Atelier Tanaka

Book 5: Chapter 3 (5)

Dark Continent (3rd)

I should focus on my duties as a maid. Ill stand by my masters side and fill his cup when needed. Im confident in my tea making abilities. I was doing it at my parents house before becoming his maid.

H-Here you go.

Thank you, Sophia-san.

I can tell that Tanaka-san isnt feeling well today.

Normally, whenever he first sees me, hes constantly casting glances between my chest and crotch, but today theres none of that. He was staring off into the distance as if fascinated by some object that I wasnt able to see.

Whats happened?

Hes starting to worry me.

Hell usually glance at my chest not long after opening the door to let me in. I have limited experience with men, but I know that they can be hungry for certain things other than food in the mornings. 

Is it possible hes starting to mature and outgrow such basic desires?

Tanaka-san, did you not get enough sleep?

Eh? Oh, no, Im not tired, its just.

I dont think Im just imagining things.

I-Im sorry for saying anything.

You dont need to apologize. It warms my heart hearing your concern for me, Sophia-san.

O-Of course.

He was maintaining his normal facade which left me standing at his side unsure of how to act.

Despite only knowing Tanaka-san for a short time, Ive spent a lot of time by his side. Considering how much time we spend together, Id expect him to at least be somewhat comfortable with me and allow his mask to slip.

My familys restaurant was also a bar, so I was used to the regulars coming in and, over time, they grow accustomed to me and start to show who they really are.

If they drank enough, this could all happen within a day.

However, Tanaka-sans stoic nature has never changed since the day I met him. Its starting to make me think he isnt human. Honestly, it makes me uncomfortable. 

Im sure my absence has caused a lot of trouble for you, Sophia-san.

O-Of course not! Id never.

He caused me more trouble than he can imagine, but I still shook my head.

Im sorry. This was all due to me being careless.

Umm, I-I didnt mind.

Im always stuck going at Tanaka-sans pace.

I have something to ask, Sophia-san.

Eh? So-Something to ask me?

Whats wrong now?

Hes making me even more nervous.

Am I going to be fired?

My job isnt glamorous, but I have grown to enjoy it.

If he fires me, hell always have a grudge against me. If I were somehow able to marry a prince, Tanaka-san, still holding onto his grudge, would convince or force my prince to make my life difficult.

At some point in your life have you ever wanted to die? Take your own life, I mean.

Eh.

Why is he asking that?

Hes been acting strange ever since he returned.

And this question came out of nowhere.

I couldnt find any words to answer him.

Umm, thats, w-well.

sorry, I shouldnt have asked that.

.

This may be a first.

The first time since Ive met Tanaka-san that his mask has slipped.

His usual standoffish aura is gone.

Its as if, for the first time since we met, hes a person just like me.

.

.

This awkward silence helped calm me down some.

Something must have happened on the Dark Continent. It must have been something major to make Tanaka-san act this way. It was uncomfortable seeing him like this, but it did make me feel closer to him.

This made it easier for me to speak honestly.

U-Umm.

Maybe I shouldnt say anything for the sake of my future, but I couldnt stop myself.

Is there anyone that truly wants to die?

.

I didnt even think of these words as they left my mouth.

After I said this, I wondered to myself if this were really true and if I shouldnt have said anything at all.

Ahe-excuse me, I dont know what Im talking about.

I quickly lowered my head in a panic when Tanaka-san suddenly spoke.

Sometimes I wish I wasnt born, but I had no control over that. Now that Im here, I might as well make the best of it.

.

Honestly, I dont understand what he means.

However, theres slightly less sorrow etched on his face now. I can feel the occasional glance at my chest and crotch. Well, Tanaka-san is my Master, so I dont mind the occasional glance here and there. As long as thats as far as it goes.

I dont offer any special services like Ester-sama or the Elf-san.

thank you.

Eh.

Why is he thanking me?

I dont understand why hes acting this way.

U-Umm.

Sophia-san, Im sorry, Im leaving again.

Eh, b-but the tea.

Im sorry you went through the trouble to make it for me. Ill have some when I return.

.

What does that mean?

Tanaka-san stood up without touching his tea and quickly made his way toward the door. He rushed out through the hallway and disappeared from sight without another word.

.

Im shocked.

He didnt even taste my special tea.

Where are you going, Tanaka-san?

Please, at least drink my tea before leaving.

***

Sophia-san showed me the truth.

Nobody thats been born truly wants to die. The only reason we are born is because of how desperately we want to live. Sperm swim their hardest after entering the vagina in a desperate struggle to achieve life.

Above all else, I made her a promise.

Ill be the first one to not avoid her due to her power.

Ill stand by her side.

I dont even remember if I made this promise out loud or if she was reading my mind, but that doesnt seem like a good enough reason to break a promise. This is my fault for not noticing sooner anyway.

Besides, I made a promise to myself that I would be the one to break her hymen.

