Chapter 72
Chapter 72: The Fool Tower
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Seiya and I followed the crow beast man . He was heading to the royal palace .
When I approached the restricted area, I noticed that the Tarmine’s royal palace was in ruins . It probably became this damaged because of the previous war between humans and the Demon King’s army . We walked past the gates guarded by armored beast men, and then we arrived at the royal garden in front of the ruined palace .
…Did I live here when I was a…human being?
I looked closely at the unkempt garden that was no longer beautiful . Everything was devastated and wild weeds grew everywhere . But, I didn’t remember anything about this place . I stood in front of a huge royal palace that was probably my previous home . Yet, I didn’t feel any emotion or attachment for this place .
The Great Goddess Isister and Aria were extremely worried about me . They feared that my soul would react incessantly when I arrived to this place . They believed that unwanted emotions would cloud my judgment . Nonetheless, I felt relieved that none of that happened to me so far . It would be troublesome if my memory returned and I became overly emotional . If that happened, I would be a hindrance to Seiya’s strategical plans .
While I was engrossed by those thoughts, Seiya followed the crow beast man and entered the royal palace . When I tried to follow them hurryingly…
「Hey . You come this way . 」
「…Glu? 」
Before I knew it, a horse beast man pulled my arm .
…Eh!? I wasn’t supposed to enter the royal palace as well!?
「Glu! Glu, glu, glu! 」
As fish-men cannot talk, I tried to gesture with my fishy hands while pointing to the royal palace and to myself alternatively . The horse beast man noticed that I tried to speak with him . When he saw my intentions, he explained the following .
「You certainly passed the enlistment test . 」
「Glu! 」
I thought “Yes!”, so I nodded in agreement .
「You are now a member of the Beast Emperor’s party . 」
「Glu! 」
「You are strong . 」
「Glu! 」
「But, you are…a stinky fish . 」
「Glu!? 」
「His Majesty the Grand Lion hates fish-men . It’s unfortunate, but I can’t let you enter the royal palace . 」
Wait!! What the hell was that supposed to mean!!
「Even so, you are a strong beast man that passed the enlistment test . So, I will give you an important task . 」
And then, the horse beast man pointed to the tower that stood far away from the royal palace .
「That’s the “Fool Tower” . I’ll be taking you to the top of that high place . 」
—
When we entered the ground floor of the high tower, I noticed that a long spiral staircase continued until the top . It was a very tall tower by the looks of it . I wondered if it was originally a watchtower to protect the Tarmine’s royal palace from external enemies .
「You can make this place your new home . 」
He introduced me to a small room at the end of the first floor . When he opened the door for me, I saw that this room had enough space for one person to relax . There were also desks, chairs, and a bed inside of this room .
After that, the horse beast man began to climb up the long spiral staircase . I followed the horse beast man silently through the stairs . As expected of a strong beast man like himself . He walked up without stopping . He sure did have a strong physical strength . When my legs started to become dumb after climbing that insane amount of stairs, the spiral staircase came to an end at the top of the tower .
There was nothing at the top of the tower, except for a wooden door at the center . I wondered if this place was my supposed task . It looked as if they were guarding something inside . Maybe I would have to keep watch and make turns with other watch beast men . The horse beast man pulled a key from his pocket and asked me while he tried to open the door .
「Do you know why we call this tower the “Fool Tower”? 」
「Glu? 」
「Because there is a fool living in here . A fool without pain . 」
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When the door opened, I saw an old woman sitting in a dimly lit, narrow room . She had handcuffs on her wrists and iron balls were chained on her feet . She was dressed like a sinner because of her rag cloth . Yet, she had a slight dignified expression on her tired-looking face .
「This is Carmilla, the Queen of the old Tarmine Kingdom . 」
My eyes became widely open when I heard the words of the horse beast man .
The Queen!? She…She was alive!! I thought that everyone from the royal family was murdered!!
…I thought that she would be much younger . Still, she was very thin, her face was full of wrinkles, and she had a lot of grey hair . Queen Carmilla looked like an old woman in her sixties .
「This Queen is the only human of the royal palace that it’s currently alive . His Majesty the Grand Lion spared her life temporarily . But, this is bothersome . I’ll be thankful if she decided to jump from the tower to commit suicide . 」
The Queen, who heard the whispering of the horse beast man, told him arrogantly .
「I will not commit suicide . I am a priestess who values life . 」
Her voice trembled, but I could feel a strong spirit in her words . The horse beast man showed me a table on the corner of the room . There were various strange tools such as needles and grilles lined up on that table .
「I’ve been doing all sorts of torture . But, this woman doesn’t feel any pain . 」
Then, he put his hands on my shoulders .
「Listen . Your job is to hurt this woman . 」
「…Glu? 」
「Call me if she shows a little pain . His Majesty the Grand Lion will surely be delighted . 」
What…Was I instructed to be a torture instigator!? What a horrible job this turned out to be…
The horse beast man spoke happily without knowing that my heart was conflicted .
「Well, you can do many things to her if you want . But, don’t kill her . And remember, she has to eat once a day . 」
After a brief explanation, the horse beast man opened the door and left the room .
