Trisen Magic Knight Corps Headquarters
“Urgh… Wh-where am I…?”
Clive awoke with a start. His awakening was the worst, feeling as if he had just woken from a nightmare. His cheeks and legs ached, and his entire body felt terribly heavy.
“This ceiling… this is my room, isn’t it? That’s right, Kuku! I survived…!”
Despite his body’s poor condition, laughter bubbled up from the depths of his heart. It was a shame he couldn’t kill that obnoxious arrogant black robe, but this had created an opportunity. If he couldn’t defeat him, he could use his allies.
“That’s right, this time it’s with my Charm Eye—”
“It seems you’ve woken up.”
When Clive turned to his right, he saw the familiar figure of a blonde man.
“What, Tristan?”
As he looked around, Clive realized that not only he but also his subordinate female knights were present. They stood surrounding Clive, who was lying in his own bed.
“Even my kittens are here to see me? That’s right, Tristan, you saved me that time! You rescued me so well!”
“No, no, your body, as a Transmigrator, is a treasure of the world. I simply did what was natural.”
“Ufufu, you truly understand me! Just like when you recommended me to be a general of the Magic Knight Corps, Tristan, you really know the value of things.”
“It was just around the time the previous general resigned… Still, it’s been two years since you came to Trisen, it feels so nostalgic.”
“I’ve had a good time since then. That’s right, as a reward, I’ll let you have whichever one you like—”
Just as Clive tried to get up from the bed, he felt something strange. His hands, arms, neck, chest, thighs—every part of his body was bound by rope-like objects, rendering him unable to move.
“…Huh? Tristan, what is this?”
“You’ve finally noticed. Have your surprisingly dull mind not awakened yet?”
Tristan pointed to his temple with his index finger and twisted his mouth.
Clive had seen this smile from Tristan before. It was the same smile Tristan had worn when he mockingly taunted Dan of the Ironclad Knights during a haphazard summons. When he made that face, Tristan was always plotting something nefarious. It was a habit Clive, a similar kind of person who had relatively cordial relations with Tristan, had noticed.
Sweat beaded on Clive’s forehead.
“Oh, oh, stop with the strange jokes.”
“Jokes? What’s a joke? Is it that I, after unilaterally leading the Mixed Beast Corps and the Magic Knight Corps, was defeated by a mere Adventurer and shamefully ran back home?”
“What are you talking about? You were the one who initiated that plan! And besides, I only brought my subordinates from the Magic Knight Corps!”
“What are you referring to? You, Clive, gave orders to the executives of my Mixed Beast Corps, and by extension, their Monster subordinates, and more than half of the army.”
“Don’t be absurd!”
He strained his muscles, trying to break free from the restraints.
“With my magic, this kind of rope—”
“It’s useless. This is a Magic Item that seals the target’s magic power. Only someone like Prince or General Dan could break free on their own. Oh, and by the way, I’ve informed the King that you died in battle.”
“…What are you aiming for?”
He glared at Tristan reproachfully, but Tristan remained unfazed.
“Didn’t I tell you? Regardless of its contents, your body as a Transmigrator is a treasure. In this world, while people from other worlds are rare, Transmigrators are even rarer. In some cases, you might not encounter one for centuries. I couldn’t possibly let such a body go to waste.”
Tristan signaled the nearby female knights with his eyes. As the female knights moved to the sides, a table-like handcart entered Clive’s field of vision. Something seemed to be placed on the cart.
One of the female knights pushed the cart toward Tristan.
“N-N-N-N-Nyetekyu! What are you doing?! It’s me, the protagonist, in danger! Hurry and save me!”
“It’s useless. Did you really think you could hide the fact that you charmed the Magic Knight Corps with an A-rank concealment skill? The country remained silent because you had value. Trisen is a meritocracy, so if you have sufficient worth, your actions are tolerated. But you failed. From then on, it was easy. The Magic Knight Corps, in effect, became mine.”
“Wh-what did you say…!?”
Tristan picked up the object placed on the cart. It was a dagger, exuding a malevolent aura.
“I procured a large quantity of weapons from a merchant. Impressive, isn’t it? These are all Cursed Weapons. Wow, this one has a truly grotesque shape.”
“Wh-what are you going to do…?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. It’s a precious, precious body.”
*Stab.* The blade of the slightly rusted dagger pierced Clive’s right shoulder.
“Guaa, aaa, aaah…!”
“It hurts enough to make you faint, doesn’t it, being cursed? But don’t worry. I won’t let you do that.”
He performed Summoning Magic. A Bak-like Monster appeared beside Clive’s pillow.
“This Dream-Eating Binder is quite weak, but it has the power to release emotions by consuming dreams. See, just like this.”
The Dream-Eating Binder moved its mouth above Clive’s head, munching. Then, Clive’s consciousness, which had been fading from the pain, gradually returned to reality.
—Naturally, the pain did not disappear.
“Wha-wha-wha-aaaaaaaah…!”
“Welcome back. It’s good to listen to what people have to say until the end. Here.”
As his consciousness wavered between reality and dreams, Clive gathered his strength and looked in the direction Tristan was pointing. A pink mist hovered above the heads of the female knights.
The eyelids of the female knights gradually closed.
“By transferring the dreams I took from you to them, I fulfill their most immediate desires. It’s less charm and more hypnosis, I suppose.”
“N-no waaaayyyy…”
“It’s alright, as you always say, if they truly love you, they should do as you wish.”
The leading female knight stepped towards Clive and took the prey placed on the cart.
“Ah, don’t worry, I’ve wrapped their hands with a rudimentary curse-prevention.”
“N-no—”
What the female knight raised was a rapier. With practiced movements, the blow gouged into his thigh.
“—!!!”
“Oops, it seems she was simply in a bad mood. But you still have many subordinates. Surely someone will repay you. Hmm, your HP is running low. You two, take turns healing General Clive. I’m sure he’ll be pleased.”
The two designated female knights grinned.
“I-I-I-I-I-I-I—”
“Oh, my apologies. I have a meeting to attend. I won’t be back for a while, so please enjoy yourselves for the next few weeks. Additional Cursed Weapons are also being prepared, so feel free to use them.”
“W-w-waaaait—”
“Well then.”
—*Clang.* The door closed mercilessly. Just visible through the slightly ajar door was a line of waiting female knights. What had once been a scene of bliss was now a nightmare.
Clive had to continue to endure this unending nightmare for a while longer.
～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～
Tristan walked with a cheerful spring in his step, the brisk clatter of his shoes echoing down the corridor.
(The weapons prepared total 1,342. I must commend Zildra for collecting them in such a short period, though some were of poor quality. It will likely take time for them to become compatible with Clive’s body. Well, by then, his self will likely be long gone. But he should become a fine Monster.)
The Trisen Magic Knight Corps Headquarters was unnaturally quiet. No screams could be heard from outside.
(My brother Cashel also had just a *tiny* bit of talent. If he hadn’t left home, I could have trained him to be a fine subordinate… But he was a timid pervert who enjoyed killing people, so he’s really not needed. Now—)
“The declaration of war to each country is just around the corner. This is starting to be fun.”
