Reborn Into A Dark Social Game World With Completely Loyal Friends. - Chapter 20: The first failure

The first failure

Minato was desperately searching for what he could do in this world.

In a world so often cruel and unforgiving, he hoped to save someone, even if not himself, relying on the presence of dependable allies.

However… Minato would come to realize anew—this world is cruel, with moments where there seems to be no hope or salvation whatsoever.

***

“……?”

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“…No.”

Minato tilted his head in confusion at the scene before him. He had encountered Fran, and as they were about to leave, they stumbled upon a group attempting to sell demi-humans.

The buying and selling of demi-humans was strictly prohibited in public, with some countries like France banning it outright. While unseen and unheard of in some places, in others, due to the substantial sums involved and the popularity of beautiful demi-humans among nobles, clandestine transactions thrived.

(…What is this feeling? I have a terrible premonition.)

Fran had swiftly incapacitated the group with impressive moves, and though Minato had been excited witnessing the battle up close, he now felt uneasy and unsettled. It was as if he had inadvertently caused something terrible to unfold.

“Let’s go, Tana-chan.”

“Yeah.”

Minato approached Fran while holding Thanatos close to his chest.

“…Thank you, Fran.”

“No problem. Did I earn some good impression points there?”

“Haha… Well, I think you did.”

“Good to hear, then.”

Minato wished Fran wouldn’t prod him with such difficult questions as he surveyed the aftermath. Earlier, he had admired Fran’s fierce skills, but seeing the carnage up close was something else—the victims, while subdued, were mostly on the brink of death. They were criminals, deserving such consequences, yet the intensity of the scene was overwhelming for Minato.

“What… What the hell are you…”

Fran thrust his sword into the conscious man’s back. It pierced the heart with precision, but that wasn’t all—the sword carried a curse, ensuring instant death when striking a vital spot. Knowing Fran’s abilities and setup, Minato understood.

(I asked for this, but… I never thought I’d witness moments where people die like this.)

Minato wondered when, if ever, he would grow accustomed to death.

“Master, it’s okay not to get used to death.”

“Huh?”

Minato’s eyes widened at Thanatos’ whispered words. He hadn’t spoken those thoughts aloud, yet it seemed as if Thanatos had read his mind, surprising him deeply. Thanatos continued in a gentle voice.

“From now on, you’ll witness countless moments where someone dies… But it’s okay if you don’t get used to it… No, never get used to it.”

“…Tana-chan?”

“Getting used to death is like losing something important— even if you get used to seeing it, never lose your aversion to death, understand?”

“…Yeah, I understand.”

In this world, getting accustomed to the concept of death might be better for one’s mental state. However, because Minato isn’t accustomed to death, he can still move to help those who haven’t been hurt yet.

Ridiculous and naive though it may be, no matter how much he’s told, Minato will continue to face forward… That’s the one answer he’s found for himself.

“Minato, what are you going to do?”

“For now, let’s free the demi-humans.”

Minato approached the demi-humans who were chained up.

There were two men and one woman, slightly dirty, but all with very fine features.

They had ears like wolves, and they greeted Minato and his friends with an incredible amount of hostility.

“Don’t come any closer, humans… What are you planning!?”

“What are you going to do to us!?”

“…………”

They should have known that Minato and his friends had come to help.

But because they were different from humans, they didn’t believe it… Even if Minato said anything, he wouldn’t be able to convince them.

Even so, all Minato could do was ask them to trust him.

Just as he was about to say that he had come to help them, the cruelty of this world bared its fangs at Minato.

“……?”

He heard a click.

The source of that sound was one of the men—a collar around his neck, glowing red at its center.

And before he could ask what it was, it exploded.

It made a small “bang”—thanks to Thanatos’s magic, Minato wasn’t soaked by the pouring red rain.

“……Huh?”

What… What just happened…?

Minato couldn’t believe what he was seeing—the fact that Thanatos had protected him with magic, that Fran, drenched in the red rain, had immediately cried out—it all left him dumbfounded.

“……Why?”

One of the men had his head blown off.

His head flew somewhere, blood spraying out continuously… His body lost its strength and collapsed on the spot.

The sudden spread of the metallic smell finally made Minato aware of the anxiety he had been carrying.

Around their necks, they wore collars of enslavement… When something happened to the contract holder, those collars were instantly activated, causing the side they were attached to to die.

As Minato grasped this thought, another “bang” sounded… The second man died and fell to the ground.

“N-no… No, nooooo!”

The last remaining demi-human woman screamed in terror, and Minato was about to give instructions to Thanatos… but it was too late.

Another dry bang echoed, and the last woman also lost her life.

Even as their bodies fell, the blood continued to flow, spreading out like a red sea… Minato couldn’t think of anything and simply lost consciousness.

***

“Minato!?”

“Don’t worry, he just passed out.”

Fran caught Minato as he collapsed, but his face was unnaturally pale, leaving Fran in a state of confusion and haste.

However, it was Thanatos who managed to calm Fran down.

This was the first time Fran had heard Thanatos’s voice since arriving here, and despite herself, she couldn’t help but calm down.

“Can… Can you talk?”

“The Master has spoken in various places, hasn’t he? He was having a conversation with me.”

“No… I just thought he was communicating with someone else normally.”

“Hmph, well, it doesn’t matter. However… that was quite a strong sight for the Master.”

Fran knew nothing of Minato’s background.

This was all too painful to witness, and Fran felt an overwhelming urge to comfort him, but on the other hand, it was hard not to see this in the light of ignorance.

“I’ve heard rumors about it before. After all, we’ve never had any dealings with slaves or demi-humans… Was it called a slave collar? This is my first time seeing the real thing.”

Yes, even Fran couldn’t react upon seeing it for the first time.

That’s because it couldn’t be helped; the development of the slave collar occurred about six months ago.

“Hey, um… it’s nothing.”

Minato’s identity, Fran attempted to inquire about it but refrained.

Part of it was because she felt it would be tactless to ask without his awareness, but also because the sea of blood had formed, indicating the approach of magical beasts.

“Our master is different from us, and he is different from you. Death in this world is far too light, but our master wants to reduce it as much as possible and act on it.”

“…So you tried to help.”

“Yes… it went well last time, but this time, it failed. Moreover, the deaths that occurred were triggered by our actions. I cannot imagine how the master will feel when he wakes up.”

If you understood about the collar, you might have been able to do something… Thanatos thought, but it was too brief.

Minato is kind… He’s not used to people’s deaths.

Perhaps he will never get used to the deaths of others in the future, but what does Minato think when he wakes up? All Thanatos can do is to stay by his side.

(Master, I can share your sadness… but I cannot fully understand its essence. Therefore, I cannot shed tears.)

Because he’s not human but a dragon… That’s what Thanatos whispered softly.

“Fran, maybe we’ll meet again someday. This time, let me take the master back.”

“Ah, um… Please say hello to Minato for me.”

“I understand. I don’t know when it will happen, but there may come a day when we stand shoulder to shoulder together.”

Saying that, Thanatos returned to the castle with Minato.

“That’s why I said it. When it gets tough… I’ll take your heart right now.”