I Was Transported to Another World with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:3000 and Made into a Breeding Pet for the Demon Lord’s Army - 114

Chapter 114: The House of Zealotry

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“So this is the mansion where the predecessor lives… It’s rather small, isn’t it?”

“Maybe it was built not to stand out, so the demons wouldn’t find it… I think.”

“I see, I see. Even if he’s not on Ken-chan’s level, just being a male makes him immensely popular! Hey! We’re here to see you!”

Luna-san banged on the door with bold force and shouted loud enough for her voice to echo through the mountains.

“U-um… I’m not very knowledgeable about these things… But, is that the proper etiquette?”

“Don’t know! That sort of thing is Lammy’s job!”

We had been riding on the dragon’s back for several hours. At last, we arrived at a secluded mansion hidden among the dense trees. It stood alone in the mountains, blending into nature yet radiating a quiet presence.

“Still, there was a moment I thought we were doomed… Who could have expected the wyvern to snatch up Ken-chan and fly off like that.”

“The wyvern was female, after all. She probably recognized Ken-chan as her mate and chose him as her partner.”

“Luna-san… A dragon… Liked me?”

“That’s right! The poor thing was head over heels for Ken-chan’s charm. Before Ken-chan, any race would be knocked out cold!”

“I’m happy.”

I was genuinely happy to be liked by a dragon. Dragons were cool, and in games, dragon riders were always the strongest units. That dragon had effortlessly driven off strong-looking birds one after another. If I could befriend it, maybe even I, without magic, could fight.

“Dragon warrior… Fufufu.”

Just thinking about it made my heart race.

“So that’s it! Ken-chan likes wyverns, huh. Very well! The next pet shall be a wyvern! If we ask that rider, we might even get a hatchling!”

“P-please stop! We only barely made it through last time thanks to Ken-chan’s spare socks, but I never want to deal with a wyvern again…”

“It’ll be fine! Even Maru-chan’s kind, known for their ferocity, has become docile under me. If we raise one from a baby and it’ll turn out alright for sure!”

“I’m not sure if you can classify Maru-chan-san as docile… Anyway, I’ll tell Lammy-san to watch out for suspicious expenses.”

Clack…

While I was still in Luna-san’s arms at the gate, a woman wearing a mask like a stagehand appeared from the mansion.

“Welcome. I am Arz, a member of a cow tribe and the exclusive maid of Kushina-sama.”

Dressed in a black maid uniform, her elegant demeanor showed through in her posture and movements. It seemed clear that the predecessor was indeed a noble of high standing. I had to stay sharp so as not to be disrespectful.

“The preparations to welcome you are set in place. Please, come inside.”

Following Arz-san’s guidance, we stepped into the mansion.

“So that’s the previous male… I’ve never seen him before, but Ken-chan is certainly cuter.”

“Haha, that can’t be true.”

“Hm?”

“Hm?”

A strange silence hung between us.

“…Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. Now then, this way please. Kushina-sama, the most adorable being in the world is eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

“I see, I see. Then come along, Ken-chan, the most adorable and perfect being in the world!”

“And do listen carefully. Kushina-sama is the most adorable, the most perfect—”

“Welcome.”

As we walked down the corridor, a maid stopped to greet us with a deep bow. Her bow was so low that I couldn’t help but return it with a deep bow of my own.

“Hoh… They all wear the same outfit. Their faces are covered, too. It’d be hard to tell who’s who.”

There were many women in the mansion wearing masks like stagehands, not a single one showing her face. It felt like I had wandered into a period drama, though below the neck they were all in maid uniforms, which made my head spin in confusion.

“We’re used to it, so we can usually tell from each other’s movements. We also have name tags, so there’s no worry about mixing people up.”

“I see…”

For some reason, Luna-san looked displeased, her brows furrowed into a grim expression.

“Say, something’s been bothering me. May I ask?”

“Of course. Please ask anything.”

