Chapter 4: Seizing the Stomach and Mana

In his slumber, Allen felt a mysterious sensation.

On his right, he felt a soft, warm comfort, like a futon left out in the sun. On his left, there was a cool, jelly-like freshness. Something slender and gentle was wrapped around his neck in several layers, almost protectively.

(…It’s warm. Much more than my cold bed at the castle…)

He suddenly recalled the fierce battle from last night. The sensation of crushing the swarm of Steel Beetles with the “Curse Chains” and temporarily regaining his human arm. And the nauseatingly dense torrent of “love (mana)” poured into him from the distant royal castle.

When Allen slowly opened his eyes, he didn’t see the abandoned shack lit by the morning sun.

“…A-Allen-sama. Good morning. Hehe, your sleeping face is also incredibly adorable.”

He found himself face-to-face with Misha, the Lamia girl, who was smiling much too close for comfort. Her tail was wrapped gently but firmly around Allen’s torso, making sure he couldn’t get away. On his right, Pee the Harpy spread her golden wings around him, while on his left, Sui the Slime slept beside him, her body wrapped around his limbs.

【W-Waaah!? Everyone, since when…!】

Allen tried to jump up as he sent his telepathic message, but Misha’s tail and Sui’s sticky body held him in place. He just sank back down with a soft, defeated mofu sound.

“Hyaun! When you struggled, Allen-sama, you kicked my stomach… Ah, the sensation of your holy paw pads feels like it’s echoing all the way to my internal organs…”

Seeing Misha squirming with flushed cheeks, Allen shuddered.

Things were different from how they were with Elizabeth and Sylphi at the royal castle, but these girls were clearly heading toward a similar kind of intensity.

“Allen-sama, are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”

A welcome voice came from the entrance. It was Kuu, the Orc girl with the chipped horn. Allen thought she might be the only one still acting sensibly, but she was holding a finely made, tiny wooden chair and spoon, both carved with the words “Exclusively for Allen-sama.”

When he stepped outside, Allen saw that the scorched earth from last night’s battle had changed into something strange.

The golden mana that scattered when Allen swung his chains had soaked into the soil, causing the surrounding dead grass and wild crops to grow abnormally.

【This… is because of my mana, isn’t it. Somehow, the vegetables have become incredible.】

There were giant pumpkins as big as an adult’s torso and root vegetables, like radishes, glowing with a golden color. Allen’s pure mana had soaked into them, removing any harmful magic and turning them into a rich source of nutrition.

“Can I try cooking these?”

Kuu chopped a giant pumpkin with her axe and boiled it over the campfire. She only used salt for seasoning, but the soup’s rich aroma was so good it almost made you forget yourself.

Allen took a bite from the small plate that Kuu had made herself and offered to him.

【—It’s delicious. …Unbelievable. It permeates my body far more than the highest-grade cuisine served at royal banquets.】

The moment she heard those words, something hot welled up in Kuu’s eyes.

“…Allen-sama. I’ve decided. I will dedicate these arms to cooking meals that bring you joy. I won’t go to the battlefield anymore. I will become your exclusive, personal chef!”

As Kuu knelt, a faint golden light shone from her body too. Eating a meal filled with Allen’s mana had bonded their loyalty to him deep inside them.

【Everyone, I want you to listen. …I don’t want us to just live in hiding here — I want to make this place our “home.” A utopia for us, where neither humans nor magical beasts will attack.】

At Allen’s pWhen Allen made his proposal, the monster girls cheered with pure happiness.ot form, Allen fired off accurate instructions.

【Pee, I want you to make a map of this forest from the sky. The range my mana can reach is our territory. Kuu, use your monstrous strength to repair this shack… no, let’s cut down trees and build a new log house. Misha and Sui, prepare to harvest the surrounding mana vegetables and make preserved foods.】

“Yes, Allen-sama (“Master”)!”

Domestic affairs had begun.

Allen stayed in his fluffy form and ran around, acting as the supervisor. When Kuu carried a huge log, Allen jumped onto her back and used a thin strand of the Curse Chains to help tie it down like a rope. After touching the chains, Kuu’s strength grew even more, and the building went up at an amazing pace.

Following Allen’s instructions, Sui swallowed up the dirty floors and walls, breaking them down and cleaning everything.

【Sui, clean that part a bit more… Ah, it’s slippery, so be careful… W-Waaah!?】

“Afu… I caught you, Allen-sama. …Is it cold and pleasant?”

Allen was caught and floated inside her clear body. To anyone watching, the mix of his cute mascot form and the slime’s embrace looked heavenly, but Allen was struggling to breathe.

◆　◇　◆

Evening.

By evening, a beautiful two-story log house stood in a corner of the frontier forest. The wood, made stronger by Allen’s mana, was tougher than steel, and the windows were made from clear, hardened mucus that Sui had refined.

On the dining table lay a full-course meal of mana vegetables, cooked by Kuu, showcasing all her skills.

During dinner, Misha and the others took turns feeding Allen, saying, “Say ahh.” Afterward, they got into a playful fight—basically a girls’ night out—over who would get to brush him.

(…A warm meal and a clean bed. And companions who need me. …I feel like this is much more fulfilling than when I was human. …But—)

Allen touched the chains, silently, their weight increasing at his neck.

The cursed chains were starting to become part of Allen’s body. Each time he used their power, he became more like the “Fluffy King.” But at the same time, he felt a scary sense that his life as “Allen the human” was slowly fading into the frontier.