I refuse to return to town until I have upheld that promise.

.

Which is why I left Dragon City not long after parting from my maid. I took to the skies using my flight magic and headed off in the direction of Mount Dorz.

The restless feeling inside of me increased my speed.

It took me less than half the time to travel to the mountain than it had previously. 

At the entrance of the mine, there were two soldiers standing guard just like last time.

I recognized their faces.

Excuse me, just passing through.

I landed in front of them and made my way for the entrance.

As soon as they noticed me, they stood up straight and saluted.

B-Baron Tanaka! Head on through!

Please, Baron Tanaka, enter!

I passed through here just yesterday with the noble mage, so the two soldiers didnt even hesitate when I approached. I guess they finally believe that Im a noble. The way theyre saluting me makes me think theyre different people entirely.

I gave them a slight bow as I made my way through.

Im in a hurry.

I didnt have time to stop and explain why I was returning.

There was nobody inside the cave. I followed the path I still remembered following the light from my fireball as I went. I was able to reach the teleporter room in no time.

I thought the noble mage might be here investigating the magic circle, but there was no sign of him. He copied it down on paper yesterday, so he must still be locked inside his room studying it.

.

The room with no entrance other than the hole in the ceiling.

I readied myself as I looked down at the magic circle etched into the stone floor.

Its been one day since it was last used; the space magic should now be able to be reactivated. If I allow my mana to flow into the circle Ill be transported to Goggoru-chan. And I wont be able to return for another day.

It made me feel a little uneasy.

But I knew this was the right decision.

Its time to go.

Alright.

I held out my hands with my palms facing the floor and poured my magic into the circle.

***

The strange sensation I was growing used to enveloped me once more as my surroundings changed.

The room I was standing in went from around 100 metres squared to less than thirty in an instant. The spatial magic seems to have activated without any problems. The rocky walls that I was familiar with appeared once more, but this time there was something different.

Wha

Red.

The walls and floor of the room were dyed a bright red.

The light from my fireball glinted off a strange slimy substance that covered the floor. And there, covered in the same viscous fluid were the countless bodies of fairies lying all over the floor.

Theres no doubt that these are the same Green Sylphs I met previously. Every one of them had their wings removed. I could see their small bodys twitching. Theyre still alive.

Ah.

I could hear a faint sound come from one of the corners.

It was the slight murmur of a cute lolis voice.

It was the only person besides me left standing.

In her left hand was the body of a fairy she may have just killed. In her right was a pair of wings she just ripped off of the fairies back. It was an indelicate act similar to pulling weeds out of the ground.

The skin on the fairys back was torn and red streaks of blood ran down her back.

It was the same colour of red as the liquid on the floor.

Their small screams filled the room.

umm, did they.

I spoke to Goggoru-chan thinking that the Green Sylphs had come here seeking revenge against her. I didnt think I could feel any worse after leaving her alone, but now Ive also put her in danger. Cleaning all of this is going to be difficult.

thats not what happened.

.

I guess not.

Then why are they all bleeding on the ground?

My eyes were naturally drawn to the pile of Sylph wings that had been collected in the centre of the magic circle. The pale green wings were now dyed a dull red.

I was reminded of Edita Senseis words.

[One of the necessary ingredients required to make the elixir are the wings of a Green Sylph.] [Theyre a subrace of High Sylphs that live deep within the forests of the Dark Continent.][The wings contain high-levels of pure concentrated mana.]

Pure concentrated mana.

A pile of mana was collected in the magic circle.

And what was the last thing Goggoru-chan said to me before I left her?

correct.

.

She quickly gave me an answer after reading my thoughts.

So that was her plan.

She wanted to use the wings in order to power the magic circle due to her own lack of mana.

Im not sure how much mana she would be able to get from the wings, but the way Edita Sensei described them, it doesnt seem impossible.

.

Really?

This isnt at all what I was expecting.

I was instantly transported by the spatial magic to Goggoru-chans home and was met with blood and death. My heart started racing and pain filled my chest as I was overcome with regret.

However, it was the Green Sylphs that didnt make it while Goggoru-chan was standing over them, her whole body dyed crimson as she stared at me with glowing red eyes. Even if her facial expression still remains the same, the brightness of her eyes has grown stronger.

This isnt looking good.

The wings are going to be wasted.

Yeah, it looks like it.

Shes scaring me.

A scary, bloody Goggoru.

I just want to talk.

.

I dont mind talking with her, but what was her plan if she got the magic circle to activate? What would she do if she left the Dark Continent and arrived in the Penny Empire?

Im too scared to ask her.

I wanted to talk to you. Thats all that I wanted from you. If you wont give me what I want, Ill activate the magic circle and tell everyone about the thoughts running through your mind. Who would you like me to tell first? Maybe Edita? Sophia? Fahren? Gonzalez? Or perhaps Ester? It doesnt matter who it is. If you wont talk to me, Ill just have to talk to everyone youve ever known and tell them everything.

