Chapter 17: Shadows Beneath Two Suns

The atmosphere in the reception room became chaotic.

“That cannot be… We have put a great deal of effort into the Sacred Object process since this planet’s colonization.”

A planet possesses a will.

It can be viewed as a type of Gaia theory.

In this world, it has been proven as a fact.

As evidence, it manifested in the forms of Apostles, Sacred Objects, and Divine Objects.

From the perspective of those governing a planet stably, it is a nuisance.

Therefore, during the initial colonial development process, the planet’s will is broken.

Afterward, it is controlled using space stations.

“Furthermore, we have been calling in experts periodically to conduct inspections.”

Even experts cannot provide a perfect diagnosis.

Well. My words would carry less weight than those of someone rumored to be a scoundrel.

So, I should sprinkle in a bit of bait.

“Upon investigation, I have learned that there are similar cases among foreign races.”

At my words, the Butler hurriedly extended a tentacle to the Head of the Family and whispered.

A mouth was attached to the end of the tentacle.

Presumably, he was informing him that among the ships I brought, some belonged to foreign races.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Yes. I will stake the honor of my family on it.”

I’m not sure if I’m allowed to stake that, though.

Tzuuk-!

Ten more eyes popped out from the body of the Head of the Family.

He then observed me intently.

“You. You are speaking with conviction.”

“I do not tell lies that are bound to be discovered. However, I will take the excavated Sacred Object.”

“Do so. If it is a Sacred Object that brings a curse upon our manor, it would be harmful to the Shoggoth Race anyway.”

It is not a Sacred Object, but a Divine Object.

Normally, one would obtain a Sacred Object, but while the curse is active on the Head of the Family, a Divine Object in its complete form can be obtained.

The timing of my visit to this planet was exquisite.

“Thank you.”

“If there is anything you need, speak. I will support you with all my might.”

“First. I need 20 cameras for energy observation. They must be high-performance.”

“Butler. See to it.”

“Also, an altar is required, and you, My Lord, must also take a risk.”

“I shall do so. I don’t have much longer to live anyway.”

The curse is a form of madness.

At a certain time, one goes on a rampage and begins to prey upon their own kind.

What if they refuse? They die.

Furthermore, the amount they must consume every day increases.

If they cannot handle the amount they must eat, they die.

For the record, this curse only affects the Head of the Family.

Regardless of the title, it is something the highest-ranking person on this planet falls victim to, so there is no way to avoid it.

Lastly, they die even if they leave the planet.

“Thank you for believing in me. Finally, I also need the assistance of someone with judicial authority.”

“I understand that as well.”

***

The Doros family represents beauty in Sector 16.

Within it, the Fifth Young Lady is said to be the most beautiful of all.

Her heart was in turmoil.

The marriage she had been preparing for was canceled.

This promise belonged to the previous Head of the Family.

Nevertheless, it was unilaterally terminated.

“My Lady. It is truly for the best.”

Is he not famous as the greatest scoundrel in Sector 16?

Then, he would surely be obsessed with women. He might even neglect her.

“Even so, it’s a shame.”

Because she was confident she could tame a scoundrel.

She was well-known for her beauty even within the Doros family.

Since she was young, she never neglected her training in stealing the hearts of the opposite sex.

Now, she had even surpassed the Butler’s transformation techniques.

People called her a genius.

She became one of the top experts within the family.

“What do you mean it’s a shame, My Lady? He’s the one who should feel sorry! He kicked away his own good fortune. Good fortune, I say.”

At the maid’s words, she only gave a faint smile.

It was because she felt it was a waste to lose the title of the beauty who tamed the greatest scoundrel of Sector 16.

Then one day.

“My Lady!!! He’s here. He’s arrived.”

“Why are you making such a fuss? Who arrived?”

“That scoundrel has come to visit!!”

The moment she heard those words, the core inside her body trembled slightly.

A man should at least have this much spirit.

“He brought nearly 100 cargo ships. Could it be a dowry?”

“I… I see.”

“But it won’t be easy. Our Doros family isn’t lacking in wealth.”

The Fifth Young Lady thought so too.

Still, she wanted to see his face at least once.

