The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3 Page 17
Fish gradually begin falling from my crotch, and the spectators scream at the sight!
“Wh-what the…?! She’s popping out babies!”
“I thought fish laid eggs when they gave birth!”
“Hold up. Why the hell is she giving birth during the trial?!”
“I think I’m gonna puke!”
What’s going on?! This is so embarrassing!!
But in spite of my embarrassment, countless fish continue falling from my crotch before swiftly squirming toward the undead! They latch onto his legs and, wasting no time, start chomping.
“Ahhhhhh?!”
He probably doesn’t feel any pain, since he’s undead. Regardless, his legs are quickly devoured as if he were in a pond full of piranhas. Taken aback, the general screams:
“Damn you, fish! Damn youuuuu!”
It isn’t long before his legs are completely gone, and he falls to the ground.
“He can’t move! He can’t fight anymore!”
“Did you see that?! She didn’t even get her hands dirty!”
“She won with the baby fish she popped out!”
The spectators then turn their gazes at me with expectant eyes.
Uh…?
I glance at Seiya, and he subtly nods back. So I…
“Uwohhhhhh!”
I raise my fists in the air, then unleash a cry of victory. I am showered with applause and cheers from the crowd.
And to tell the truth…it feels kind of good.
CHAPTER 20
The Fool’s Tower
I bob after Seiya as the crow beastkin guides him to the palace. Once we get close enough, I notice the palace is still in ruins from the Demon Lord army’s attack. We pass by beastkin equipped with armor at the gate and walk through an unkempt garden.
I used to live here when I was human…right?
I survey the garden overrun with weeds, but naturally, I can’t remember a thing. Even standing before the grand palace evokes nothing. Ishtar and Aria were so worried about me, so I was expecting that my soul would react and I would start crying my eyes out. Instead, I feel disappointed. At the same time, though, I’m relieved. If by some chance my memories did come back and I got sentimental, it would have interfered with the mission. I would have slowed Seiya down or gotten in the way.
I think that to myself as Seiya goes into the palace with the crow. Flustered, I try to hurry after him, but…
“Hey, you go this way.”
Before I realize it, a horse beastkin appears behind me and starts leading me by the arm.
Huh?! I’m not going to the palace?!
“Uwoh! Uwoh, uwoh!”
Fish-people can’t talk, so I start pointing back and forth between the palace and me. Realizing what I’m trying to gesture, the horse beastkin neighs before stating:
“Yes, you passed the test.”
“Uwoh!”
I nod as if to say, Of course I did!
“You are now a member of the Beast Emperor’s special unit.”
“Uwoh!”
“You’re strong.”
“Uwoh!”
“But…you smell. A lot.”
“Uwoh?!”
“Lord Grandleon hates stinky fish-people, so I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you in the palace.”
Hey…?! What the hell?!
“But still, you are a powerful warrior, and you passed the trial. Therefore, I have an important mission for you.”
The horse beastkin then points at a tower standing in the distance.
“That’s the Fool’s Tower. I want you to accompany me to the top.”
I walk into the tower and look straight up to find a spiral staircase swirling to the top. The tower is just as tall as it looked from the outside. I’m guessing it was originally used as a guard tower to protect the palace from invaders.
“You’re free to use this place as your home from now on.”
He guides me to a small room in the corner of the first floor. When I open the door, the first thing I notice is there’s enough space for one person to relax. There’s a desk, a chair, and a simple bed as well.
After that, the horse beastkin begins climbing the spiral staircase. He doesn’t talk, but I follow him. Unlike me, he has really good stamina due to being a beastkin, and my legs feel like two brittle twigs by the time we reach the top. The highest floor is nothing more than an open-air room with a handrail, but in the center is a wooden door to another square room. I’m guessing it’s somewhere the guards can rest while taking turns keeping watch. The horse beastkin takes a key out of his pocket, sticks it into the doorknob’s keyhole, and asks:
“Do you know why they call this the Fool’s Tower?”
“Uwoh?”
“Because there’s a fool here—a fool who feels no pain.”
When he opens the door, there’s an old woman crouching in the dim, narrow room. Her hands are shackled, and there’s an iron ball chained around her ankle. She’s dressed like a criminal, wearing only rags, but there’s a hint of dignity hidden behind her weary expression.
“This is the former queen of Termine Kingdom, Carmilla.”
Queen?! Sh-she’s still alive?! I figured they’d already killed the entire royal family!
…She might be younger than I thought, but she’s malnourished. Hanging over her wrinkles are locks of white hair. Queen Carmilla looks to be in her sixties to me.
“She is the only human in the palace who Lord Grandleon spared, annoyingly enough. I wish she’d just jump off the top of the tower and kill herself already.”
After listening to the horse’s complaints, the queen sputters:
“I will not kill myself. I am a priestess, after all.”
She’s emaciated, but judging by her words, her spirit is far from broken. Ignoring the horse beastkin, she shows me a pedestal where needles, searing irons, and other horrendous tools rest.
“We’ve tried every kind of torture, but nothing seems to hurt her.”
The horse then places a hand on my shoulder.
