidated by her gaze, goosebumps rising on her skin, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

Making up her mind—

“…That’s why… I have to go… and eliminate the intruders who have gone ahead… I have to kill them all.”

She said those words—slightly laced with lies.

“I was caught off guard earlier, but it won’t happen again. Please… please allow me… to leave this place.”

And then, continuing, she lowered her head deeply, prostrating herself.

* * *

The Great Grassland of Beginnings, which had been dyed orange, is now crimson.

The sun is about to sink below the horizon.

“……Hmm.”

Although it’s getting quite dark, Emi, with her good night vision, stared at Shimegamamo, who was still prostrating herself, without any particular concern about the dimness.

(Why did she lie?)

She wondered.

Emi may lack experience with humans, and isn’t particularly sensitive to the nuances of people’s hearts, but—

She had the discernment to see through the words which Shimegamamo uttered after hesitation and then averting her eyes.

And ironically for Shimegamamo, who wanted to be released from this place as soon as possible, that lie is what further piqued the interest of Emi and Extra-sama.

So Emi began to ponder, and Shimegamamo was forced to continue prostrating herself.

Her previous words included some disturbing phrases, like ‘kill them all’, but—

Emi also says and does things like that, so those words didn’t even faze her, with her worn-out sense of ethics.

(What is the lie?)

In the end, what they care about is the lie.

(Should I just ask her directly?)

She thought about it, but she lied because she doesn’t want to say it.

She wouldn’t tell them the truth, not willingly.

…In that case.

“Yeah… Fine.”

Emi, after thinking for a while, said that.

“Go ahead, fulfill your clan’s rules or whatever.”

Shimegamamo, hearing that, looked happy and raised her head with vigor.

“But—”

But Emi, still looking at Shimegamamo with her cold eyes, added—

“I’m coming too.”

“…No, you can’t!!”

Shimegamamo’s face contorted in anger at that offer.

“Even if it’s an order from the strong one, I can’t allow that! No one but my clan is allowed to go beyond this point!!”

And standing up, she put her hand on the large cleaver hanging from her waist.

“…You’re really going to do this? You’ll die, you know?”

Emi, still resting her chin on her hand, said to Shimegamamo, who had taken a fighting stance, releasing her killing intent.

She roughly grasped Shimegamamo’s strength, from their previous battle.

If they fight, Emi would definitely win.

Shimegamamo should know that too.

And yet—

“I can’t break the rules!!”

Shimegamamo won’t back down.

She continues to glare at Emi, without any fear.

“…………”

Emi is troubled.

It would be easy to kill Shimegamamo.

But then she won’t be able to find out what she’s trying to hide by lying.

Now, what to do…

Emi sighed softly.

…And it was at that moment!

“YUGYAAAAAAAHーーー!!!”

From beyond the horizon of the Great Grassland of Beginnings…

A mysterious scream was heard!

“Ah… Aah! What have you done… Brother-in-law! You… You’ve awakened… it!?”

The moment she heard that scream, Shimegamamo’s hostility towards Emi vanished.

She turned pale, looked towards the scream, and broke out in a cold sweat.

“‘It’…?”

What is ‘it’?

What she heard was a scream.

It’s a living creature, if it can scream.

And with a voice that loud…

It can’t be small.

Emi’s mind raced, and—

It instantly came up with the optimal solution she could take in this situation!

“Hey.”

Emi stood up and walked over to Shimegamamo.

“I’m coming too.”

And she repeated the same words as before.

“But…!?”

Shimegamamo was about to refuse, but—

“There’s something dangerous, ahead, right?”

Emi, not allowing her to speak, continued, and—

“I’ll lend you my strength.”

She proposed that.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“…No way!!”

But Shimegamamo refused that proposal.

The rules that her clan has been protecting, to protect the Great Grassland of Beginnings.

Compared to that, Shimegamamo’s life is as worthless as dust.

Even if she has to fight a hopeless battle, alone, against the powerful being sealed in the depths of the grassland.

She couldn’t accept Emi’s proposal.

But for a moment, she hesitated.

Because if Emi helps her…

…She might be able to protect what she truly wants to protect.

“So…”

Emi didn’t miss that hesitation!

This is it—one last push!

Convinced of that, Emi extended countless tentacles from her shoulders.

They gathered on her right hand, and created a super giant greatsword.

A jet-black greatsword, ridiculously huge, towering.

Emi swung the greatsword down towards the ground, casually.

ZUGAAAAAAAAAAN!!

With just that single, effortless swing—

The surrounding area is in a terrible state.

The earth gouged, blown away, creating a small valley.

Staring at Shimegamamo’s shocked face at the sudden act of destruction, Emi said—

“If you don’t listen to me… I’ll mess up this entire grassland.”

…!

A threat!

It’s a threat!!

“N-No way…!!”

Shimegamamo was so flustered that she had to hold her head in her hands for the first time.

She doesn’t see much value in her own life, so to put it simply, she doesn’t care if she’s threatened with death.

But it’s different when it comes to the Great Grassland of Beginnings.

This grassland is a precious land that her clan has continued to protect.

And this unidentifiable, girl-shaped something is saying ‘If you defy me, I’ll destroy it’!

To have the grassland destroyed… for the sake of protecting the rules that are meant to protect the grassland.

That’s putting the cart before the horse!

“A-Are you… a devil…?”

Shimegamamo, trembling, knelt down.

And she stared at the being before her.

She’s carrying a jet-black greatsword, too big to even recognize as a sword, on her shoulder.

Her jet-black robe is billowing in the wind.

And an unidentifiable, jet-black haze is constantly being emitted from the hem of that robe.

It’s an unidentifiable something.

“So, what are you going to do?”

That unidentifiable something asked, stroking Shimegamamo’s head with her free hand.

Shimegamamo…

She could no longer do anything… but nod, and accept its request.

“I… I understand…”

Shimegamamo replied in a weak voice.

The moment she said that, her heart was filled with the pain of breaking her clan’s rules.

But at the same time…

…With this, her wish might come true—

Hope and relief sprouted in her heart.

“Alright then.”

Emi, not caring about Shimegamamo’s complicated feelings, instantly dispersed the 【Black Greatsword】 she had created for the demonstration, and then rotated her shoulders around.

“Wha!?”

She lifted the kneeling, dumbfounded Shimegamamo into her arms.

And then, looking at the setting sun on the horizon, where the scream came from…

She swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth…

Grrrr, her stomach growled, and then—

“…Let’s go.”

She started running—faster than the wind blowing across the grassland!