“Bring the dress my brother gave me for my birthday.”

“But that is one you treasure so much….”

“Still, he came all this way with such effort. I should show some sincerity.”

She would decorate herself with all her heart.

She would show him how beautiful the fiancée he missed out on was.

And she would make him live a life of regret forever.

However.

“Why… Why is he not coming to see me?”

***

I left the mansion accompanied by the Doros people.

I asked them to attach people with judicial authority, and the Butler and the servants from earlier followed along.

Well. Since this planet is private property, I suppose that’s how it works.

“Please, everyone, disguise yourselves as commoners.”

At those words, everyone shook their bodies.

To the slimes, clothes were just small pieces of cloth.

They moved these freely to make them look like clothing.

Thump, thump!

They attached rags or leaves to their bodies.

Even without looking, I could tell what the lives of the commoners were like.

It wasn’t for nothing that a curse was being cast.

“Where shall we escort you?”

“Let’s go to the slums.”

“The slums….”

He seemed to be hesitating.

In my eyes, most of the commoners seemed poor.

To the point where it was hard to distinguish between the poor and the commoners.

“Ah! We should go to Sector C-18.”

The Butler suddenly seemed to recall a place.

“By the way, what are you planning to do in the slums?”

“We need to raid a black market deal.”

“They are very secretive, so even we find it difficult to locate them.”

“That is not difficult.”

I spread the energy measurement lenses wide like a satellite dish.

Density was displayed on the monitor like a thermal imaging camera.

“Oh. It can be utilized in this manner as well.”

It’s a method commonly used for enemy detection once you pass the mid-game.

The first time I discovered the Shoggoth Race’s Sacred Object was also in the mid-game.

I had accidentally entered the planet on a ship.

Startled by the reaction caught on the detector, I had opened fire.

Ridiculously, a Sacred Object reaction had occurred there.

That was how I came to know about this Sacred Object.

“It’s over there.”

There was an immediate reaction.

Finding the black market site was not difficult.

I moved stealthily toward the scene with the people of the Doros family.

“Everyone, keep this in mind. You must not keep your gaze lower than your opponent’s.”

I delivered cautionary instructions to them.

“When looking at the opponent, stretch your tentacles as high as possible and look down.”

“Is there a reason we must do that?”

“If you look from below, your abyss will be encroached upon by the darkness.”

Their expressions said they had no idea what I was talking about.

Can I really trust these guys?

Well, they are the pillars supporting a prestigious family, so they should do well.

Ssssh-!

We moved stealthily.

Then we stopped at a dilapidated shack full of holes.

“It’s here.”

We could see the black market scene in real-time.

“If you borrowed money, shouldn’t you pay it back?!”

“I… I have already repaid it at 500% interest. Sir.”

The clothing of the person doing the threatening was familiar.

I had seen people in similar outfits on this planet.

They were likely officials.

“Hmph! Since you didn’t pay the interest on time, the principal naturally ballooned. You don’t even know something as basic as this?!”

“Even when I went to see you on the day the interest was due, you wouldn’t meet with me….”

“Then you should have waited until I would meet you or paid in advance. Do you think a man as busy as me with public affairs can be seen at any time?!”

Anyone could see the official was being unreasonable.

The enraged Butler tried to rush into the house.

Grab!

I quickly caught him and shook my head.

‘Ugh, it’s slimy.’

A slippery liquid got on my hand.

Fortunately, there was no unpleasant smell.

“If you raid now, the parasitic Sacred Object will escape.”

The Sacred Object will abandon its host and flee at any time if the host becomes endangered.

Therefore, we must wait for the right moment.

Until we can see its form.

“I can’t have this. Since you lack the ability to pay back, pay with your body.”

“Are you trying to sell me to a brothel….”

“Would a business even run with someone like you? Where would I use a half-wit who can’t even change their appearance properly?”

Not all Shoggoths were good at transforming.

Naturally, in their society, those who couldn’t transform did not receive proper treatment.

Other races wouldn’t find them interesting either.

“I’ll just take 20 eyeballs.”

“Th… That!! If that happens, I won’t even have 10 eyes left. Please….”

