Shaldina.
She was the first Minotaur to show up.
A woman with snow-white skin. Her hair was golden and long.
Actually, the white skin was a design error in the initial settings—all subsequent Minotaurs ended up with blue skin.
Since she was based on her appearance, she looks like Munieka.
She had blue bull horns and wore the same black-and-white maid outfit as Munieka.
According to Munieka, she was modeled on how she looked four years ago.
Munieka back then was... apparently in her "lost period." Her dark age, basically.
For once, Munieka said she didn't want to talk about that time.
And then there's Shaldina. She was scary in various ways, so I banned her. We haven't met since.
And yet... why did she show up?
"Owa? It's the banned Shaldina—did you call for Munieka?"
"No. I didn't. I was supposed to have summoned Kartaloveda. I haven't released Shaldina since the master told me not to. So there's no way she could have appeared."
That's right. There was no way she could have appeared.
And yet, there she was.
"My, my—seems things have gotten interesting."
"That Minotaur. I can sense her will."
"Oh my. That certainly makes the ban understandable."
The outsiders were being noisy.
She was having tea a little behind us, completely carefree.
Shaldina was staring at me with her eyes open.
I felt like her gaze was piercing me.
I sensed resentment about the ban, but something felt off.
... Was she challenging me?
Right. Since she appeared, she had been losing to me, over and over again.
She kept losing. That must be frustrating.
I lost to Alverld and felt frustrated, too. Very frustrated.
But that was only because I had feelings. Minosdolls had no emotions.
Yet, seeing Shaldina now, I couldn't say that.
"..."
I use [Static One].
I should be able to hear it. The voice in her heart... if she had one.
( Push down... push down push down push down... push down push down... push down... )
"Wait, wait, waaait!"
I shouted without thinking.
Everyone flinched. Shaldina flinched too.
"Th-That can't be right, Ms. Shaldina."
(... Wha... t? ... ?)
She tilted her head slightly, responding to my question with another question.
What do you mean "pin down" — how does that even come up in the first place?
"Shaldina. Return to your position."
Munieka said quietly.
Shaldina glanced at Munieka for just a moment, then turned her gaze back to me.
She had no intention of obeying, it seemed.
Munieka, unusual for her, let emotion show on her face.
"Shaldina!"
Even so, Shaldina ignored her. It looked like stubbornness, pure and simple.
Munieka took a step toward her, as if to say she wouldn't hesitate to use force.
"Ms. Munieka, please wait a moment!"
She stopped at the sound of my voice, and Munieka looked displeased.
"Would you mind leaving this to me?"
"Understood."
"...Shaldina. Let's have a match. But it'll be a little different from usual."
(What will you do?)
"I'm going to use a Relic on you. If you can withstand it, you win."
(If I win, I want some kind of reward.)
"That's fine, I guess. What do you want?"
(I haven't thought about it yet, so I'll figure it out when I win.)
"O-Okay, that works I suppose."
"Nn~ hey, Wof. Have you been chatting with Shardina this whole time~?"
"Ah, uh, well, yes..."
I'd messed up. Shardina wasn't speaking out loud. She was talking inside my head.
I hadn't told the witches that [Still One] let me read minds. This was the one thing I absolutely could not tell anyone.
"Hmm hmm. A voice only you can hear, young Wof... hmm~"
"It's probably because you possess Master authority."
"Huh? Wait, isn't Muñeca normally the Master?"
"I hold the authority of Sub-Master, the tier below."
"Why...?"
"It's only natural for the Master to hold Master authority."
"Huh..."
Come to think of it, how far exactly did she intend to take this "Master" thing?
I'd always assumed Muñeca was just teasing me.
But lately, I'd been picking up on something.
She actually seemed to be genuinely committed to our master-servant relationship.
I didn't know why. Why was she so...?
"Master. I need to talk to you later."
"Y-Yes."
Muñeca had said that to me, apparently noticing how I was acting.
Somehow, I already had a feeling what it was about.
("……You won't fight me?")
She sounded somewhat sulky.
"Oh, sorry. Let's start."
When I said that, Chardina brought both her arms together in front of her chest.
A defensive stance. I could tell it looked solid at a glance.
I held out my hand.
Through the Awakened Water, I recalled the proper way to use Banish.
I unleashed it.
"Banish."
I spoke the incantation and activated it. In that instant, the shockwave rattled the air and erased the space itself.
It was over in an instant.
In that single instant, Chardina and everything in her vicinity had been utterly erased. Nothing remained.
The range encompassed everything I could see — the trees behind her had been wiped out as well.
"………………"
I remembered. Everything disappears.
This was the scene from the first time I used Banish.
When I was so terrified I shrieked that I could never use something like this — yes, that was it.
My uncle, who was nearby, laughed and said:
"Well then, that's just fine. Let's make it so you can use it. I've got something good for you. It's my ace in the hole."
What my uncle produced at that time was — Awakened Water…?
What made it so I could use [Banish] more easily... was that because of uncle's Awakened Water?
Actually, wait — uncle. Why on earth did you have something that insanely valuable?
The witches offered their impressions.
"Well now, this is quite something."
"Utterly dangerous, isn't it?"
"Hmm... this is bad. I wonder if even a Zomorodonegaru could cut through this..."
Zom... what? Mnieka opens her mouth and calls out.
"Shardina."
Oh — Shardina!?
"Shardina!"
Completely erased — not a trace, not a shadow.
I was stunned. This wasn't supposed to... this wasn't supposed to happen. And then—
The Minosdore Finite Proliferation Core System floating beside Mnieka lit up.
From the ground, Shardina was generated.
"Shardina!?"
Shardina looked around at herself, took in her surroundings, and then met my eyes.
The moment we locked eyes, she came straight at me, tears in her eyes, and started bonking me over and over.
(Push him down... I'm gonna push him down, push him down, push him down, PUSH HIM DOWWWN!)
"Ow ow ow — sorry! I'm sorry!"
It genuinely hurt, and since Shardina's taller than me, every hit landed right on top of my head.
Munieka let out a sigh.
"Shardina. How about you stop about there."
Shardina looked at Munieka and stopped immediately.
Then she muttered, looking frustrated.
(Next time I'll win.)
She glared at me once, then vanished.
Shiro murmured.
"Comedic and amusing, but this won't work, will it."
"...No, it won't."
What should I do. This is a tough one.
Suddenly the witch crossed her arms, perked up her fox ears, and swayed all three tails side to side.
Then she grinned.
"Well, well. Something might be done about that, you know."
"Really?"
"Mhm, mhm. Young Wof. You've come this far — just one more step. I'll go check on that step for you."
"Check?"
With that, the witch said she'd be back shortly and headed out.
Shiro watched her retreating figure and spoke.
"The eternal shut-in has gotten remarkably aggressive."
"Ahahaha — but she really has changed, hasn't she? The witch. Truly."
"Oh my, so I'm the only one who's changed, am I?"
"Well nooow~. Says the one who's always off alone — now *that's* unusual~"
"Whatever could you mean?"
"I happen to knoow~ about you and Wof~"
"Sounds like you have a death wish. Fine. I'll teach you a white, sweet death."
"W-wait—"
Over there, it sounded like they were calmly but steadily going at each other. Probably my imagination.
"Master."
Munieka stood three paces in front of me, having stepped back to that distance.
I couldn't help but smile bitterly at how far she went, but she was completely serious.
That was clear from the way she held herself.