"This is the place."
Magico led Duanmu Huai to a room located beneath the royal capital of Sesh. It was a spacious area that looked much like an empty warehouse. Only in the center sat a magic circle that looked as though it had not been cleaned for a very long time.
"That Monster Tamer once helped Sesh repel a demon invasion. After that, he left this inheritance beneath the royal capital. As long as someone is able to activate this teleportation circle, they'll be sent to where that Monster Tamer is, and obtain all of his legacy… at least, that's what the royal records say."
"This doesn't look like a very secret place."
Duanmu Huai glanced outside—
Right at the entrance, the words TICKET BOOTH were written in large letters.
"Of course. We also hope that Lord Monster Tamer's legacy can be passed on, so we don't forbid students from coming to challenge it… but unfortunately, up until now, no one seems to have successfully activated the teleportation circle."
"This thing isn't broken, is it…?"
"The court mages inspected it. Everything is normal."
"Hmm…"
Duanmu Huai looked around. Only he, Olgis, and Magico were present.
Moxiang Shizuka had accompanied him here briefly, then gone off sightseeing, saying she wanted to experience Sesh as a magical nation. Since letting her move alone felt unsafe, Duanmu Huai had sent Kentō Kanami to accompany her.
"Then can I go up and try it?"
"Of course."
After receiving Magico's confirmation, Duanmu Huai stepped onto the magic circle with Olgis.
However—
Nothing happened.
"Is this thing really not broken? Or do I just lack the aptitude?"
Duanmu Huai glanced down at the teleportation circle and casually complained. Magico stared at it in confusion.
"It doesn't seem broken—"
Before she could finish speaking, a faint light suddenly flashed.
When Magico raised her head again, Duanmu Huai and Olgis had vanished from the magic circle.
"It actually worked?"
Looking at the now-empty teleportation circle, Magico froze in place.
—————
A flash of light.
The next moment, a completely different scene appeared before Duanmu Huai and Olgis.
"Looks like it really does work."
Duanmu Huai looked around. He hadn't expected the teleportation circle to activate so abruptly and unreasonably—but judging from the results, it seemed to have delivered them successfully.
This place looked like a study. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a desk sat nearby.
However…
"This doesn't look like an uninhabited place."
Duanmu Huai walked to the desk and lightly ran a finger across its surface.
According to Magico, that Monster Tamer had lived decades ago and should have died of old age long since. That was why he had left behind the teleportation circle, so later generations could inherit his legacy.
Yet the place before him looked nothing like it had been abandoned for decades.
The floor was smooth and polished. There wasn't even a speck of dust on the desk. It was obvious that someone cleaned this place regularly.
But Magico had said no one had ever successfully activated the teleportation circle.
Could it be that someone had activated it without her knowing?
Had someone already inherited the Monster Tamer's legacy?
If that were the case, then wouldn't he have come here for nothing?
In any case…
He would look around first.
"Be careful, Olgis."
"Yes, Master."
After warning Olgis, Duanmu Huai walked to the door, opened it, and looked outside.
The corridor was completely empty, devoid of any sign of life.
Unconcerned, Duanmu Huai opened door after door, checking each room.
Bedroom… guest room… storage…
They really didn't look like places where anyone lived. Though everything was immaculately clean, there were no personal belongings anywhere. The entire house felt more like a hotel room that had just been thoroughly cleaned by staff.
Then who was doing the cleaning?
Don't tell me the house had a ghost janitor?
After making a full circuit without seeing a single person, Duanmu Huai reached the main hall—
And suddenly, the front door opened.
A girl dressed as a maid walked in.
When she saw Duanmu Huai, she was startled.
"Who are you?"
As she spoke, the maid raised the broom in her hands and assumed a combat stance. In the blink of an eye, her entire body was filled with tense fighting intent.
"Are you a male monster that snuck in? Leave immediately! Otherwise, I won't hold back!"
"You're the monster!"
Duanmu Huai couldn't tolerate that.
"I'm human! I was just teleported here from the magic circle over there!"
"Eh?"
Hearing his reply, the maid froze, then slowly lowered her broom.
"You… are a human?"
"Of course."
Duanmu Huai removed his hat and showed his face. The maid stared at him for a moment, then studied him carefully before nodding.
"I understand… You must be the successor who inherited Lord Barberich's Monster Tamer legacy?"
"…More or less. By the way, has his legacy already been inherited by someone else?"
"No. Lord Barberich's legacy is still safely preserved in this estate."
"Then who are you…?"
Duanmu Huai pointed at the maid. She lifted her skirt and gave him a polite bow.
"Nice to meet you, Monster Tamer-sama. I am a maid."
"No, I know you're a maid. I mean your name—"
"I don't have one."
The maid shook her head.
"I am one of the girl monsters—the Maid-type. That's all."
"...…Huh???"
Duanmu Huai was completely dumbfounded.
He carefully examined the girl from head to toe.