.

Uh-oh.

Goggoru-chan is broke.

She looks serious.

I came to rescue a girl that I believed to be suicidal but was met by a girl thats going to accuse me of terrible things Ive never done. She was desperate to find a way out of her situation, but I dont think she was ever suicidal.

I can tell this much even without the ability to read minds.

A-Alright, I get it. Lets talk.

Goggoru-chans plan to activate the magic circle may work, and if she travelled to the Penny Empire in her current state of mind, Im not sure what shed be capable of. If just revealing my thoughts to everyone I know isnt punishment enough, she may decide a more violent course of action is necessary. I have to avoid that outcome.

Sophia-chan couldnt have been more correct.

Every creature wishes to live.

Really?

Yes, lets talk.

Youre not going to leave?

I couldnt go back even if I wanted to.

.

Her glowing eyes were locked on mine,

Her silvery almost white hair combined with her glowing red eyes to create an almost otherworldly appearance. The increased brightness of her eyes increased this effect. Its honestly something that I would normally love, but its rather unsettling given the surroundings.

How about this: Ill come here and talk with you once every ten days. This magic circle takes a night to recharge, so this will give us plenty of time to talk to each other.

Every five days.

Umm, Im not sure if that will be possible.

Every five days.

r-right, that sounds good. Lets go with that.

Is this what being loved is like? Maybe I should just think about it in a more positive way. This beautiful chocololi cant stand to go longer than five days without seeing me. No, this doesnt really feel like love but it could lead to some rewards for myself.

What do you think, Goggoru-chan?

.

.

Goggoru-chan. Goggoru-chan.

I want to lick your pussy, Goggoru-chan.

There have been other people willing to be close to me before you came alone. However, they didnt last long. I read a part of their mind that they couldnt stand someone else knowing about, and I broke them. They left me. No one before you has ever been able to remain as calm as you are now even after hearing the threat of having your thoughts revealed. Which is why we will talk. You will talk with me.

Im happy that such a pretty girl wishes to talk with me.

After all, its not love.

Im just a tool to hold off her loneliness.

I had come to the assumption that this girl who can read minds had grown to become a mature and cool girl that understood the depths of human desire. However, if I think about it rationally, this makes more sense. A girl that has been persecuted, isolated, and mentally broken.

Proper social interactions during ones formative years are necessary for one to form a normal personality.

Now that I think about it, after we finish talking and I travel back to the Penny Empire, I should just erase the magic circle on the other side. That way, no matter what Goggoru-chan tries to do, she wont be able to travel using the circle. Fortunately for me, I dont think she has a full understanding of magic.

At this distance, I could easily tie you up and lock you away in this cave.

Yeah, thats right.

Any thoughts of betraying her are out of the question.

Sorry. 

Please, forgive this insolent busamen.

But, now that you mention it, this small room is a little inconvenient for two people.

This tension is reminiscent of being around the loligon when shes angry.

Fireballs are out of the question considering our close quarters. I could attempt to create a Stonewall between us, but could she break through it? Im not sure. More importantly, every strategy I think of is immediately revealed to her, so Id need to be able to take multiple actions so she cant respond to everything.

I think it would be suicidal to try anything in this cave.

I should just obediently follow her instructions for the time being.

it doesnt matter what you do. I know how to get to the Penny Empire from here.

Dont worry. I wont destroy the circle.

Is this girl serious?

Shes too desperate.

Starved for companionship.

Could loneliness drive a person to go this far?

All I ask is that you talk to me. If you do so willingly, I wont read the important areas of your mind or do any harm to you. I only want to talk. I promise that I will never ask any more of you.

So she doesnt want anything more than platonic companionship.

Thats sad to hear.

I wouldve thrown my penis in as part of the deal free of charge.

I can agree to that. Lets talk a lot.

Yes, lots and lots.

But, your mind may break before youre satisfied.

My mind?

Goggoru-chan will be broken by me repeatedly mentally assaulting her pussy. Ill continue this assault until she is so disgusted by my mental sexual harassment that shes the one that tries to put distance between us.

Dont worry about it, Im used to it. Think about whatever pleases you.

.

That sounded a little erotic.

Especially that last part.

A cute, horny loli voice.

.

.

Anything?

Shes not showing any reaction.

Maybe if I try a different style of attack.

How about this?

.

.

Seriously?

Nothing.

Maybe I can use this to build up her sexual desire.

I can think of it as a form of sexual play. The idea of a beautiful girl knowing every part of my being is wonderful. Its a miracle that will never happen again in my life. I just need to allow myself to enjoy it.

I love you, Goggoru-chan.

I hope we can get along well.

Ill be in your care.

After a few surprising twists, I ended up taking on the role of Goggoru-chans companion.

***