Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 30
When Ragnar appears, Dullahan hides.
Not only because he is strong, but because even as a monster, the memory of having once been a childhood friend remains.
Perhaps because of that, even though I’d guided them along the patrol route Brownie and I had mapped out during the early hours, we couldn’t find him.
“He should show up around here…”
“If he’s hidden himself, what can we do? We can’t search the entire forest.”
In the end, we made our way to Sabira’s Tomb.
“Well, according to what the earth spirit I know told me…”
“That soil potato who kept yammering on?”
Soil potato—it suits him perfectly.
“Yes, Brownie said that Dullahan has a habit of wandering about, searching for his lost Head…”
I glanced at both their faces, but fortunately neither showed any sign of reproach toward me.
“Then the tomb must contain the head he’s desperately seeking.”
“……”
“Ragnar, how did Sabira meet her end? I’ve only heard that she died—I don’t know the details. I didn’t even know her tomb was here. If you’d told me beforehand, I would have visited often.”
It seems Ragnar hadn’t told his teacher Luadis much about his friend’s death either.
But I overheard it. Is that all right?
“As you might expect… her neck was severed. I’m fairly certain the head Dullahan is searching for is in the tomb.”
Ragnar reached toward the Pendant Necklace hanging on the stick. Luadis’s eyes flickered at the sight of it. He recognized the object.
“Then will you proceed properly?”
“…If the remains of a dead friend are being desecrated and we can grant peace, then we should do so.”
He gazed blankly at the faded photograph inside the pendant, muttering in a low voice.
“By the way… if we proceed properly…?”
“We’ll excavate the remaining remains and burn them.”
“Gasp!”
“Keeping Dullahan close to the head is not a good approach. The closer Dullahan gets to his head, the stronger he becomes. That’s why we burn it to weaken him.”
So the head is his weakness.
“Even if he continues avoiding Ragnar like this, as the head disappears, he’ll gradually lose his strength. And after enough time passes, he’ll eventually be Purified by the Holy Stone’s power and fade away. Though it would take at least several more years.”
If that happens, the Dullahan recruitment plan is completely off the table.
Of course, back when I revealed Dullahan’s secret to Ragnar, I’d already given up on recruiting him as staff.
But his response, which defied my expectations with its composure, made my boldness grow just a little.
I haven’t suffered nearly enough for this yet. I feel a slight pang of regret, that’s all.
‘If I give up now, Brownie won’t let it slide either…. Maybe I should bring it up after all? Though Ragnar described Dullahan as having his dead friend’s remains desecrated….’
If I said I wanted to continue desecrating them and have him work in the Dungeon instead…?
This time I’d definitely be dragged away as a heretic.
Another wave of internal conflict made my head throb.
‘Even just testing the waters a little…’
You can at least try, Gong Choi!
“Um… couldn’t we use the head to lure Dullahan out?”
“The outcome depends on which desire is stronger among the obsessions controlling the monster’s mind. The desire to reclaim the head versus the desire to avoid Ragnar.”
Luadis gestured alternately at the tomb and Ragnar with his chin as he spoke.
“As you both know, I’m a little special, aren’t I? I can even communicate with monsters.”
Both of them looked at me with eyes that said ‘go on’.
“What if I use that head to call Dullahan out and try?”
“Suppose you could. Call him out—and then what? What would you do?”
“Well, perhaps he could air out his grievances and feel better…”
“Air out his grievances? With a monster?”
I was startled by Ragnar’s response.
I’d thought he’d feel some compassion because the monster was once his friend, but his reaction was colder than expected.
To Ragnar, Sabira as she was then and Dullahan as he is now seem to be entirely separate beings.
No matter that the monster was born from his friend’s body, a monster is ultimately a monster.
“Oh, that’s not what I meant. You said yourself that some kind of memory of his friend might remain, didn’t you? So I thought perhaps we could draw out those old memories…. And it would be good to say a final farewell.”
Trying first to prevent the remains from being burned, my words tumble out in disarray.
