Translator: Reo
Editor: PalenMisha
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 56 – Livestock – Assam
While Toki talked to Laham, I glared down at Yarra.
“You really are stupid. You know why I’m angry right now, right?”
“My apologies.” He took the bow of subservience.
Does this guy actually understand what this pose means?
“Did you think that Toki, who came from another world, would understand the meaning of that stance? Your subservience is lighter than a leaf1 and you have so many of them lined up on that tree of yours. This pose, it’s something you can only take in front of one person. In the first place, it’s not a form of apology so don’t randomly use it without even knowing why I’m angry at you. It’s unpleasant.”
“Sir. My apologies, sir.”
I didn’t expect him to use up the second chance I’d given him this quickly.
“You lack empathy towards others. What were you planning to do if Toki had accidentally accepted you as a subordinate without knowing anything about it?”
“Yessir. My intention had been to serve him sincerely, sir.”
Hearing his answer, something inside me hardened.
“You were going to put all that responsibility, a one-sided master-servant relationship, on Toki? Someone who is not from our world and has not lived many leaves here yet? Without even explaining to him the meaning behind that pose? Where is the sincerity in that? You didn’t even tell Toki what was going on or about your conversation with Laham.”
“I was going to explain it to him afterwards. And about Laham, that has nothing to do with Toki-sama.”
Aah, it’s unpleasant alright.
“How stupid. Why are you, and not Toki, the one to decide whether you become his subordinate or not? You really are arrogant. Telling him afterwards means that you, the servant, have the right to make that decision, even though you supposedly call him your master.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“It’s what you just said. How is it different? Think carefully about the words that come out of your mouth, you fool.”
“Kuh, Your Highness, since earlier you’ve been using words that are unlike you…”
Unlike me? Oh yeah, is this Yarra’s first time seeing this side of me?
“This is the real me. You’ve been with me for so many forests2, but I guess an idiot like you wouldn’t have noticed. So I’ll take this opportunity to let you know: the only reason I let you work for me is because of Laham. Tsugura is brilliant, but I’ve never seen a man as arrogant and self-absorbed as you. What kind of self-important man would embrace Laham without marrying him? Know some shame!”
“! Why? Who…?” Yarra staggered and my anger and disgust only increased with his words.
“You made the right choice in not mentioning Laham or Toki there. If you had, I would’ve killed you. I don’t have many people serving me, but once I take someone in, I rarely throw them out. You really are a disappointment. You’ve betrayed me twice. No, if you take the thing with Laham into account, then three times. You are no longer my valet. You’re not even worthy of being called human. I’m going to give you a punishment for hurting Toki. I’ll make you the livestock of someone who specializes in torturing others. You are deprived of your right to be treated as a human – live like an animal. It will definitely suit you.”3
Yarra trembled, his face pale. It was at that moment that Laham entered the room. Yarra’s eyes met his, as if clinging to him. Laham’s eyes trembled in delight and I knew he had managed to overcome his fear.
Toki truly was amazing. My heart soared thinking that I was able to occupy the same space as a person as outstanding as him.
“Your Highness, Toki-sama is calling for you,” Laham said, ignoring Yarra.
Yarra’s face contorted with dread once he realized that Laham wasn’t going to help him.
“That’s right. Laham, you take care of that thing.”
“Thing? Did Yarra do something?”
“Aah, he was planning on establishing a master-servant relationship with Toki without telling him and only explaining it afterwards, making Toki take full responsibility.”
“What!? Yarra, you!”
“You’re wrong! I-”
“Also he seems to think that his relationship with you has nothing to do with Toki. Even though he was able to confess thanks to Toki.”
“Yarra, you really are scum.”
“Looks like he was planning to have you while being subservient both to Toki and to me.”
“….”
“I didn’t kill him for your sake, but if you’re planning on throwing this animal away, should I go ahead and kill him? If you weren’t here, I was going to do it anyway.”
Before I could even finish my words Yarra was already licking Laham’s feet while trembling. Licking someone’s feet meant atonement. I was a little taken aback by the sheer joy on Laham’s face.
Laham lifted Yarra’s chin up with the toe of the foot he’d been licking.
“Are you going to become my ‘thing’?”
“Yes. I will. So please have mercy.”
“That’s how it is, Your Highness.”
“Finally. Making me go through so much trouble.”
Yarra was the only one who couldn’t keep up with the sudden change in atmosphere.
“Eh? Um, Laham… sama?”
Laham gave him an icy glare the instant Yarra tried to call out to him.
“You really are fired. From now on, you’re going to live as Laham’s pet.”
“I’m grateful that you took the trouble. I will train him thoroughly.”
“Aah, you do that. And about the revue, I leave it to Tsugura and you. Also, fill the hole that that thing left behind. Please choose some candidates for me.”
“As you wish.”
“I’m going to go have a nap with Toki. Wake us up when breakfast is ready. You can report everything to me then. You get some rest too.”
“Yes. Please rest well, Your Highness.” Laham’s voice escorted me out of the room.
Really, what’s good about that thing? I don’t understand. But well, I managed to make him Laham’s as I’d originally planned so I’d achieved my goal.
It seems that, afterwards, Laham quickly proposed to Yarra by shooting him down. I don’t even want to know what kind of proposal that was.
Still, one person’s happiness isn’t necessarily another person’s happiness. Laham has bad taste but that’s no reason to hate him.
I wished him a happily ever after as my legs took me back to my own room.
Author’s Note
I use the word “Livestock” (人畜)4 to refer to someone who is the human version of livestock – something like a slave.5
This word, as it is used in the novel, does not have the same meaning as 人畜in actuality6. I used 人畜 because I thought it would be easier for readers to understand than “human version of livestock” (家畜の人).
Once again, this is not the original meaning of the word.