“Listen carefully. Your job is to hurt this woman. Once she shows pain, you let me know. I’m sure Lord Grandleon will be thrilled.”
I-I’m in charge of torture?! I can’t think of anything more revolting!
Oblivious to my internal struggle, the horse beastkin speaks with an amused tone.
“Just try whatever you can think of. But whatever you do, don’t kill her. And make sure to feed her once a day.”
After a quick explanation of my tasks, the horse beastkin turns on his heel, opens the door, and leaves. Only the former queen of Termine Kingdom and I, a fish-person, are left in the small room.
Th-this person…was my mother?!
I stare hard at her but still can’t remember a thing. The memories of the mind and soul are separate. It’s something I can’t remember no matter how hard I try.
“…What are you looking at, fish?”
That’s when I notice that the queen is staring at me with furrowed brows. She heavily drags herself over to me, even though she has an iron ball chained to her ankle.
“It looks like you want to say something to me.”
“U-uwoh!”
I shake my head, but the queen frowns even more.
“Oh my. You smell. You smell terrible. I see… So this is how you’re going to torture me.”
…?! No…!
“You can’t even speak. You just make noises. What a truly disgusting beastkin.”
The queen stares at me while pinching her nose.
“Come on. Stop standing there and bring me my food. I’m hungry.”
“Uwoh?”
F-food? Where is it? Uh…
Out of nowhere, she yells menacingly:
“It’s in your room on the first floor! Now hurry up, or I’m going to eat you!”
“Uwohhh?!”
I rush out of the room as if I was running away.
Sh-she’s tough! And that’s how she is even after being tortured! She’s completely diffe
rent from what I always pictured a mother to be!
After returning to the chamber I was assigned on the first floor, I notice a piece of bread on the desk.
This is all she gets? No wonder she’s hungry. I’m actually getting kind of hungry, too, now that I think about it…
I suddenly notice a basket with a cloth over it next to the bread.
Oh! This must be for me!
But when I remove the cloth, I gasp.
…It’s two blackened human arms.
Ahhhhhh! I can’t eat this! …Wait. Does this mean I have to go without food for the next few days?! B-but…
Disheartened, I take a seat on the bed and let out a deep sigh.
Sigh… I got split up from Seiya, to boot. I probably would have been better off waiting underground if I knew it was going to be this bad… Why did I have to be so stubborn? …P-pull yourself together, Rista! You’re a goddess, not a sloth! This is your chance to show that you’re useful to Seiya’s journey! Yeah! There are a lot of things I can do! …Like exploring the area and remembering where things are or searching for rare items on the ground!
But in mid-thought…
Plop.
A fish drops out of my crotch and onto the floor.
“Uwoh?!”
I’m taken aback, but the fish returns to sand and begins to scatter into letters.
I’m going to remind you just in case. Don’t do anything stupid. Just stay put.
…I stare at Seiya’s earth magic message, as if all the panic had been sucked out of me.
So he sent me this message because he thinks I’m going to mess things up, huh? Well, excuuuse me! Looks like you prepared for everything, huh?!
Before long, the message fades, and a new one appears.
Meet me in the palace garden today. That is all.
The sand packs back together, creating a fish…which jumps right up my leg!
“Ahhhhh!”
The bizarre sensation naturally causes me to scream.
O-oh crap! I’m glad no one else is here! B-but where did that fish disappear to? It didn’t go anywhere…weird, right?
I pat the area around my crotch as I search for it.
Plop.
Another fish falls to the floor.
Hey?! Why are there even more fish here?! Wh-what does this one want?!
The fish looks at me, then opens its mouth wide.
“Bleh.”
And out of nowhere, it spits up a fruit resembling an apple!
Huh? What in the world…? Ohhh! Seiya must have prepared this for me in case I was given food I couldn’t eat! I thank the cautious Hero for his thoughtfulness…
“Bleh.”
After seeing the fish then cough up a fruit resembling an orange, I roll my eyes.
W-was there nothing Seiya could have done about…the presentation?
Without wasting any time, the fish devours the basket of human arms to make it look like I ate them.
I grab the bread, head up the spiral staircase, and open the door to the room at the top of the tower.
“You sure took your time.”
The queen sounds irritated.
“U-uwoh…”
I promptly offer the queen the bread. Although she takes it with a dubious stare, she swiftly sinks her teeth into it, devouring it in seconds.
“Hmph. So what’s next? Going to start torturing me? Maybe stick some needles in my fingers? Or perhaps press an iron against my stomach? Either way…you’ll be wasting your time…for as you know, I don’t feel pain.”
The queen gives a cynical smirk. But hearing about the torture draws my eyes to her arm instead. Etched in her flesh are burns, cuts, and bruises. I can only imagine the countless scars hidden underneath her clothes. It’s heartbreaking.
She acts tough, but I wonder what awful things she must have gone through. Grandleon is wicked. Most people would probably wish they were dead rather than be tortured by him.
…I have no memories of when I was a human, but I feel sorry for the old woman in front of me. It’s my divine nature as a goddess reacting.
“Wh-what does this fish think it’s doing? Don’t tell me you’re sympathizing with me? A filthy beastkin like you?”
