Abyssal Sovereignty

"...You... said..."

"...Found in the desert..."

"...In the desert? She doesn’t seem like a bug... Hmm? She's awake."

A girl with golden hair streaked with black, whose eyes, despite being gold, were dull and lifeless, lay on the bed. She had no right arm and her body was covered in tattered bandages stained with dried blood. Standing nearby were two figures: a cat-eared girl in a white tank top and hot pants, and a fox-eared girl in a white shrine maiden’s outfit.

"Hello, what's your name?"

"..."

"Well... unwilling to answer? How painful, meow!"

"Alright, regardless of who she is, waking up in an unfamiliar place naturally makes one cautious. Let me introduce myself. I'm Shirone, one of the shrine maidens here."

"A few days ago, I was ordered by the high priestess to investigate the Mirage Insect Desert. There, I discovered that the desert had undergone a significant change, and found you unconscious in the core area. I then brought you back to the shrine. By the way, this was also found in the desert and seems to recognize you."

Shirone placed a tattered bag on the bedside in front of the girl.

"Pupu!"

A small tentacle emerged from the bag, brimming with vitality but emitting a sound of concern.

"..."

"Do you... remember anything from before?"

"..."

"...If you need anything, don't hesitate. Just come to me directly."

After a slight bow, Shirone grabbed the cat-eared girl by the back of her neck and led her out.

"Pupu..."

The small tentacle gently brushed against the girl's face, caressing it tenderly. Yet, the girl remained as lifeless as a doll, unresponsive to her surroundings. Despite Shirone's attempts at conversation, she showed no reaction. It was as if, since waking, she was oblivious to everything around her.

She lay there, spending the night in silence.

"Good morning. Are you feeling a bit better?"

"..."

"You must be hungry. Here's breakfast."

Shirone placed a bowl of white rice and a grilled fish in front of the girl.

"If you don’t eat, I’ll—"

Before Shirone could finish, the girl had already begun devouring the rice and fish, quickly finishing both. It was the first proactive response she had shown since waking up.

"Well... you didn't use chopsticks..."

Shirone watched the girl eat with no regard for table manners, like a wild animal, and quickly grabbed a napkin to clean the girl's soiled face.

"Honestly, such a cute girl, yet so inattentive to her appearance."

It felt as though she was taking care of a small animal.

Upon closer inspection, the girl seemed to be of very noble origin, but Shirone could sense she had also endured immense suffering.

Combining these thoughts, Shirone concluded: "She was probably a noble young lady whose family was destroyed in a catastrophe. She fled to the desert and survived through various twists of fate."

As for the small tentacle, it was likely her pet or something similar.

"Such experiences must have been incredibly painful. Forgetting them might be a blessing."

Thinking this, Shirone's actions grew even gentler.

"How's today... eh, she’s eating?"

A cat-eared girl entered and saw the clean dishes and Shirone wiping the girl’s face.

"Well... she seems like a child... meow!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Shirone had already swiftly grabbed the cat-eared girl’s tail from behind.

"Don’t you dare say that. She must have gone through unimaginable suffering to end up like this."

"Meow... Ah... Let go... I can't take it..."

For the cat-eared girl, her tail was the most sensitive part of her body. Being grasped by Shirone’s hand in an unguarded moment sent an electric shock of sensation through her body, leaving her limp. With Shirone whispering softly near her second most sensitive area—her ears—her face flushed red, and her eyes rolled back.

"No, you haven’t said you understand yet."

"I... Hah... I understand... I won’t do it again... meow..."

"Good."

Shirone released the tail, and the cat-eared girl promptly collapsed into a sitting position on the floor, drooling uncontrollably.

"...Pupu pupu."

"Hmm?"

The sudden sound drew Shirone's attention to the small creature that had emerged from under the blanket and was making noises.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to prepare breakfast for you. What would you like to eat?"

"Pupu... pupu!"

The small tentacle waved around, as if trying to convey something. Shirone looked on in confusion.

"Huh? What?"

"Pupu... pupu!"

A small tentacle dancing, a confused fox, a cat sitting on the floor twitching, and a girl sitting expressionlessly on the bed created a rather peculiar scene.

"...Blood."

"What?"

Shirone heard a third voice. The cat-eared girl was still lost in her own world, so it couldn't have been her.

There was only one possible source...

"You spoke!?"

Shirone turned her gaze to the girl on the bed. The girl turned her head towards Shirone, though her expression remained blank, her eyes still dull.

"Wait... blood..."

Shirone reflected on the word the girl had just said.

"Could it be that her pet feeds on blood?"

Before she could react further, the girl's hand split open by itself, red blood flowing from the wound.

"Pupu!"

The small tentacle eagerly absorbed the blood, even climbing up the girl's arm.

"...Wait, I'll use healing magic right now. I’ll get someone to bring more blood..."

Shirone's hands glowed with healing magic, ready to apply it to the girl’s arm when the small tentacle jumped down.

"Huh? What happened?"

Even accounting for the time the tentacle took to jump off, it was less than five seconds. The ten-centimeter-long wound had healed instantly, leaving no scar!

"...Meow!"

"Wow! What!?"

The cat-eared girl suddenly screamed, startling Shirone.

"I remember what I was supposed to do!"

"What?"

"That person over there, come with me."

The cat-eared girl rushed to the girl's bedside and grabbed her left hand.

"Wait! Her condition is still very dangerous, isn’t it?"

Shirone moved forward and grabbed the cat-eared girl’s hand, which was holding the girl's hand.

"Well... but this is an order from the high priestess..."

"The high priestess? Why would she... But the high priestess must have her reasons..."

"...So you don't trust me..."

The cat-eared girl muttered softly.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing... nothing! I’ll take her over there now!"

To cover up her previous words, the cat-eared girl hurriedly pulled the girl along, racing out of the room.