Chapter 82. The Princess’s Revolt #2
【Pururu】─A Beastman appeared.
【Yumi】─Is a Beastman considered a monster?
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s ambiguous. Some Beastmen are called monsters, and others are called humans.
【Yumi】─I guess the criteria for being a monster isn’t very clear.
【Bubble Bubble】─Yeah. Even some people of our own race are sometimes called monsters.
【Bubble Bubble】─“Monster” isn’t a fixed term referring to a specific species. It’s just a temporary label humans use to distinguish beings that are different from themselves or hostile.
Is this what they mean by “when whales fight, the shrimp’s back gets broken”?
Caught between two opposing factions, the Beastman was trembling in place, unable to move forward or retreat.
“Hooeeeng…”
【Mysticism】─Is that a goat?
【Bubble Bubble】─It looks like a sheep. The horns look exactly like a sheep’s, and the fur is all fluffy.
【Mysticism】─🤔 Don’t sheep not have horns?
【Bubble Bubble】─Sheep in our world have them. I guess they don’t in your world.
【Yumi】─Sheep on Earth also have horns. Some don’t, but whether they have horns or not just depends on the breed.
It looked like a sheep Beastman to me as well.
Well, whether it was a goat or a sheep didn’t really matter.
I called out to the sheep Beastman, who was anxiously shifting around in front of me.
“Excuse me, Drifter.”
“M-Me?”
【Pururu】─Oh, so it was a Drifter?
【Bubble Bubble】─No wonder it seemed weak.
“It’s dangerous if you stay there, so come over here for now.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“I’m not going to kill you, so come over.”
“Then, are you going to eat me?”
【Pururu】─?? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
【Bubble Bubble】─That sheep’s crazy. What does it think Gauntlet is?
【Yumi】─That’s vulgar.
【Mysticism】─😠
【Rizenova】─Though, sheep meat is quite delicious.
It was like talking to a wall.
I sighed and glanced at Azeras.
“Azeras, knock her out and bring her here.”
“…Understood.”
Azeras nodded slightly, leaving an afterimage as she disappeared in an instant.
And in the blink of an eye, Azeras returned to her original position, holding the unconscious sheep Beastman.
The troublemaker was dealt with.
【Pururu】─She’s seriously so fast…
【Yumi】─Wow. Did she knock her out in that short amount of time?
【Bubble Bubble】─As expected of SS-class.
While this was happening, the Jellyfish Queen on the opposite side remained completely motionless, her calm face showing no reaction to the situation.
She must have understood the difference in power.
It seemed like she had realized that making a rash move would lead to their destruction.
Her judgment was as sharp as expected from someone who had killed ten other Jellyfish Queens and absorbed their power.
Our side’s Jellyfish glared fiercely at the Jellyfish Queen and took a step forward. Then, she slightly turned her head to look at me.
［Dad, Pururu forgot what you told me to say yesterday! What was it again?］
“They told you to say ‘You bastard.’”
［That’s right!］
Jellyfish turned her gaze forward again.
Then, in a voice that echoed so loud it seemed like it could tear through the air, she shouted.
［You bastard! I’m here to take the boss’s seat! Come at me!］
［……］
【Pururu】─Haha! Well done!!! That was satisfying!
【Yumi】─Please don’t teach her stuff like that.
The Jellyfish Queen, still silent, shot a quick glance at me before slowly opening her mouth.
［Explorer, it is forbidden for outsiders to interfere in a leader’s battle.］
“Don’t worry. We’re just here to watch.”
［…You had better keep that promise.］
【Pururu】─Her tone is so rude.
【Mysticism】─😠
***
Kinogine Arachne spun her threads into a cage-like shape around the Jellyfish Princess and the Jellyfish Queen.
It was to prevent others from getting involved in their fight, and also to stop the opposing Jellyfish from joining the battle, though that seemed unlikely.
Of course, it had been set up with the Jellyfish Queen’s consent.
Oh, and by the way, our side’s monsters could intervene at any time.
Arachne’s threads were set to not affect our allies—except for the Blood Jellyfish Princess.
［Hmm. Honestly, I wasn’t confident before coming here, but now that I’m actually facing her, I feel like I might be able to win!］
［How arrogant.］
Inside the thread cage.
The Jellyfish Princess and Queen faced each other.
［Doom-ba, doo-doom-ba!］
Between them, the Hedgehog Summoner was wiggling her hips.
【Bubble Bubble】─What is she doing?
【Pururu】─She’s the referee.
［Doom-ba.］
The Hedgehog, who had been dancing to the rhythm, suddenly stopped moving.
After looking back and forth between the Princess and the Queen, she shouted.
［Doom-ba! Doom-ba! Doom-ba! Fight!!!］
She bounced her hips three times, signaling the start of the battle.
With that signal, the Hedgehog Summoner quickly exited the thread cage, and at the same time, the Princess and Queen clashed.
The Princess made the first move.
Countless blood-red orbs rose around her and shot toward the Queen.
In response, the Queen generated explosive orbs that alternated between blue and black, countering the Princess’s attack.
*Boom!*
As the two spells collided, a massive explosion echoed, and a vivid purple light flashed.
For a moment, it felt like I would be blinded by the light.
The inside of the thread cage was filled with a storm of light.
Crimson, blue, and black lights blended together, creating a dazzling display.
The explosion, spreading outward, vanished as soon as it touched the boundary of the thread cage.
