kscans

Chapter 230 - Sameim's Body and the Town of Beginnings

There was a soft sensation on my lips. Thinking it was Famu giving me a mana recovery potion, I wrapped my arms around her. She felt more voluminous than usual. Maybe she was wearing something thick. More importantly, I wanted to savor her lips. I slipped my tongue into her mouth, seeking what was inside.

"Mmph... ugh, nnnh..."

She tried to turn her head to escape, but I held her in place. As I continued to suck persistently, I was pushed away. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Mizuki wiping her mouth.

"Wha—Mizuki! Why..."

I instinctively wiped my own mouth too.

"Why are you wiping your mouth too, Mash?!"

"I thought you were Famu!"

"Huh? Are you saying it's not okay if it's me?!"

"You're wiping your mouth too! Why is that?!"

"W-Well..."

I sat up and looked around. We were in a clearing surrounded by trees. The reddened sun was leaking through the gaps in the trees, casting long shadows on the ground. A stone-paved road stretched far into the distance, both in front of and behind us.

"This place... if we go a little further south, this is where Mizuki was fighting with her panties on full display.

I reached out and pinched the hem of her skirt, and she quickly pressed it down. There was no mistake. This was the place where Mizuki and I first arrived in this world.

"You've got to be kidding me. After nearly fifty days of travel to get to Miglutt, we're back in Richel...?"

"So it really is, huh?"

Mizuki had been unsure about this place, but my words seemed to confirm it for her. A light wave of despair washed over me. Not just because of the long journey, but because Hyakka and the others, the nomads, Rinko and her group, and many of our other allies were in Miglutt. They thought we were off negotiating with Clovis. And Yuki and his Messiah were in a city two days away from Miglutt. By horse, it would be one day. If they returned to Miglutt and found we weren't back, they could be attacked one by one. But from here, it would take at least a month, even traveling at top speed. And we had no way of contacting them.

"For now, I want to go to the place where Mizuki showed me her panties and sort out my thoughts."

"There's no such place! I was being attacked by goblins back then, it was a terrible situation! And someone was just lying on the ground, passed out."

It was an honorable injury sustained while protecting the reckless Mizuki, so her way of putting it was cruel. Didn't she think a little better of me after that?

"Are you perhaps embarrassed?"

"Of course I am!"

She crossed her arms as if to hide her chest. Her cheeks were indeed red. We had just been kissing. And we had seen each other naked, yet now she was embarrassed about showing her panties. When she acted like that, it just made me want to see them more. I reached for her skirt, and she quickly backed away.

"So, where did Famu and the others go?"

"Well..."

She turned her head towards a shaded area. Famu and the others were gathered there. Someone was lying on the ground, and Myra was casting recovery magic on them. Had some townsperson been attacked by goblins again? Still, it was cruel of them to have the consideration to carry an injured person into the shade but leave me to bake in the sun.

I was shocked when I went over to them. The one lying on the ground was Sameim. Blood was trickling from her mouth, and she was completely limp. Her eyes were slightly open, but I couldn't tell where her gaze was focused. Famu was holding her, and Myra was applying healing magic.

"...She bit her tongue."

Marmi, who had been watching Sameim with the others, came to stand beside me.

"What on earth happened?"

"...She did it herself. By the time we arrived here from Lady Laciel's place, she was already bleeding. Probably a klutz."

"That can't be right. Is she being forced by the Slave Mark?"

Sameim had been wearing tights and a flared skirt on the bottom, and a long-sleeved garment that covered her up to her neck on top. Now, to make her more comfortable, the ropes I had tied her with had been removed, and some of her skin was exposed. From there, I could see not only the Slave Mark but also unfamiliar characters and geometric patterns tattooed on other parts of her body. They contrasted with her youthful face, looking grotesque and bizarre, sending a shiver down my spine.

"...Probably magic to enhance her physical abilities."

So that was the power she had been fighting with. The patterns were particularly dense around her joints.

"Why are the patterns concentrated around her throat?"

"...Probably to seal her vocal cords."

So she had been forcibly silenced. As I was listening to her, Myra, who had been healing Sameim, stood up.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, for now,"

Myra replied with a vague nod.

"Anyway, I want to free her from slavery. And can the patterns carved into her body be removed?"

"If it's a type of curse, I believe it can be lifted with the power of a miracle."

"Even at the church in Richel?"

Myra's eyes widened at my words.

"Famu and Mizuki said we were near Richel, so it's true?"

I nodded in response to her question.

