Entropy's Servant

Chapter 21 - A broken nose

Hello everyone, Astaroth here.

Even in another world, there are people who treat women terribly, and people who are racist, etcetera etcetera. Actually, Lady Luciel is a rather big offender in this aspect.

In this different world, however, there are also people who can beat down entire armies on their own, so if someone like that has a strong sense of justice, they might go on a hunt.

Me? I'm selfish, but if I stumble across someone, I might take a few seconds to kick them down.

I looked the Kobold in the eyes for a few seconds, then squatted down and reached out to it with my right hand. Almost immediately, it took on a defensive posture, raising its paws up in front of its face, and snarled, so I stood up again and faced Sleehekt.

"You", I said in as flat a voice as I could muster.

"Uh... Does she displease you, Lord Astaroth? In that case--"

"Shut up", I said. He immediately sealed his mouth and winced. "You, how did you treat this Kobold?"

"Huh? Well, she refused to enter my harem, so I imprisoned her."

"You... What?" I felt an urge to agree with the faint bloodlust I felt from behind me.

"Ah, but I did give her food and water properly, so her body's in a good state, don't worry--"

Within the blink of an eye, my fist had connected with Sleehekt's face. I felt his nose breaking under my fist, and rather enjoyed the feeling.

"I'll let you off with just that, so be grateful", I said, but not before looking at him with eyes as if I were looking at trash.

He looked at me with a gaze that asked "Why?", but he wisely kept his mouth shut. The bloodlust Lilith was emitting from behind me decreased in volume, though it was still lightly present.

I returned my attention to the Kobold, whose gaze was now rather confused. Its eyes were sparkling, but its face showed distrust towards me. I did not blame it.

I decided to try my new skill, and lightly spread my mana into the environment. Instinctively, I understood the mana of Sleehekt, the few Goblinoids who had come in with the Kobold and the Kobold itself, and I also understood how to make delicate adjustments to my mana. I did so, spreading it from below rather than from above, as I would usually do, in an attempt to inspire awe in the Kobold.

In a few seconds, its distrust faded and its eyes were sparkling even more than before.

Deciding to test its loyalty, I crouched down in front of it and announced, "I am your new master."

"Yes!", it replied while giving a rather cute, somewhat sloppy salute. Its voice was a tad rough, as its vocal chords were a tad primitive, but the words were clear and understandable.

"... Then", I said after a moment of silence, "sit." It sat down with its front paws on the ground in front of it.

"Shake", I said, offering it the palm of my right hand. It placed its paw in my hand, highlighting our size difference, while its tail wagged at a speed that made it seem like it would fall off at any moment.

Deciding to test its loyalty to the limits, I said, "Submit" after withdrawing my hand, and after a moment of what I presumed to be silent contemplation, it laid down on the ground on its back, limbs stretched so that its stomach was entirely exposed. Even in this position, it managed to wag its tail.

"Good dog", I said, roughly patting its head. "I'll have the maids prepare a collar for you once we get back to the castle." I had expected it to shrink back at the mention of the word 'collar', but instead, it simply got more excited.