Astarte’s Knight Chapter 2
The 2nd Story: Observing and Understanding
One month pa.s.sed.
From there, I was left in “1F”
I received no interference from anyone afterwards.
It was a mystery why my stomach never became hungry.
I considered it was probably the effect of becoming a “Ghoul”.
Or rather, I only know that I’m a “Ghoul”.
And because I did not eat, nothing came out.
I don’t know if something will come out if I eat.
But as for how I pa.s.sed this one month period, I didn’t do anything.
Or rather, I couldn’t do anything.
No matter what I did, my body would become annoyingly unmovable.
It’s not like I have a lazy personality.
When I was alive, I think even I was on the side that worked often in the student proportions.
The cause is something else.
My thought is that even though there’s no change, my body probably couldn’t fully settle.
It wasn’t a problem with my feelings, but a problem with my body.
Is this the limit of the creature known as a “Ghoul”?
At first I thought I’ll be able to move freely if I practiced. I did a trial and error, but no results came out. It gradually became more stupid, so I gave up.
Right now, I pa.s.sed the majority of my time s.p.a.ced out, thinking what day it is.
This is probably the limit of the creature known as a “Ghoul”.
On top of an ugly appearance, their movement is also dull.
I’m really being screwed around with.
However, it’s not like I spent one month waving around a stick in style.
I observed my surroundings and understood the general situation inside.
Here is what would be called “h.e.l.l”.
This is a stupid story, but I couldn’t believe it when creatures clearly different from humans pa.s.sed by my figure.
For example, a beast warrior walking on two feet, whose head changed into a wild boar’s .
At first I thought it was headgear, but while observing the beast warrior pa.s.s many times, I realized that it was completely grown from the base of their neck.
For example, the crow accompanying that beast warrior, who understood human speech.
He exchanged words as equals with his friend, the beast warrior, while mixing in jokes rich with wit. His vocabulary couldn’t be compared with a human-trained parrot.
There are still other strange creatures I met, but there’s too many, so I don’t plan to exhaust myself talking about them. Now, just what kind of world would have such creatures?
Like that, the a.s.sumption that I’m in h.e.l.l forcibly grew.
And now, the building I’m inhabiting(?) is a “h.e.l.l Castle”.
I can’t move so I don’t really know, but it seems like a considerably large building.
But I can’t move so I don’t really know.
By the way, I can’t declare that “I’m inhabiting”, because I don’t know if doing nothing but standing upright can be called “inhabiting”.
Next, about that old man I met in the beginning, it seems like that guy is this castle’s lord.
That old man and the female researcher produces monsters like me day and night, and investigate the results.
If a strong individual is born and their skills seem useful, they’re left in some suitable place in the castle like me. And in the worst case, they’re killed and disposed of.
I was not disposed of, but in this h.e.l.l, the creature “Ghoul” that I’ve become seems to be the existence closest to the lowest social cla.s.s.
I was deployed considerably close to the entrance and exit of “1F”.
Because of this, a furious amount of people come and go, and I was able to guess the current situation from the conversations of the people coming and going.
Sometimes, the guys pa.s.sing by use me as a sand bag.
A”Kaa, the castle lord’s usage of demons is too intense, I can’t deal with this-”
B”Idiot, what are we going to do if the castle lord hears of this?”
A”It’s okay and besides, it’s a ghoul. Want to play for a while?”
B”Oioi, it is really okay?”
A”No matter how many times we strike, this blockhead won’t counterattack . It’s not a human after all.”
B”Seriously, your hobbies are bad. Finish it quickly.”
Something like that.
Of course, they aren’t serious, but tormenting in itself is an outlet for reducing their stress.
Naturally for me, I can’t counterattack with this body, and only groan with an “Ahh……”.
The guys seeing this laugh.
I don’t have a sense of pain so I can’t feel pain, but that act makes me vomit.
Don’t these monsters have a habit of being malicious like humans?
Seriously, I wish monsters would behave more like monsters.
Next, I tried interacting with my comrades.
At 1F where I was stationed, there are several ghouls other than me existing.
Those guys also move scarcely like me, and many generally stand straight during the day around the area.
I hoped those guys have the same reasoning as me, and I tried communicating many times.
“Gyaa…(h.e.l.lo!)”
“Ahh…”
“Uoaahh…(The weather’s good today!)”
“Ahh…”
“Agyaa..(You said nothing but “Ahh” since the beginning!)”
“Ahh…”
Something like that.