If it hadn’t been set up, the surrounding area would have been completely engulfed.
The Princess stretched out her hand.
In response, a stream of red blood slashed through the air and rushed forward.
The Queen quickly deployed a protective spell.
The blood struck the barrier and shattered into pieces.
The two then used levitation magic, flying into the air.
With speed magic added, their accelerated movements became almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes…
Explosive orbs continued to be generated and collided as the two fought on.
And by the time about forty minutes had passed, the Princess’s concentration wavered.
The Queen seized this moment of distraction and swiftly launched a black explosive orb she had been concealing behind her back.
The orb penetrated the Princess’s protective shield, and—
Her arm exploded.
【Yumi】─Gasp?!
【Pururu】─No!!
【Mysticism】─😱
Thankfully, the Princess immediately recovered.
She condensed the blood scattered from her arm’s explosion and formed a new one.
Although the Princess retaliated with more blood orbs, the power was significantly weaker, likely due to the injury she had just suffered.
On the other hand, the Queen’s attacks only grew fiercer as time passed.
The patterns created by her explosive orbs became more intricate, and soon, they took on a rainbow hue, increasing in power.
［…Father. I’ll go reinforce the thread cage.］
Arachne hurried over to the thread cage.
The thread barrier was beginning to melt under the force of the rainbow explosions.
‘At this rate, we’re going to lose…’
This wasn’t just a gap in experience.
‘…There’s a fundamental difference in skill level.’
Even though they were both SS-class, the Queen had reached a level beyond the Princess.
It seemed like there was no chance of winning.
Just as I was debating whether we should retreat—
*Swoosh.*
By pure chance, or perhaps sheer luck, one of the Princess’s explosions grazed the Queen’s face.
A small cut appeared on the Jellyfish Queen’s cheek, and a thin trickle of red blood began to flow from the crack.
The Princess’s eyes gleamed.
She smirked, her lips curling up as she saw the blood.
As if unwilling to let this stroke of luck pass, she reached out with trembling hands and shouted desperately.
［Die! You bastard!!!］
Her voice, like nails on a chalkboard, echoed off the walls of the cave.
At that moment.
*Gurgle, gurgle—*
［Wh-What…?!］
The Queen’s face began to twitch irregularly.
Her skin bulged and deflated repeatedly, distorting her entire face in a grotesque manner.
Soon enough, the blood within her face began to churn violently.
Her veins swelled as if they were about to burst, and her skin stretched as if it would tear.
Finally—
*Boom!*
With a horrifying explosion, the Queen’s face burst open.
The blood that splattered from her body instantly drenched the inside of the thread cage.
【Mysticism】─😰
【Pururu】─Uh… Did we win?
【Yumi】─I think so…? Her face exploded.
【Bubble Bubble】─Ah! The Princess can control any blood she can see, right?
【Rizenova】─So, as long as she inflicts even a small wound, it’s a guaranteed victory.
It was the Blood Jellyfish Princess’s victory.
［Doo-doom-ba!!! The winner is the Blood Jellyfish Princess!!!］
Following the Hedgehog’s declaration of victory, cheers erupted from our monsters.
But it wasn’t just us—
［Pii, Piiiii!］
［You’re amazing! Pii!!!］
［Piiii!!!］
The Jellyfish on the opposing side, who had been watching, also burst into cheers.
They seemed to have accepted the outcome of the fight.
They must have acknowledged the Princess as their new leader.
Or perhaps they were simply relieved to be freed from the tyrant.
***
After I showered the Princess with praise, I began taming the Jellyfish that had lined up before me.
So far, I had tamed ten Jellyfish.
“Alright, next.”
［Pii! Hello, Daddy!］
Since the Princess introduced me as “Daddy,” the other Jellyfish all started calling me that too.
Even though they hadn’t been tamed yet.
Anyway.
The discoloration of their spots was happening much faster than I expected.
It took about three minutes per Jellyfish.
Since there were a total of 125 Jellyfish…
I figured it would take around six hours and fifteen minutes to tame them all.
While I was busy taming the Jellyfish, the Necro Puppetmaster was fiddling with the Queen’s corpse.
Soon enough, he raised her as a puppet.
【Bubble Bubble】─Wow. He can even turn SS-class into a puppet?
The Jellyfish, who had witnessed the shocking scene, freaked out all at once.
［Pii?!］
［P-Pii…!］
Clearly unable to hide their panic, the Jellyfish became agitated.
To reassure them, I spoke up.
“Don’t worry, guys. This is a completely different being from the one who used to be your leader.”
［Pii? Really?］
［But she looks exactly the same…］
［Don’t doubt Daddy’s word!］
Only then did they start to relax, one by one.
Some of them, trusting in the Princess, even poked the puppet Queen’s head with their tentacles.
［S-She’s not getting angry! Pii!］
［Pii! It’s a fake! It wasn’t the real one! We don’t need to be afraid!］
［Whew… I was so scared…］
［See! Daddy doesn’t lie!］
［You’ve only just met Daddy, but why do you trust him so much, Pii.］
I chuckled at the Jellyfish’s antics and turned my gaze toward the unconscious sheep Beastman.
I wondered when she would wake up.
As I was thinking that, the sheep Beastman, who had been out cold, slowly lifted her eyelids and struggled to sit up.
“Uuumm… I definitely got brutally violated and died earlier… So, is this the afterlife…?”