Chapter 118

Contact Once Again

Meat, having chosen to wait until around the time the wolf—Rin—woke up, operated the golem.

So that Meat could see Rin's appearance with the monitor, Rei opened the menu for her.

And so this time I was just on standby in the master room in case something happened. A job that doesn't need to do anything in particular.

... Rokuko's been in charge of retrieving people in the case of something happening for a while now. There's a proper reason why I'm not taking charge.

Rokuko can easily collect Meat and Ichika into the master room even though they aren't slaves because I convinced her that [Slaves are items, so you can]. And although the system might be able to do this to start with... it's a loophole. The function ban might be lifted if the dungeon grows up.

Well, whether you could actually say that Meat and Ichika can actually be treated like items... it's complicated. It's a secret from Rokuko, but I don't think she can do it.

It'd be bad if there was a mistake with the retrieval in this situation. It'd also be an out if Rokuko couldn't do it in the end. That's my reason.

In other words, I have nothing to do at all. Just watching.

We've prepared some food with the black messenger golem and fodder. I wonder if it'll be enough?

"Hello."

Meat promptly addressed it using the messenger golem. Rin listlessly looked at the golem, immediately followed by opening its red eyes in surprise.

[Wha—, bastard, Kehma!? Why, you should, be eaten!]

Ah, its shape really is the same as the haniwa series after all. It looks the same with just a variation in color huh.

[Why, why are, you alive, Kehma!]

"... That is my Goshujin-sama."

[Hoh, I see. Looking closer, you're black. A different one. But, that guy, is already, my food. So, you, are my, follower.]

"... No? You're wrong though?"

Strength = Excellence. Yep, the law of the wild. That doesn't have anything to do with Meat though.

[... Wrong? You swear, loyalty to, that dead guy. Admirable.]

"Yes, I am Goshujin-sama's, even in death."

Meat answered Rin's question in one go... Huh? Just now, didn't the nuance change a little?

[Is that, so? Then, what is, your business?]

"Become my follower."

[I refuse! I do not, need, a master!]

Promptly refused. Well, obviously. So it'll be negotiations from here on huh. Meat manipulated the messenger golem to take out a hamburger.

"You'll get this delicious hamburger if you join now though?"

[I won't, accept bait! I'll eat, you too!]

"Aren't you hungry? Then how about some candy? It's sweet and delicious."

[I said no! Garururu!]

She took out candy, but Rin was already in an enraged state.

Rather, what? This conversation, doesn't it feel a little out of sync? Oi, Meat. Rin-san's angry.

"If you don't need candy, you'll just become my follower?"

[Ridiculous! If you want me, to become, your follower, defeat me! Then, I'll consider, it!]

"So you'll become my follower, then? Thank you very much. Here, a candy."

[I won't! I don't need one! I'll eat, you!]

And so it chewed up the black messenger golem. Simultaneously with that, Rokuko retrieved Meat and Rei into the master room. Welcome back.

"... It was amused, but it ate me. Next time will be alright."

"Hey, Meat... Perhaps, can you only understand some of the wolf's words?"

"? Yes, that's right."

She squarely agreed... Yep, that's it.

"... A conversation about coexisting didn't exist there. Rather, it was getting mad. Super mad."

"!? I-it was no good!? Surely it was hiding its embarrassment..."

"It was no good.... Well, it went forward a bit when it said that it'd think about becoming your follower if you defeated it though."

"I-I'm sorry..."

Well, it's alright. According to my original plan... even though it's troublesome... guess I'll negotiate with it... even though it's very troublesome. Haah.

I prepared a not-black messenger golem just in case something like this happened.

"Leave the rest to me."

I patted Meat's head with a small clap and began my preparations for the negotiation.

*

"Oooi, Rin. Could you wake up? I have something to talk about."

[... Another, new one!?]

When I talked to Rin, Rin looked at the messenger golem with its red eyes.

"Hahaha, I'm Kehma. So how's it going, living comfortably?"

[Kehma!? Why are you, alive!? I ate you!]

"Don't misunderstand. I wouldn't die from something like that. You could eat me again if you'd like?"

[Strange golem... even though, I definitely, ate you.]

Yeah. Even though you ate the golem, the voice actor was still fine.

[Perhaps, that black one, is also alive?]

"Hooh, why?"

[Even though, I ate it, it didn't taste good. Kehma, it was the same, as you. A normal golem's, taste.]

... Do golem's taste differently? Is there a strawberry-tasting golem?

[Kehma is, a unique monster, so I thought, you would have, a delicious, or unusual, taste.]

"I'm made from clay, so I shouldn't taste any different."

[Unique monsters, are delicious.]

Maybe its fundamental sense of taste is different? Clay normally wouldn't taste like anything but clay. I get the feeling that taming it with Japanese cuisine might be a bit hard?

I took out the dog food I brought since I couldn't use it to try and tame it.

"I brought this, did you want to eat it?"

[What, is it?]

"Food for dogs. It's fine if you don't really want to eat it."

[Don't want it.]

So it doesn't want it huh... The heck am I going to do with it now? I can't feed it to Meat.

"Well, I heard a bit of it, but you said you'd become a follower if you're defeated, Rin?"

[Motivated?]

"Yeah, though not right now. If it's for you to be my follower, can I challenge you?"

[Go, ahead. I'm eating you, now.]

Saying that, Rin bared its fangs.

I said not right now!

[Time to eat!]

"... Understood, I'll come again."

The heck's with this guy. I didn't get to ask about anything serious.

While being dragged back into the master room, I thought about what's to be done.