“You introduced yourself as a cow tribe earlier, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Both my mother and father are from a cow tribe.”

“I know the cow tribe well, since one of the Four Heavenly Kings is one. They’re all supposed to have great horns. Yet I see none on you. Were you attacked by a monster?”

“No… I removed them myself.”

“What!? Impossible! A cow tribe’s horns do not regrow! They’re like teeth, something that appears only once in a lifetime! Why would you do such a thing…”

For a cow tribe to lose their horns was clearly something extraordinary. Luna-san’s ears shot up as she pressed her with a loud voice.

“It’s a long story, but Kushina-sama despises demons from the bottom of his heart. Because of that, we maids remove our horns, the symbol of our race, and hide our faces.”

“We maids… You mean, all of them here!?”

“Yes. Every one of them. For example, that cat tribe maid has cut off her ears, and that bird tribe maid over there plucked out her own wings.”

“D-doesn’t it hurt? To throw away the pride of your race like that…”

“It doesn’t hurt. This was the path I chose myself.”

Arz-san said it firmly, her voice steady and without hesitation.

“Everyone here loves Kushina-sama with all their hearts and has sworn their loyalty to him. If he ordered us to die, we would die on the spot. Compared to that, giving up the pride of our race is a small price to pay.”

“That is… Admirable, in its way.”

Luna-san muttered quietly in a lonely tone. Something must have come to mind for her, as she gazed at her long nails, a faint tremor showing in her eyes.

“To live with a male… That is what it means. Now then, here is Kushina-sama’s chamber.”

Arz-san stopped before a heavily locked door. So this was where the predecessor—Kushina-sama—was. I felt tense.

Click!

“You may enter now.”

“Thank you for the guidance… then—”

“Please wait a moment.”

Just as Luna-san tried to lead me in, we were stopped.

“As I said earlier, Kushina-sama despises demons. Only Ken-chan-sama may enter.”

“Must it be that way?”

“I understand it is a great discourtesy after we summoned you here, but just as Luna-sama worries for Ken-chan-sama, I too worry for Kushina-sama.”

Even under Luna-san’s sharp, intimidating gaze, Arz did not flinch, her expression calm.

“I see… Fiilia. We’ll wait over there.”

“I-is that really alright!? What if there’s no such male named Kushina inside, and they just abduct Ken-chan instead…?”

“It’ll be fine. Their loyalty is real. They wouldn’t stoop so low as to betray us for a cheap fling.”

“Well… That’s true.”

“Do not worry. If anything happens, I will protect Ken-chan with all my strength!”

Luna-san placed a hand on her chest, tilted her chin proudly, and struck a smug pose.

“If Luna-san insists that much, then I’ll trust you… Ken-chan! If anything happens, shout as loud as you can. We’ll come running.”

“Okay.”

Fiilia-san clung to me, warning me to call for help if anything happened. Was this Kushina-sama really that frightening? The word “abduction” I’d heard earlier still bothered me, though I couldn’t catch most of their conversation clearly. I really needed to study more vocabulary outside of daily chatter.

“Thank you for your understanding. Now then, Ken-chan-sama, please enter.”

Still not quite grasping the situation, I stepped inside alone.

Bang… click!

The door was locked immediately behind me. I grew a little uneasy, but noticed that it could be opened from the inside, so worst case, I could escape.

“Wait… There’s another door?”

As I proceeded, a sturdier, heavier door loomed ahead of me. Just how strict was this security? I could feel a strong determination not to let any outsider in.

“There’s even a keyhole on this one, but no key… Wha-!”

I thought for sure it wouldn’t open, but when I turned the knob, the door slid open smoothly.

“M-my name is Kento Aizawa. I’m not suspicious in any way!”

Expecting some great authority inside, I straightened my posture and hastily introduced myself.

“Welcome…”

Turning toward the voice with trepidation, I saw a man so thin he looked almost sickly. He just sat there quietly.

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