Should I, who only has two eyes, just die then?

At any rate, such things invariably happen on the Shoggoth planet.

Because those eyeballs are the materials for the lenses.

Eyeballs are traded at very high prices.

“They’ll grow back if you try hard enough. More than 10 eyeballs are too good for the likes of you! What are you all doing? Grab him!”

The official’s subordinates forcibly seized the debtor.

“Pl… Please!!”

He pleaded, but it was useless.

They pulled the tentacles to their limit and gouged out the roots.

“Aaaaargh!”

A painful scream rang out.

Beside me, the Butler’s skin turned red.

His body also trembled uncontrollably.

“Forced extraction. I have shown a shameful sight to an outsider.”

“Don’t be so disheartened; there are bastards like that everywhere.”

It probably wasn’t much comfort.

He likely wanted to get rid of that trash immediately, but that was also impossible.

We waited until the time was right.

Aaaaargh!

Every time a tentacle was pulled out, the scream grew louder.

But no neighbors came to help him.

They all seemed to be in similar circumstances.

“It’s almost time. When one sun sets, that is when we attack.”

Didn’t I say there is no night because this planet is in a binary star system?

That’s right. The night as generally conceived does not exist.

However, for 10 minutes a day, a moment comes when one sun sets and a shadow is cast.

They called that the night.

Saaaraaak~!

One sun in the sky set.

Shadows appeared in the world.

“Now!”

No sooner had I spoken than the employees of the Doros family leaped down from the roof of the shack.

“Sapiros. You scoundrel! Did you think you would be safe after committing such acts?!”

“B… Butler?!”

The official, Sapiros, was flustered.

It seemed the two of them knew each other.

If he was high-ranking enough to know the Butler, then this guy was likely quite high-level as well.

It’s no wonder they’re hard to catch when high-ranking officials are personally out in the field like this.

“You have tarnished the honor of the Great Doros Family. Surrender your core and die quietly!”

“If… If you pretend you didn’t see me, I will give you money.”

“You dare try to bribe me with filthy money?! Die!!”

The Butler, drawing a rapier, and the employees approached Sapiros.

“Eeeek-!!”

Sapiros neither gave up nor fought back.

The choice he made was to flee.

The fellow wriggled and climbed up the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

The employees hurriedly tried to catch him, but.

“Those idiots!!”

I spat out a curse.

I clearly told them not to look up from below.

Ssssh!

Sapiros’s shadow consumed the shadows of the employees.

The shadow, which grew larger in an instant, peeked at other shadows.

Fortunately, the Butler, perhaps remembering my words, had his eyes closed.

Slurp!

Instead, he changed the eyes at the ends of his tentacles into ears.

He pursued Sapiros using sound through his multiple ears.

However.

Aaaaargh!

Some employees still made mistakes even after seeing their comrades fall.

The shadow grew even larger.

Tzu-zu-zuk-!

In the end, the shadow abandoned its host and manifested.

A form of deep darkness flared up like a flame.

In that form, it began to roam the streets.

Kyaaaaak!

The residents screamed.

Simultaneously, it devoured their shadows as well.

It had now grown as large as a house.

“I should have just handled it myself from the beginning.”

An easy task had become complicated.

I had deferred to them for the sake of their dignity, and it led to this disaster.

I shouldn’t have trusted these eye-monsters who were useless for anything except transformation.

“Should I step in?”

The Vice-Captain spoke.

I hurriedly covered her eyes with my hand.

Because the creature’s body was reaching the roof.

“It seems that’s what we’ll have to do.”

“Understood.”

The Vice-Captain covered her eyes with a hood.

Then, she drew her daggers.

The attacks would be somewhat effective.

Because the Vice-Captain could handle Force.

“You won’t be able to finish it within the time limit just by attacking normally.”

Once both suns rise, it will vanish.

“Then, what should I do?”

“Can you jump higher than that thing with me on your back?”

As a noble, I possess Force as well.

However, my talent for utilizing it was atrocious.

“With this planet’s gravity, it is fully possible. But I can only do it once.”

As expected of an Elf who went all-in on agility.

“That’s enough.”

I was glad I brought the Vice-Captain along.