Carrying Sameim on my back all the way to the city was exhausting. I wasn't used to carrying things while moving, thanks to the convenient skill of Storage. I understood that we didn't have much time before sunset, but whenever I tried to take a break, the members of Levante would give me disapproving looks. On top of that, when I tried to stroke her bottom to distract myself from the hardship, Famu would glare at me. So I could only touch it occasionally. She offered no resistance, simply letting it happen.

"...Her own mana is being used for the physical enhancement."

Marmi explained that it was the same state I was in when I ran out of mana after summoning Laciel. We could probably give her a mana recovery potion, but it would be a problem if she got her energy back and started rampaging, so we decided to leave her as she was until she received treatment. When we took her to the church, the priest we saw gave us a puzzled look. He probably hadn't expected to see us again so soon. I hadn't thought I'd ever see him again either. The priest took Sameim with Myra. I said Myra wasn't needed, but I gave him a Mana Seed as a donation. Mizuki and Petra went to arrange for an inn, and Marmi, saying she wanted to see the city, went with them. And so, Famu and I were shown to a side room to wait. The room had one bed, a bureau against the wall, and two chairs brought in from another room next to it. I sat down in one of them and let my whole body go limp.

"Master, your shoulder is wet."

"Did she drool on me?"

"Sameim wouldn't do that!"

As I listened to Famu's reply, I looked around the room. This was Myra's room. The layout was the same as before we left on our journey, but there was no dust. Someone must have been taking care of it even after she left. I took a breath, but I couldn't smell Myra. However, I thought I could hear her breathing for a moment. Did she plan to return to this place after our journey together ended? What was her dream now? I wanted to hear more of her story. Famu was gently patting the stain on my shoulder to wipe it off.

"It seems Sameim was crying."

Was it because I touched her bottom? I knew Famu would get angry if I said it out loud, so I kept quiet.

"Famu..."

"What is it?"

"After we have the magic placed on her removed, we'll also have the Slave Mark removed. That's all I can do."

I sent her a look, and she nodded deeply.

"I know. I'll make sure she returns to the Sameim she used to be."

She stopped patting my shoulder and bit her lip.

"Famu, you've changed since you left the village, haven't you? Sameim is the same. She won't go back to how she was. You need to see her for who she is now."

The physical enhancement magic placed on Sameim was, as Myra had suspected, a type of curse. The priest had said it was possible to remove it with the power of a miracle from the church. There was still the fear that it couldn't be dispelled, like with Famu, but we had no choice but to entrust it to them.

"Master... sometimes you're so kind it makes me anxious. But you're also cruel."

Famu pressed her head against me. It was in the same spot where Sameim's face had been when I was carrying her.

"I once walked with Sameim on my back like today. It was a very cold night, and the stars were so beautiful."

She told me a story about how Sameim had come along to help her with an errand in the next village. Then, there was a party in that village, and Sameim got drunk and passed out.

"She sounds like a handful."

"That's not true. There was a really scary person in that village. But because Sameim was there, I was able to become friends with them. Sameim was always protecting me. When Sameim is by my side, I feel brave. When Sameim holds my hand, I feel strong. Even you, Master..."

Just as she was about to continue, the door opened and Myra came in. And Sameim was also brought in, carried by another priest. It reminded me of when Famu had received treatment at the church. Just like then, Sameim had been put to sleep.

"Was the physical enhancement magic removed?"

"Yes. And the priest wrote a letter of introduction to the slave trader to have her curse removed."

Myra nodded.

"Won't they just do it if we pay them?"

"Normally, you need proof from the slave's master. Even if the contract was unjust, you need to prove it."

"I see."

I nodded, but it seemed difficult for someone who had been made a slave to prove that the contract was unjust. In the end, it was a system for the powerful to more easily crush the powerless.

"I'll be staying here tonight. I have a lot to report to the priest."

Myra picked Sameim up. Famu helped her.

"Don't tell me I have to carry Sameim on my back again?"

It seemed they wouldn't let her stay here until she woke up.

"The slave trader will close his shop if we're late. Besides, you carried her all the way to the city. It's just a little further."

"Carrying someone who's awake and someone who's asleep are completely different things!"

Myra was giving off a "you're a boy, you can do it"

vibe, but I was an old man. I was exhausted. I wish she'd heal me a little with those boobs. Just like with Famu, why did they have to put her to sleep and send her back?

"Master, if Sameim were awake, she might bite her tongue again or start rampaging. I think it's better this way for now. Let's take her to the slave trader before she wakes up."

I felt like they had talked me into it, but I heaved Sameim onto my back again.