In conclusion, I gave up on communication with my comrades in one day.
I had the intention of having a splendid relationship with the people working before me, but I was taught how low my communication ability is.
It looks like I can’t build a favorable relationship with corpses and it was just a splendid societal worker’s dream of a dream
Though it’s not like they’re completely taciturn.
Or rather, their groaning voices raised in gloominess one by one.
Because of that, I migrated to a location separated from my kind on the same floor and spent a wonderful time there.
Thanks to that, I stopped being close to the castle’s entrance and exit and was immediately made into a sand bag, but it didn’t hurt anyways. The part of them with reason will stop them once they interact with another person and feel their side is better.
And then lastly–
“Umm, what are you doing today?”
The little girl sitting quietly next to me talked.
Her appearance looked around 10 years old.
It’s this person again.
“Aaahh…”
I’ll reply for now, but as I thought, I couldn’t spin out words.
A ghoul’s vocal chords wasn’t made to be able to converse.
“What is that? Interesting-!”
The little girl became delighted with a “kyakya”.
It was a little girl-like action, but this little girl isn’t just a little girl.
In the first place, from her appearance, she wasn’t ordinary.
Golden coloured hair…up until there is still normal, but her pupils emitted a red radiance, and from her head grew two small horns whose shape appears like those of a goat.
Although she has the same figure as a human, wears the same clothing as a human, and talks the same way as a human, she definitely differs in nature from the humans I know.
This little girl’s name is Astarte.
She should be… the daughter of this castle’s lord, or in other words, the old man on the first day.
The castle lord, who said I was “ugly” and don’t let it come near, undoubtedly lives in the top floor, and this child somehow sneaks out of her room, and carries her feet almost everyday to this lower floor.
And above all else, it seems she has an interest in me, the newcomer, and frequently talks to me.
“Hey, what should we play today?”
Even though she says play, she just finds it interesting talking to me one-sidedly.
We haven’t done any playing-like playing.
I did not hate this girl.
I’m not a lolicon, but speaking honestly, after spending everyday without talking to anyone, it seemed like my head became strange.
Already, listening to this girl talk has become my only pleasure.
Ghouls don’t need to sleep.
Do you understand the pain of pa.s.sing 24 hours being only able to do nothing?
Honestly speaking, my feeling of making an effort in this life no.2 has become an empty cup in this one month.
At that time, what appeared was this Astarte.
Just the one-sided chat about ordinary things was pleasant, and her appearing is already the only thing that heals me.
“Listen to this. My father…”
The contents of her talk were solely on her father.
On the way, she always starts complaining.
But even that’s good. In any case, I wanted to talk with another person.
I can’t talk, so I wanted to listen to another person talk at least.
At that moment, a loud voice resounded across 1F.
“Astarte-sama!!”
Looking, an old butler, who wore an expensive-feeling black uniform, stood there.
“What! Don’t use such a loud voice, Sebastian.”
It was Sebastian.
“Didn’t I say you can’t come to such a lower level? Ghouls are inferior creatures who don’t possess intelligence! They can’t distinguish between friend and enemy! I don’t understand what Astarte-sama is doing!”
“But always studying is boring. Besides, this child is super obedient. It understands my words, so I don’t think they “don’t possess intelligence”.”
“It’s just an individual who happens to be obedient! You don’t know what it will do once it’s excited…!”
Some awful words were said. It’s like I’m a s.e.x criminal.
“Fuun, so your saying that. But I like this child more than Sebastian!”
Saying this, Astarte hugged my slime covered left arm as if insinuating.
Pettan (*flat*).
Normally this isn’t a place for grinning or chuckling to yourself, but unfortunately, it’s this body, so I felt no sensation. It’s not because the girl’s body definitely has “nothing”.
…I can’t have such discourteous thoughts about the person supplying my only pleasure, right? Thinking about it common-sense wise.
The daughter of a high ranking person hugging an inferior creature.
Seeing this, there was the sound of Sebastian’s veins popping.
“Get your mind back! I will report this to your father this time!”
“Ahhn!”
Saying this, Sebastian forcibly pulled Astarte off of me and took her with force.
While returning, Sebastian glared at me.
His target of education escaped, and as a bonus, a girl indirectly said he is below such an ugly creature.
I dare say Sebastian’s heart was probably hurt.
He probably will get shouted at by this girl’s father, the old man, and probably has unceasing anxiety day after day.
Do your best Sebastian.
I secretly cheered Sebastian on in my heart.