Now what? In this narrow space, only the fish-man and the Queen of the Tarmine Kingdom were left behind .
…This…This person was the mother of my previous human self…!?
I was staring fixedly at her, but I couldn’t remember anything at all . The memory of a soul was quite different from the memory of a brain . Nothing came to my mind no matter how much I tried to remember .
「…What are you looking at, you filthy fish . 」
Suddenly, I noticed that the Queen was looking at me with wrinkles between her eyes . The iron balls chained her legs . Nonetheless, she approached me by crawling on the floor .
「Do you have something to say? 」
「Ugh…Glu, glu! 」
I shook my head continuously . The Queen frowned .
「Ah, this fish stinks . Really, this fish stinks so badly . I see, so this is a new type of torture . 」
No!! It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this!!
「You can’t speak any words other than “glu glu” . You’re a very creepy and smelly beast . 」
The Queen pinched her nose and continued to talk .
「C’mon . Don’t keep staring at me like that and bring me some food . I’m hungry . 」
「Glu? 」
Fo…Food? Where could I get that? Let’s see…
Then, she yelled at me by using an unfriendly tone .
「My food was placed in your room on the first floor! Quickly! I’m going to eat you if you don’t hurry up!」
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「Gluuuu!? 」
I tried to run away and jumped out of the Queen’s room .
…What a strong-willed person…! She had been tortured, and still, she had the courage to show that kind of attitude…! My mother was totally different than what I imagined her to be…!
—
When I returned to my assigned room on the first floor, I saw that they placed a loaf of bread on the top of my newly desk .
So, she only ate one piece of this a day . No wonder that she looked frail and was starving badly . By the way, I was starting to feel a bit hungry as well…
Then, I noticed a basket covered with a dust cloth right next to the bread .
Ah! This was probably my food!
But, after I took the cloth, I became speechless .
…It was two grilled arms of a human being .
*screams on her mind* How could I eat such a gruesome thing!! …Does that mean that…Ehhh…I won’t be able to eat any food for a while!? Oh no…
I sat down in the bed feeling quite discouraged . I took a big sigh .
Ah…I even got separated from Seiya . Wouldn’t it have been better for me if I waited quietly inside of the Cave Along? …No…No! I mustn’t have these sorts of thoughts! I am a goddess! This was the right time to show that I’m worthy! I must become a reliable comrade in a tough adventure like this one! That’s right! I could do many things as well! For example, try to learn about a secret path without putting our lives at risk, or try to look for rare items that could be useful for Seiya…!
While I thought deeply about my role, suddenly…
*boing*
A fish fell to the floor from my crotch .
「Glu!? 」
Astonishingly, the fish transformed into sand and began to draw some letters on the floor .
『I’ll say this just in case . Don’t think too much . You don’t have to do anything . 』
…I was looking at Seiya’s “Earth Magic Message” on the floor . He was cold-hearted as always .
This…This message was a warning! He was trying to prevent me from bringing any unnecessary trouble…Okay! Okay! I got it! Ah, that’s right! I see! So, this was another preparation from his meticulous plan!
Eventually, the letters disappeared, and a new message was written on the floor .
『Come to the royal garden in the evening . That’s all . 』
All of the scattering sand became one again and transformed back into a fish . That thing jumped to my legs abruptly and crawled vigorously to my crotch!
*screams*
I shouted without thinking after feeling that weird sensation .
Da…Dangerous! Thank goodness that no one was nearby! But…But, where on earth did that fish go? It wouldn’t have entered a strange place, would it…?
I tried to look for it under my crouch, thinking “where is it?” . Suddenly…
*boing*
A new fish fell down .
Ahhhh!? Another one came out from my crouch!? What…What did he want this time!?
Then, the fish looked at me and opened his mouth extremely wide .
「Gee . 」
That fish vomited an apple-like fruit from his mouth!
…Ah? What’s this…Eh, I see! Seiya prepared food in advance! He anticipated that we wouldn’t be able to eat properly while we were disguised as beast men!
I felt a little bit grateful for the thoughtfulness of my cautious hero…
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「Gee . 」
Then, the weird fish vomited an orange-like fruit and stared at me with his creepy white eyes .
…This…This fish…I wondered why he looked at me like that…Did he want something…?
…On this moment, that fish formed a human arm and made me eat that fruit forcibly .
—
I grabbed the bread and went to the spiral staircase . When I arrived at the top of the tower, I opened the door of the Queen’s room .
「It took you a long time . 」
The Queen spoke to me with an irritating tone .
「…Glu… 」
I immediately offered the bread to the Queen . She received it gladly and took a bite immediately . After a brief contentment, she spoke in a strict manner once again .
「Hmm . So, what are you planning to do? Are you going to torture me now? Are you going to stick a needle on my fingers? Or are you going to press a burning mark on my belly? …Well, I should tell you that everything you’ll do will be useless against me . You heard it, right? I don’t feel any pain . 」
The Queen had a sarcastic smile on her face . After she said those words, I looked closely at her arms .