“I’m curious about that myself, actually.”
Unexpected support fire.
“How much of their pre-death memories do Undead actually retain?”
In truth, I already know the answer to that question to some extent. Skeleton Net, our Dungeon staff member, provided it.
The answer is: case by case.
Higher-Rank monsters are more likely to retain memories from their living days, but even lower-Rank monsters sometimes, rarely, recall their human past with vivid clarity.
Of course, since our employees are all low-grade monsters, they had no memories before death.
“My last farewell with Sabira was nothing more than when we left the Training Grounds, so I wish to give a true final goodbye to a child who will become a star for eternity.”
“I… I’m not certain about that. Can we really say that’s truly her?”
“You’re right. That isn’t the real Sabira. When you think about it, it’s no different from a jar holding Sabira’s memories, is it?”
…….
“Even so, though it’s late, I wish to tell that child I’m sorry. Sorry for sending you all out into a dangerous world unprepared. It’s nothing but self-consolation on my part, I know.”
“Master….”
Luadis looked toward Sabira’s Tomb, his expression growing bitter.
“Had I trained her more properly, she would have become a magnificent blade.”
“The adventure was entirely our own choice, not anyone’s compulsion. That we were unprepared then… that was my fault, Master. Sabira was magnificent.”
Soon the two of them exchanged looks in silence, speaking volumes without words.
I let my gaze drift to the pink sky as the sun began to set, giving them time to compose their emotions.
My own chest had grown heavy without reason.
If I were to watch someone close to me die and become a monster, what would I feel?
Because I’d never really considered such a thing, it was hard to imagine.
In truth, I’d never experienced the death of anyone close to me.
My grandparents were elderly but still healthy, and my parents were fine, my friends the same.
Well, there was a distant relative who’d passed, but since we’d barely kept in touch, I felt no particular depth of emotion toward it.
Would I feel upset? Sad? Or perhaps joy at being able to see them again?
Plenty of people hope their dead loved ones will return in any form at all.
‘I really… I don’t know. Either way, I’d probably feel sad. Or maybe… I’d just be afraid.’
Then I suddenly recalled Ragnar’s face from when we’d talked at the Restaurant.
‘He didn’t seem surprised at all when he heard his friend had become a monster. Could it be… that Ragnar has already experienced something similar?’
It seemed that cases where Magia settles in a corpse and creates an Undead monster are more common than I’d thought.
Since Ragnar had been adventuring for a long time, he must have seen all manner of things.
Perhaps… he’d even watched a companion become a monster.
“Gong Choi.”
“Eek! Y-yes!”
I snapped out of my reverie at the sound of Ragnar calling me.
“Would you help me meet Sabira again?”
“Of course! I’ll do everything I can to help!”
Success! At least I’d managed to stop her remains from being burned right away!
Once our course of action was decided, the next steps followed swiftly.
Ragnar first knelt before his friend’s tomb and recited a prayer—one directed toward God Reta, who stood opposed to our Demon King’s faction.
Luadis stood behind him in silence, head bowed respectfully, and I caught the cue and followed suit.
Since I’m aligned with the Demon King’s side, I’d been slightly worried that hearing the prayer might make me glow like a demon being exorcised….
But I felt nothing at all.
That was a relief.
Once the prayer ended, the two of them carefully began digging into the soil of the tomb.
Out of courtesy I should have helped, but… I was honest about being afraid and kept my distance, merely watching.
I didn’t have the nerve to look at human remains with a clear mind. And especially not when it would almost certainly be just a severed head….
What if it haunted my dreams? Our Dungeon is already dark and gloomy enough—no need to make my mental health any worse.
“Just stay put over there. What could you possibly help with, those skinny arms of yours.”
“But I’m actually quite good at carrying heavy things!”
She’s a surprisingly stubborn sort.
“So you’ll help?”
“No, I apologize. I shouldn’t presume.”
I was grateful they both accepted it gracefully.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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