Brown long hair tied in a single ponytail, a blue dress, a white apron, a broom in hand, and a white maid's ribbon on her head.
She looked exactly like a maid.
But maid wasn't a profession?!
What the hell was a Maid-type?!
What kind of nonsense world was this?!
To be honest, Duanmu Huai had countless things he wanted to complain about.
Fortunately, the maid eventually answered his questions.
In fact, inside the study where Duanmu Huai had been teleported earlier, there was a World Creature Encyclopedia. Through it, he finally gained an understanding of the utterly chaotic "biodiversity" of this world.
First of all, the world was divided into several major races: humans, demi-humans, monsters, and others.
Humans were just humans.
Demi-humans consisted of the Kala race and dwarves. The so-called Kala race, in Duanmu Huai's view, were basically elves—they lived in forests and had long ears.
The difference was that the Kala race consisted only of females, and they did not die. Instead, they reincarnated as angels or fell into demons.
Then there were monsters.
Monsters were divided into male monsters and female monsters. Some looked extremely bizarre, while others were nearly indistinguishable from humans.
For example, this maid girl—
No matter how Duanmu Huai examined her, he couldn't find any difference between her and a human. Even if he used Inquisition equipment, the results would indicate that she possessed a human internal structure.
By Inquisition standards, she had not been corrupted by Chaos, showed no skeletal mutations, and although she possessed some psionic ability, she did not fall under any recognized demi-human classification.
As for the rest—dragons, Hani, and other messy things—they all fell under "others."
According to the encyclopedia, male monsters were more common and more violent and aggressive. Female monsters were rarer.
They were called monsters because they weren't particularly friendly toward humans—though not outright hostile either. However, if humans invaded their territory, they would fight back.
Although their appearance didn't reveal much, female monsters weren't entirely normal either.
For example, Maid-types—
All Maid-types looked basically the same as the one Duanmu Huai had seen: brown long hair, single ponytail, identical outfits.
From a certain perspective, humans viewed Maid-types no differently than animals. Same coloring, same form. Only personality and facial details varied.
From that angle, calling them a monster species wasn't exactly wrong.
After all, if you look at a bunch of yellow chicks, unless you've raised them for a while, you can't tell which is which.
Secondly—
For monster species, their outer skin was their clothing.
For instance, the maid outfit this Maid-type wore—if Duanmu Huai tore it off, after a while, she would "grow" another one!
Which also meant that monster species basically didn't change clothes. On rare occasions where their clothing differed, those were rare variants.
Like encountering a differently colored Pokémon on the grasslands.
"…This really is a Monster Tamer training simulator…"
After finishing the encyclopedia, that was Duanmu Huai's only thought.
According to the book, Monster Tamers were divided into male and female Monster Tamers, with male ones being more common.
The place Duanmu Huai had been sent to was essentially a tropical island sealed by barriers. If he wanted to leave, he would have to learn Monster Tamer knowledge and skills, subdue the monster girls, and only then could he depart.
All the monster girls on the island had been summoned decades ago by the old Monster Tamer as inheritance for future generations.
In other words—
If Duanmu Huai could subdue these monster girls and become a Monster Tamer, he would effectively inherit the old Monster Tamer's legacy.
And—
Both male and female monsters were oviparous.
Meaning…
If a Maid-type reproduced, she would lay an egg.
And once the egg hatched, a small maid wearing a maid outfit would emerge…
"…What the hell is this nonsense?!"
After reading the encyclopedia, Duanmu Huai tossed it aside.
The world's setting had left him utterly speechless.
What was this? Human cloning?
No—this felt more like cloned genetic reproduction…
But why did it come with clothes?!
He couldn't make sense of it.
Forget it. If he couldn't understand it, he wouldn't think about it.
In any case—
Let's try it.
"Then, do I have the aptitude to become a Monster Tamer?"
If this were a game, Duanmu Huai would be the kind of player who skipped the tutorial and jumped straight into slaughter.
Controls could be learned through practice.
"Yes."
Hearing his question, the maid nodded and stared straight at him.
"Your eyes are special. We girl monsters are deeply attracted just by looking into them. Without a doubt, you are a female-monster specialist Monster Tamer, and you possess that power."
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Duanmu Huai couldn't help but grin.
"Really?"
"Of course. Please wait a moment. I'll go fetch the Monster Tamer's weapon for you."
With that, the maid turned and left the room.
Duanmu Huai smugly looked at Olgis.
"See, Olgis? There are still people who can appreciate my beauty."
He hadn't missed the intoxicated expression the maid wore earlier. It hadn't been an act—she truly seemed captivated by his appearance.
That was a rare sight indeed.
"But, Master…"
Olgis tilted her head curiously, looking at him.
"They aren't humans. They're monsters, right?"
"So that means… Master, your looks match monster aesthetics?"
"..."
This little cotton jacket wasn't just leaking air—it had a built-in loudspeaker.
Unacceptable.
(End of Chapter)