It appears I was unconsciously rubbing the queen’s hand. She knocks my arm away, then averts her gaze in a slightly awkward manner.
“…You’re one strange beastkin.”
I have a minor epiphany and pat my stomach a few times until a fish drops down from my crotch. But the queen backs away in astonishment.
“What is wrong with you?! Suddenly giving birth in front of me…?!”
“Bleh.”
But the fish on the floor regurgitates an orange, which I offer to the queen.
“Uwoh! Uwoh!”
“Y-you’re giving this to me? …Is this even edible…?”
I peel the orange and eat a slice to show her it isn’t poisonous before handing it back.
“Uwoh! Uwoh!”
After timidly eating the orange…
“…You really are one strange beastkin.”
The queen faintly smirks and lowers her guard. Her expression changes to that of a noble queen. But all of a sudden, there’s a scream that can be heard all the way at the top of the tall tower. The queen’s expression tenses, and I jump.
Wh-what was that? It sounded like someone screaming…!
The queen slowly approaches the barred window.
“Another execution…”
She speaks in an indifferent manner void of all emotion.
“Grandleon locked me in this room with a clear view of the execution stage. That monster is doing everything he can to drive me into a corner. He wants to break me.”
Queen Carmilla lets out a dry chuckle.
“But he’s wasting his time. All my tears have dried up.”
Night has fallen, so I head over to the palace garden just like Seiya told me to in the message. But when I arrive, there isn’t a soul in sight. I look around, but I don’t see a dog-type beastkin anywhere. Maybe I’m early? I walk over to the bushes in the corner of the garden when…
Whoosh! The ground suddenly gives way, and I fall into a pit.
“Uwohhh?!”
After falling to the ground, I glance up to find Seiya in human form looking down at me. We’re inside a cavern made with Cave Along.
“Good. You even screamed ‘uwoh’ when you fell. I’m impressed. You’re able to stay in character even when the unexpected happens.”
“Would it have killed you to be a little gentler?!”
After Seiya changes me back into a goddess, I ask:
“So…? How’s the mission coming along?”
“I investigated the palace between sparring sessions with the other beastkin, but the actual preparations start tomorrow. More importantly…”
Seiya casts a penetrating gaze at me.
“I hear there’s a high-profile criminal locked up in the tower you were assigned.”
What the…?! He heard about that already?!
Right before I confess that the prisoner is my mother…
“I don’t know who they are, and I don’t even want to know. But, Rista, listen to me. Do not get involved with them more than you need to. You could blow your cover. Anyway, just stay put.”
“Yeah, yeah. I read the message you sent me. I won’t do anything, so give it a rest already.”
“I have a little proverb for you: No news of Rista doing anything is good news. Keep that in mind.”
“You just added a few words to an existing proverb! I can’t believe you! How rude!”
“You’re like a child, so I have to repeat myself, or I’ll worry.”
Seiya then glares at me with distant eyes.
“Be that as it may, this is Grandleon’s lair. I don’t want to arouse any suspicion, so the next time we meet will be the last. Meet me again in three days. Same time, same place. I will proceed with the ritual with certainty and perfection until its final stage. Th
at is all.”
The conversation ends like a business meeting. After shape-shifting back into beastkin and sending the earth serpents back to the surface to scout, we separately return to the garden. After parting ways with Seiya, I go back to my room in the tower alone and lie down in bed.
Sigh… Seiya doesn’t seem to be worried about me one bit. Even in Gaeabrande he looked out for me a little, but… Ack! I have to stop thinking about it! I am a goddess and Seiya is the Hero I summoned! Nothing more, nothing less!
And just like that, I go to bed on a new note, only thinking about the success of the Hexagram Ritual of Retribution.
CHAPTER 21
The Treasonous Beast
The next day, the horse beastkin shows up at my room in the tower.
“Have you tried torturing her yet?”
“Uwoh.”
“So? How’d it go?”
“Uwohhh.”
The beastkin seems to understand when he sees my slouched shoulders.
“Don’t let it get to you. Nobody’s been able to make her suffer.”
After he leaves my room, I make my way to the top of the tower and head into Queen Carmilla’s cell. But when I offer her an apple, she quizzically tilts her head.
“…You’re not going to torture me today, either?”
“Uwoh!”
I put on a cheerful smile…or at least I try to. I have no idea if it actually looks like a smile, since I’m a fish-person.
“What could this fish possibly be scheming…?”
And yet, she bites into the apple before even checking for poison. She seems a lot more relaxed around me now compared to yesterday. As much as it aggravates me, I’m going to do as I was told and “stay put.” It would probably be in my best interest to just pretend I’m torturing the queen here until Seiya finishes the Hexagram Ritual of Retribution and defeats Grandleon.
“So, um…is there more?”
“Uwoh?”
“You know…more fruit?”
Hearing her bashfully ask makes me so happy, I pull out an orange and another apple from the shape-shifting fish’s mouth. But when I try to hand her the fruit…
“Uwoh?!”
I stumble over the chair leg and fall. To add insult to injury, I even hit my head on the table when I try to get back up.
“What are you doing? You’re quite the clumsy fish.”