Burn marks . Cuts . She was full of bruises . My heart hurt after imagining the countless wounds that she might have under her clothes due to the repeated series of torture .
She looked strong spirited . But, I wondered how much she had to endure until now . The Grand Lion was a vicious and evil being . If it were a normal person, I’m sure that they would beg for their own death… Choosing death would seem to be a better choice than enduring this endless horrible torture .
…I had no memory of my life as a human being . However, I felt pathetic after seeing how cruelly this old woman was treated . My divinity as a goddess was reacting badly .
Before I noticed it, I began to stroke the Queen’s hand .
「Wha…What’s wrong with this fish . 」
「Glu… 」
「No way, are you feeling sorry for me? You filthy beast . 」
When the Queen pushed my arm away from her, she looked awkwardly at me .
「…What a strange beast you are . 」
I had I weird sensation on my body afterwards . I hit the lower half of my stomach when the rummage increased .
On that occasion, a fish fell from my crouch, and the Queen stepped back hurryingly with an alarmed look .
「Hey, you!! What are you doing!? You gave birth to a fish all of a sudden!! 」
But, the fish that fell on the floor…
「Gee . 」
It vomited an orange . I gave it to the Queen .
「Glu, glu! 」
「Are you giving that to me? …But, is that thing…edible… 」
I peeled the orange straightaway . Then, I ate a little piece to show her that it wasn’t poisonous . After showing that it was safe, I gave it to the Queen .
「Glu! Glu, glu! 」
After she ate that orange, she said…
「…You really are a strange beast . 」
The Queen laughed a little bit . Her smiling face was truly gracious . How noble and kind she must have been from her tenure as Queen of this former Kingdom .
But, right on this moment . The Queen lost her smile and hardened her face when we heard a crying scream . That ominous sound reached the top of the tower, and my body trembled without stopping .
…What was that just now? It sounded like a human scream…!
The Queen slowly approached the window covered with an iron grid .
「Another human execution . 」
She spoke with a calm voice without showing much emotion .
「The Grand Lion locked me on this tower because the execution ground was visible from this room . Seeing others die before my eyes, and hurting me . That monster is trying to do anything he can to make me cry . 」
Queen Carmilla laughed with a dry and impassive voice .
「It’s useless . My tears dried up a long time ago . 」
—
It was evening . Therefore, I went to the royal garden just as the Earth Magic Message instructed me to do .
I didn’t see anybody in the royal garden . No one was there, neither a dog beast man nor Seiya .
I wondered if I came little early . But, when I walked on a grassy corner of the garden…
*slurping sound*
My feet suddenly collapsed and I fell abruptly!
「Glu…!? 」
I fell with my bottom . When I looked up, I realized that I was inside of the Cave Along . Seiya, having returned to his original human form, was looking down on me .
「Hmm . You screamed “glu” when you fell over . It seems that your startling voice remained as a fish-man . I praise you for that . 」
「Hey you!! Why can’t you be a little gentler when you push me inside!! 」
I asked Seiya after he returned my goddess’ form .
「…So, how has it been going for you? 」
「I’ve only done a few inspections inside and outside of the royal palace so far . Between those inspections, I practiced with other beast men . Tomorrow, I will proceed with the preparations . More importantly…」
Then, Seiya stared at me with sharp eyes .
「It seems that that tower you’re staying now houses an important prisoner, am I correct? 」
Gosh! He already knew about that! Information sure did spread quickly!
When I tried to say that, “she was my mother when I was a human being”…
「I don’t know who she is, and I’m not interested to find out . Lista, listen . You mustn’t get involved with that person more than necessary . There is a risk of things getting out of control if this keeps going on . Therefore, you shouldn’t do any unnecessary actions . 」
「I saw your Earth Magic Message, you know . Don’t worry I won’t do anything at all . 」
「I’ll tell you one important thing . “A motionless Lista is a good Lista”…Remember that . 」
「Shouldn’t you say, “no news are good news”! Why do you always have to say rude things instead! What an insolent human you are!」
「I worry that you’ll do unnecessary things . Therefore, I have to constantly keep reminding you of that . 」
Then, Seiya’s sharp eyes became icy .
「Don’t forget this is the home of the Grand Lion . In order to minimize the risk of suspicion, we shall meet again at the end of the preparations . Come to this place at the same time, three days from now . Until then, I will definitely formulate correctly the Six-Hexagram for the final stage . That’s all . 」
—
After a brief conversation about the impeding “business”, we transformed to our beast men disguises with the art of change . An earth snake explored the surroundings and, after confirming our safety, we emerged from the underground on different locations and went separate ways .
After parting ways with Seiya, I went back to my room on the first floor of the Fool Tower and I laid my body on the bed .
…Ah…It seemed that Seiya wasn’t particularly worried about my well-being after all . He cared about me when we were in Geabrande…No…No! I shouldn’t let my mind get engrossed by those feelings anymore! Both Seiya and I were just “the goddess and the summoned hero”! Our relationship wasn’t deeper than that!
I went to sleep after clearing my mind . I only tried to think about the success of the upcoming Six-Hexagram strategy .