Volume 4 Chapter 119 Do Pink Sheep Dream of Love Hotels
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Eyes as crimson as fresh blood stared directly into mine.
I couldn’t look away from them. It felt familiar, somehow. As if I had known her since time immemorial. A deep warmth bloomed within my chest.
The girl’s lips slowly parted.
”I am… Mel.”
Her voice was like the clear chime of silver bells.
”I was born… to become Darling’s wife.”
Those words sank into my heart in a strange, natural way.
I see. This girl has been waiting for me all this time.
Something deep within my mind clicked perfectly into place.
I have to protect her. I have to make her happy. If it’s for her sake, I can do anything.
”Goshujin-sama?”2
Sphica was calling out to me, but she could wait.
Right now, nothing mattered more than letting Mel rest.
I stepped gently toward her and lifted her slender, delicate frame into my arms.
”Ah…”
She was light. Light as a feather. Mel didn’t resist at all; instead, she leaned her weight completely into my chest, looking deeply relieved.
”Darling”
That single word filled my entire heart to the brim. A natural smile spilled across my face.
”It’s alright. You’re safe now”
”Mr. Taro!”
This time it was Yomi’s voice. She was screaming. But why on earth was she making a face like that?
”Milord!?”
”Taro!”
Kéa and Korukona’s voices followed immediately after.
”Is there no danger present, sir?”
”Taro, you’re acting weird!”
I ignored them all and stood up.
”Goshujin-sama!”
Sphica shrieked.
”Return to your senses!”3
What were they even talking about? I was perfectly sane. In fact, my head had never felt clearer than it did at this exact moment. Why was everyone trying to stop me? I was only trying to protect this girl.
”He has been charmed!”
Sphica’s scream cut through the air.
”Goshujin-sama! The creature’s True Name is――”
I didn’t hear the rest.
I flung open the door to the Love Hotel and strode into the lobby. Without stopping, I picked an empty room, ducked inside, and slammed the door shut behind us. I threw the lock. The sharp, heavy click of the deadbolt echoed through the room.
Silence.
The commotion outside was completely cut off. It was a space for just the two of us—Mel and me. Under normal circumstances, this was a place where I could breathe a sigh of absolute relief. A completely safe zone. My absolute sanctuary, where no one else could ever intrude.
”Darling”
Mel smiled softly.
The moment I saw that smile, a sudden, icy shiver ran straight down my spine.
”…?”
No. Something was wrong. A tiny, prickling sensation of wrongness pierced the depths of my chest.
The very air inside the Love Hotel felt different than usual. It was restless.
No. It wasn’t just restless.
I was being rejected.
”This can’t be…”
I instinctively looked around the room. Nothing had changed. The familiar interior. The familiar bed.
And yet, a stark sensation that the Love Hotel itself was refusing to accept me pricked at my skin.
It was impossible. This Love Hotel was my own skill. My absolute sanctuary. My most reliable ally, closer than anyone else. For this very hotel to reject me…
”…No”
That wasn’t it. The one being rejected wasn’t me.
It was my――my current Status.
”Is this… a warning?”
There was no one to answer. Only the foreign sensation deep in my chest grew steadily stronger, sharper.
Why? What was wrong with this? I only wanted to hold the girl in front of me. I only wished for us to love one another.
”Darling? What’s wrong”
Mel tilted her head. Her pink hair swayed gently.
”No, it’s nothing. I’m fine”
”I’m glad”
Mel smiled.
I felt something entwine itself around my leg. Looking down, I saw a long, slender black tail. Its tip tapered into a sharp heart shape. So it was her tail.
It looked just like a demon’s tail. It was cute.
The tail stroked against my thigh. A thrilling shiver ran through me.
”Darling, where is this place?”
Mel asked, looking around the room as if suddenly remembering her surroundings.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, she caressed my leg with her tail as she spoke.
”This is a Love Hotel. A place where two people who love each other come to confirm their feelings”
”Wow!”
