Tail and Ribbon

A new item from DORECA, its rune array activated.

The rune array’s arrow points at the fallen Zmya, its fangs glowing.

Pull out the fang, toss it into the rune array.

The runes shift—dark stains spread across the floor like ink.

“Whoa!”

“Eek!”

We leap back, scrambling out of the room with Rirya.

“What’s this…?”

“Not a stain—it’s a swamp? Look, it’s bubbling up in purple… some kind of poison swamp?”

“Eeeeeee, a poison swamp!?!”

“Yeah, probably.”

Spent one mana point from DORECA to craft a Pshini, then tossed it into the swamp.

The block-shaped ration dissolved with a soft *jwaaah* sound.

“Eeep!”

“Definitely poison swamp, this one.”

We glance back at the room. The spreading poison swamp has stopped spreading—completely covered the floor.

The whole room’s turned into a poison swamp.

"Could be useful as an attack-defense room, I guess."

"But it's scary…."

"Scary? Yeah, fair point."

"We can't go through here anymore…"

"...Hmm."

I thought for a moment.

I looked around the room, then at the spot where Lira's house was supposed to go.

I was certain this poison swamp could be used—but having it right here? That’s a hassle.

Move it, then.

"Alright."

I lifted the poison swamp—(,,,)—

I thought it’d be impossible, but it came up easy. Doreca’s creation, after all.

"Y-you can… do that, messenger-sama?!"

Lira stared, stunned, at the impossible sight of a swamp being lifted like a sack.

"Amazing…"

"Sure. Now, where to put it? Problem is, I don’t have a place to set it down yet."

The underground cave I’d started digging—no spot to temporarily stash this thing.

Even if I left it here to keep digging, it’d just be in the way.

"Guess I’ve got no choice. Gotta erase it."

She erased the poison swamp with Doreca.

“Wow…”

Lira, even the word "amazing" had lost its meaning by now.

Those eyes… I’ve seen them before. Eyes like those of the slaves.

That's why I said it like that.

"Need a hand?"

Is that alright!?

The reaction was the same as the slaves'.

☆

Well then, this should do for now.

Directly beneath the site where Rirya plans to build her home—just one room dug in.

With this, we’ve dug rooms on all four sides of the designated area—above, below, left, and right.

Either way the enemy came from, I figured it was better to have a buffer zone and a little space to control.

If we don’t do this, they’ll break in straight at the root. If all around—up, down, left, right—is sealed off with rooms, they’ll have to come through at least one room, no matter what.

It’s just a matter of what to do with that one cushion.

Hmm, really—what kind of outside threats are we talking about?

I know about the big snake, Zmya, but what about the rest?

Ask Risha?

I moved, thinking that. Rirya was definitely up higher, right?

I climbed up using the stairs made by DORECA.

“Rirya? Where are you?”

“Y-you, messenger-sama?”

“Here, I’ve got a few things to ask…”

“Kyaa!”

She let out a tiny shriek when I got closer.

She was barely visible in the shadows—half-naked.

She’d taken off her dirty clothes, trying to change into new ones.

Wait—is she completely naked?

Her snake lower half wasn’t wearing anything, and the top part was just being stripped off.

The only thing still on her was… the red ribbon at the tip of her tail.

Naked-tail ribbon—some dumb phrase popped into my head.

Staring at it blankly.

“P-please don’t stare, messenger-sama!”

“S-sorry!”

I spun around fast, turned my back, and bolted down to the lower space.

Heart pounding. Thudding. Thudding.

“Naked tail ribbon…”

Why the hell did my heart jump again?

No no, that’s ridiculous. Why would I be flustered here?

I don’t have that kind of taste. Sure, Rirya’s cute, but that’s not it.

…No, that’s not it, right?

“Mind extinguished, mind extinguished.”

I chanted it like a spell, lost in fantasy.

The other person—Risha. The place—That spring in the forest.

Risha, bathing in the water, gently stroking her collar.

Full-body slave collar. From the tail ribbon, down to the slave collar.

Calm. No more fluster.

Felt settled, like home. But something twisted inside.

Well, that’s to be expected. Feeling safe in the form of a slave? That’s only natural.

“Kyaaah!”

Suddenly, Rirya’s scream cut through the air.

“Rirya!”

I called her name, sprinting up the stairs.

Two men stood there.

Rirya was dressed, but held fast by them.

"Guess I'm lucky—didn’t expect to find a snake woman hiding in such a shallow spot."

"Plus, she’s a virgin queen. Eggs laid mid-nesting? Triple the usual price."

"Hahaha, gonna play with her for a while—"

"What’s wrong—"

I lunged forward. Slit their throats in one motion.

No need for questions. Just two scum-sucking bastards, plain as day.

Cut their heads off. Freed Rirya.

"……"

"Rirya?"

She stared blankly, slowly coming back to herself, then clung to me and started crying.

"I was scared. It was so scary."

She kept sobbing, clutching me tighter.

"Sorry I took so long to get here."

Buried her face in my chest, shivering hard.

She wanted to say it wasn’t her fault.

"I’ll make sure this never happens again."

Rirya lifted her face. Two emotions tangled in her expression.

The fear from being attacked just moments ago, and the expectation waiting for my words.

"We’ll have to plan for human intrusions too."

Turn that expectation into a smile. Overwrite the fear completely.