Atelier Tanaka

Book 7: Chapter 1 (1)

Ordinary Day

Quite some time had passed since I was last in Dragon City. The current city is hardly recognizable to the one I left.

Much of the city had been added onto in the time since I was last here. The loligon didn’t stop at adding a massive tower to the cityscape. I spoke with Gon-chan and Neumann who informed me of the changes. That’s why I decided to spend part of the day exploring the additions to the city.

I still needed to report to His Majesty and Richard so I can’t stay here for too long, but it’s the duty of a noble to regularly inspect the state of his land. I don’t think it would hurt to stay here for a few days.

My first stop was the slums in the southern district.

Enough time had passed since this place turned into a full-fledged city that this disregarded section of the town should be falling into disrepair. I need something to replace the memories I have of my penis-filled journey through Academy City.

Maybe I’ll have a chance to watch something interesting.

I can make my impressive appearance as the savior of the slums.

My heart was beating faster and faster as I fantasized about what I might see. Before I knew it, I was running, and not long after, I noticed my body floating as I unintentionally activated my flight magic. I floated a few inches off the ground as I raced toward the slums.

It didn’t take long to reach my destination using my flight magic.

However, my glorious slums had been devastated.

“…how did this happen?”

The ruins and rubble I had so carefully created using my Fireball had been fixed by human hands. The holes I had blown through walls were patched with clay or wooden boards. Even the glass panes that I had shattered or melted were replaced in some of the windows. Some of these homes would even fit in a gated community.

I filled these streets with trash and rubble. I meticulously dug up sections of the street, but these had all been filled and the cobblestone path looked perfect. Someone took the initiative to plant trees and flowers along the street so even if there was something happening, I wouldn’t be able to see it. They do smell good though.

The classic slums that I had worked hard to create were destroyed.

Of course, nobody was having sex or being assaulted by a monster.

I noticed a cute teenage girl happily chasing a butterfly-like insect down the street as she cheerfully laughed. A nearby boy watched her with a loving gaze. This is the type of place where such peaceful boyfriend-girlfriend moments can happen.

No, that’s not how it’s supposed to be.

This is supposed to be a place where the former is being gang raped by a group of vagrants while the latter looks on in horror while being simultaneously raped by a slutty woman. He’ll scream, “Stop, don’t do this,” while his lower body won’t stop thrusting before finishing inside of her. Of course, the former has already given into the pleasure as she vigorously swings her hips without any regard for her boyfriend’s gaze. She had already become a prisoner of pleasure.

As lord of this city, I was supposed to get a nice scene for tonight’s meal.

“This just isn’t right.”

I don’t even recognize this place.

If I don’t do something about this, my dream of a slum filled with slutty women and rapists will disappear. This was my chance to build the perfect slums within my city. The people that would typically inhabit such an area will find no place to welcome them or for them to call home and they’ll leave. If any other area of the city could be a potential home, it’s clear that these places won’t last long before the loligon gets to them with her magic.

This place brings me no joy; the joy I expected from my ideal slums.

“…I don’t have a choice.”

I hardened my heart for the difficult decision I had to make.

This busamen is the only one that can do it.

I refuse to give up on this dream.

Once my mind was made up, I needed to act quickly. I flew high into the sky to get an overview of my lost slums and found a place with little signs of activity. I spotted an area near the eastern section that looked like it had yet to be fully repaired.

I need to do this now while I have the chance.

I quickly hid my face with the cloak I wore before anyone could identify me.

It’s time for this busamen to turn into the demon of the slums.

I landed back down on the ground and scanned the area for people. After seeing no sign of life, I prepared a spell to fire toward a nearby building. I kept the power low, but manipulated it in such a way that it would produce an ear-shattering bang when it exploded.

“Fireball!”

A volleyball sized fireball erupted from my hand and hurtled toward the target in front of me.

It raced through the air and exploded with a thunderous boom once it connected with the wall.

I confirmed my first Fireball created the level of destruction I wished before haphazardly firing off a quick succession of fireballs. Of course, the consecutive explosions drew the attention of people from the surrounding areas who immediately turned and fled once they spotted me.

The devastating magic I used combined with the noble garb I wore was enough to scare anyone off that may have considered intervening. The cloak I wore as a face covering must have added to the intimidation factor. I’ve become a masked pervert haunting the streets of my beloved slums.

It felt good.

My first target was nearly destroyed to a level that satisfied me.

I moved on to my next target once I was finished.

I’m not trying to completely destroy it. I want to damage each building enough while still leaving the walls and roof standing. With a certain delicacy I’d never used before, I shot off fireballs at another building. The fireballs left scorch marks, melted brick and glass, and created large cracks that stretched up the length of the walls. I continued on the next building in line and then the next until I was satisfied.

I melted away the clay that patched the holes I had previously created. Sections of the cobblestone path were dug up, exposing the naked dirt beneath, and forming potholes all along it. Every sign of greenery or plant life was burned away. The slowly emerging private community was returning to its rightful position as the slums of Dragon City.

It was a painful change to witness in real time, but that is the emotion one should feel when being in the slums.

This rebuild of my precious slums goes against the original intention of Dragon City in the first place. No section of the city has been built with residential plots in mind. The space I have in my territory is limited and we wouldn’t have nearly enough land to provide housing for everybody. We’d need to sell private citizens plots of land, but with such a limited amount, we’d have to give preferential treatment to some which I am against.

This is a slum. A necessary part of any city. There is nothing more to it. My desire to see a poor tsundere beggar being gang raped by other homeless people plays no part in my decision to create these slums. These are tough decisions to make, but that is the burden placed on the lord of any territory.

I held an image of my ideal slums in mind as I terrorized this section of the city. I ensured every building was damaged to some degree, burned away the trees until only blackened stumps remained, and destroyed the flowers. I saw more butterflies and assumed they would look disgusting up close so I incinerated them from a distance.

Slowly, building by building, the original slums returned.

I should be able to finish within half a day.

“…good.”

I couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on my face.

As my mind was preoccupied by my work, I almost didn’t notice a small figure jump out from a nearby building.

The silhouette made me think of a capybara and the size wasn’t that different either. However, the creature had a long tail which reminded me of a fox and its length made the creature’s overall size seem larger. Incidentally, its fur looked incredibly soft and fluffy.

It made a lunge for my face before I could even understand what was happening.

“Eh!?”

I crossed my arms across my face and braced for the attack.

The creature was ready for my defense and sunk its sharp fangs into my arm. It was only a couple days ago that Pi-chan’s attack couldn’t even scratch me, but this thing easily pierced my skin.

Wow, she’s strong for such a small creature.

It’s on par with a High Orc.

Now that I can get a better look at it, I know this creature. It was a small rat-like animal I found in the nearby woods when I was first building the slums. I recall wanting some type of vermin to inhabit the sewers.

When I first encountered her in the first, she didn’t run or hide so it was similar to stealing a pet cat, but now its true power has shown. I never realized I adopted such a strong creature. I feel like I’ve been scammed.

And what’s with the job of ‘pet?’ That sounds like a job I’d enjoy.

“Ku….”

I could feel the white hot pain running through my arm from where the creature’s teeth sunk in.

I swung my arm wildly which was enough to get it to detach its teeth from me. The small creature went flying through the air before doing a somersault and landing gracefully on the ground. It was quite dexterous which was easy to understand after seeing its status window.

The creature still hadn’t lost its fight.

Its eyes locked on mine and it let out an intimidating growl. It crouched down and looked to be waiting for the right moment to launch its next attack. There’s no settling this peacefully.

What should I do?

I checked to see that no permanent damage had been done to my arm before looking back at the creature.

It was then that I noticed behind the threatening figure was a young girl. She was just a child, maybe around seven or so. I noticed a similar creature sitting at her feet.

This one was mimicking the pose of the other, baring its teeth as it growled.

“…w-watch out. You might get burned.”

The girl called out to the small animal.

I saw that she held a small creature in her arms as well.

It was the same as the creature that attacked me, but it was only an infant that must have just been born. It’s eyes were closed and I couldn’t tell if it was asleep or so young that they had yet to open. I wondered if it was the baby of the creature currently attacking me.

I don’t think I can look much more evil than this.

I then noticed other figures emerging from the surrounding rubble. There were residents that surrounded me after noticing the disturbance. The worrisome part was that each resident had the same small creature at their feet. There were nearly a dozen of them.

They were all baring their fangs and growling in the same manner.

It was as if they were protecting the people of the slums.

“….”

I never expected the random vermin I picked up would become the protector of the slums. It’s well suited to the job of ‘pet.’ That’s far removed from the role I had in mind for these creatures.

Now that I think about it, I only introduced a few of them to the slums. How have their numbers increased so dramatically? I only recall their being one or two adults, so it would be hard to imagine there would be enough time for the two to reproduce this much. It’s possible a group of the creatures from outside the city joined up with the few that I brought in.

How would they have got inside though? The entire city is surrounded by walls.

“You can’t. He’s a noble man. Y-You have to stop….”

Tears filled the loli’s eyes as she begged the creature to stand down.

“….”

An innocent young girl and the brave animal that protects her.

I can’t do anything about this. No matter how much I want to retake my precious slums, I can’t incinerate that animal in front of the innocent loli. The rage that was slowly building inside of me faded and was replaced by the desire to apologize.

I want to abandon all of my worldly possessions and flee to some far off country.

But then who would return my slums to their rightful state of depravity?

Damn it.

The soy sauce face slums.

“…how about we call this a draw for now?”

The deep growl of the creature filled the city streets.

“However, I promise that I have not and will not give up. I will retake my slums.”

I shouldn’t stay here any longer and give someone a chance to see my face.

If I let this go on too long, the city knights, also known as the Twilight Company, might get called in. The smart thing to do is retreat and regroup so that I can come up with a foolproof plan to retake the slums. I could try coming back during the night. Whatever plan I settle on, there are many options available to me. If the desire in your heart is true, gang rape will always win out in the end.

“Now then, I believe that’s enough for today.”

I left these parting words as I turned on my heel and lifted myself into the air.

The busamen has left the slums.

***