A bright smile bloomed on her face.
”Are you going to love Mel?”
”Of course”
The words spilled naturally from my lips. I laid Mel down onto the large bed and leaned over her.
”Darling…”
Mel closed her eyes.
Her lips were red, glossy, and inviting.
The sense of wrongness in my head grew more intense. The warning from the Love Hotel blared louder in my mind.
As if I cared. I had Mel right here with me.
Clink.
A dry, hollow sound echoed from behind me.
I turned around and saw a bottle of hair tonic rolling across the floor. It seemed to have fallen from the vanity. But why?
Intending to clean it up, I climbed off the bed and picked up the bottle.
”Darling, what’s that”
Mel peered over curiously from the bed.
”Oh, it’s something to style your hair with. Like this…”
Intending to show her how it worked, I lifted it above my head.
But the cap must have been loosened by the impact of the fall—it slipped clean off.
”Whoa!?”
”Ah”
A massive amount of the liquid poured directly onto my head.
Whoosh.
A deep, icy coolness rushed over me, soaking straight through to my skull.
And just like that, the fog in my mind completely vanished.
My rational thoughts rushed back at breakneck speed, exactly like waking up from a dream.
…What on earth had I been doing?
I had ignored my companions’ attempts to restrain me. I had cut through their screams. I had dragged a girl who could very well be an enemy into the Love Hotel all by myself, and I had even locked the door.
That was it. From the exact moment I looked into her eyes, I had been completely out of my mind.
”Darling?”
Mel tilted her head in confusion. Her crimson eyes peered into mine.
My mind began to drift again. A faint haze started to creep back over my thoughts.
This is bad. Don’t look into her eyes.
I averted my gaze and stood up.
”Hey, Mel”
”What is it? Darling”
”Did you do something to me? If you did, could you please stop”
”What do you mean? Mel doesn’t know”
No good. Was she playing dumb, or was she genuinely unaware of what she was doing? Either way, I wasn’t going to get anywhere at this rate.
Wait, what had Sphica said?
’The Demon Race has a weakness’ ‘The creature’s True Name――’
A True Name. A demon’s absolute, binding name.
”Hold on a moment”
I turned my back to her and pictured the menu. A half-clear display appeared in midair.
I pulled up the guest information screen—one of the built-in features of my ‘Love Hotel’ skill.
――――――――――
Melmorth Speesheep [Demon Race: Artificial Succubus Subspecies]
Attributes: Dream / Mental / Magic
Possessed Skills: Charm, Sleep Manipulation, Energy Drain
Traits: Anti-Angel Specialization
――――――――――
Her information filled the screen.
Melmorth Speesheep. So this was Mel’s True Name.
There was plenty of other concerning data here, but it would have to wait.
”Melmorth Speesheep”
”――!!”
In an instant, Mel’s entire body went rigid. Her expression froze solid. The soft, melting aura she held up until a moment ago vanished without a trace.
”Answer me honestly. Did you do something to me?”
”Yes. I charmed you”
It was no longer the sweet, syrupy voice from before. Her tone was clinical… mechanical, even.
”Undo it. And from now on, do not cast your strange spells on me… or any of my companions”
”Understood”
With a soft sensation, the last remaining trace of haze vanished from the depths of my mind.
The strange wrongness within the Love Hotel vanished as if it had all been a lie. The familiar feeling of this place accepting me completely returned.
I let out a long, heavy breath.
Then, I looked at Mel once more. This time, there was no distortion in my thoughts.
She was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees tightly to her chest, staring blankly at me. The tempting atmosphere was gone. Now, she simply looked like a small animal pulling itself inward to hide.
”Are you… angry?”
A tiny, fragile voice.
”I’m not angry, but…”
I let out a sigh.
I walked over to the door and turned the lock. Immediately after, the door was thrown open with tremendous force.
”Master!”
”Mr. Taro!”
”Taro!”
”Are you alright!?”
My companions came stampeding into the room. Yomi leaned in close to inspect my face, while Kéa and Korukona clung to me from both sides. Gaedaf stood at the entryway with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that practically screamed ‘good grief.’ Sphica stared deeply into my eyes for a moment, then let out a small, relieved breath. She must have verified that my sanity was intact.
An interrogation followed immediately after.
What happened in the room? Did Mel do anything to me? Was I truly back to normal now? The questions flew at me like a rapid-fire volley. I answered them one by one. I explained that I had been charmed, that I snapped out of it thanks to the hair tonic, and that I had bound her using her True Name.
”What do you mean, hair tonic snapped you out of it?”
Yomi looked completely dumbfounded. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her.
Once the commotion had finally settled down, a sudden realization struck me.
Lifia was completely silent.
Normally, she would react wildly toward anyone who attempted to harm me, yet this time she hadn’t raised her voice even once. She wasn’t glaring at Mel either; instead, she held a blanket in her hands, her expression very soft.
”It would be pitiful to leave her naked like this”
Lifia murmured softly as she gently draped the blanket over Mel’s shoulders. Mel looked up at Lifia, deeply confused.
Lifia pondered for a moment, then spoke quietly.
”I don’t think this girl actually intended to harm you, Master. She truly, genuinely loves you”
What did that mean?
Lifia could read human emotions through Spirit Magic. If she was saying it, there was no mistaking its truth.
I looked back at Mel. She was clutching the blanket tightly against her chest, her knees tucked close together as she sat. Her crimson eyes were cast downward, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows across her cheeks.
Perhaps the charm had merely been an instinctual reflex. Even so, the idea that this girl had been waiting for me…
”I was born… to become Darling’s wife”
So those words hadn’t been a lie after all.
”Tell me everything, from the very beginning”
I listened to Mel’s explanation, but as expected, it was difficult to grasp the full picture.
Her very first memory was a dream.
She had been floating inside a dark, warm liquid. It wasn’t suffocating. Rather, it was a deeply comfortable warmth that wrapped around her. She felt safe, secure, and fully protected.
A faint, crimson light flickered in the distance.
Eventually, that light began to utter words. It wasn’t a physical voice, but rather something that flowed directly into her mind.
’Mate with the leader of the group you encounter’
’Offer your body to the one who holds the greatest power’
There were no further explanations, only the endless repetition of those exact commands.
Yet, strangely, no desire to resist or question the orders ever welled up within her. She had been hardwired from the very beginning to accept it as absolute law.
And then, she woke up.
A vast grassland. The wind was blowing. A blue sky filled with white clouds, and a green expanse that stretched out infinitely. It was beautiful. But there was no one there.
She searched for the mate she was supposed to find. But no matter how far she walked, she found no one.
Suddenly, something white came drifting down from above.
Feathers. A winged entity was diving rapidly from the sky. It possessed brilliant white wings and held a drawn sword. The moment their eyes met, it lunged to attack.
She fought back. Guided by instinct, she fought desperately. She tried to use her charm ability, but it had no effect. The enemy kept up its mechanical assault, its eyes completely empty of emotion.
She fled.
She ran through grasslands, tore through forests, and scrambled over jagged rocky terrain. It kept pursuing her. She was starving. Her strength was rapidly draining away, her legs giving out beneath her.
Before she knew it, the ground beneath her feet changed color.
Black rock faces. Veins of glowing red lava. The pungent stench of burnt sulfur assaulted her nose. A scorching, hellish landscape, completely unlike the verdant grasslands.
And there, it was waiting.
An island-sized turtle. A pitch-black shell. A colossal frame like a moving mountain range.
She didn’t even have time to run. A massive maw opened wide, swallowing her whole along with the surrounding terrain.
Soon after, her consciousness faded into blackness.
And then.
When she opened her eyes next, I was there.
…
None of this made any sense.
”You’re certain she isn’t lying?”
”…Yes”
”Is it possible that this creature itself has been brainwashed by someone else?”
Sphica pressed.
”I highly doubt it…”
Lifia tilted her head, looking slightly anxious.
”There is no trace of such an aura”
Rozmiaque responded calmly. His ability to read emotions surpassed even Lifia’s. If he was certain, then it was a fact.
”Does that mean this girl is fundamentally a child in terms of mental development?”
Yomi muttered softly.
Was that it? She was an existence equivalent to a newborn infant?
”What exactly is an Artificial Succubus Subspecies?”
”Succubi are a species found within the Demon Race. They are said to create dreams and feed upon the life force of the opposite sex. However…”
Tifi added, giving her knowledge.
”I have never once heard of an ‘artificial’ type”
This meant she wasn’t a natural living creature, but something made by someone else.
Was such a thing even possible? And if it was, who did it, and for what purpose?
The situation was still a mystery.
I looked once more at the pink-haired girl curled up before me. She had shrunk herself into a tiny ball beneath the blanket, yet her crimson eyes remained fixed squarely on me.
What on earth am I supposed to do with her now?
Notes:
• Mel – A girl with pink hair and crimson eyes who possesses a long, slender black tail with a heart-shaped tip. She describes her existence as being born to become Taro’s wife.
• Sphica – An Elven Matriarch and Rozmiaque’s elder sister, this companion looks like a woman in her 20s with long golden hair and blue eyes. A clairvoyant spirit user skilled in dungeon lore, she leads the party and acts as a liaison between Taro and young elven newlyweds. Wielding great influence over her kin, she uses samurai-like archaic phrasing with Taro and fiercely protects against mental manipulation.
• Taro – A summoned Hero with a pragmatic and blunt personality who utilizes a unique Love Hotel skill as a mobile base and safe zone. As a provider and protector, he leads and maintains a growing household of companions.
• Yomi – A female adventurer and party companion who uses standard modern Japanese speech to provide grounded reality checks to the group. As a capable magic user, she deploys protective barriers and wields precision ranged light beam magic, though she openly expresses deep disgust toward the biological horror of the Guardian’s core.
• Korukona – A cat-eared girl with amber eyes from a fishing village where her skills are deeply valued. Rescued from pirates by Taro, this physically gifted ship pilot now explores the Guardian’s interior as his companion. Brave, blunt, and grateful, she uses casual, direct speech and shows expressive concern when Taro acts out of character, awaiting her eventual return home.
• Kéa – A high-energy, dual-wielding adventurer who recklessly carves through enemies with swords and eagerly pushes for direct attacks. Despite her dangerous combat zeal, this companion is deeply polite, addressing Taro with respectful titles and showing immediate concern for his safety.
• Speesheep – The lineage or subspecies family identifier associated with Melmorth.
• Melmorth – The true name of the character Mel, representing her fundamental classification.
• Gaedaf – A muscular, broad-shouldered Gold Rank adventurer and fearless leader of the ‘Star of the Dawn’ party, he excels in close-quarters dungeon combat. As a companion, he often communicates his exasperation to others through silent cues, brief expressions, and crossed-arm gestures.
• Lifia – A half-elf with short blonde hair and one of Taro’s wives. As a companion, she uses polite nuance and possesses the ability to read underlying human emotions accurately through Spirit Magic.
• Rozmiaque – A tall, silver-haired high-ranking elf in ornate robes, he loyally serves the Master using Spirit and root magic to bind and trap targets. Highly analytical, he reads emotions with clinical, academic precision. Condescending and bigoted, he despises humans and half-elves, aggressively interrogating others as he senses concealed truths and suspects a hidden High Elf.
• Tifi – A chestnut-haired woman and one of Taro’s wives. She is an expert on lore and species classifications who provides precise, analytical definitions regarding the Demon Race.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply