kscans

Chapter 8 - A First Party and a Life Story

Famu was a natural at gathering herbs. She would sniff the pressed flowers in the encyclopedia and then search the field for plants with the same scent. I, on the other hand, had to cut an herb and then compare it against the book over and over to make sure it was the right one. She didn't need to waste time like that. Combat, however, was another story. For starters, her attacks didn't even damage the monsters. They were just too light. She had good reflexes and was skilled at dodging, but she had no stamina and tired out quickly. I wanted to give her advice, but I was in a position to be receiving it myself, so I couldn't say anything. When a goblin's club caught her in the side, she burst into genuine tears. Forgetting we were in the middle of a battle, she dropped her weapon and just cried her eyes out. Even after I gave her a potion to heal her, she couldn't stop crying. I felt like a bully forcing her to do something she hated.

"It's okay. Once your level goes up, you'll be fine. I'll take the lead in fights until then. You just watch."

"No, I'll fight properly, too!"

She had guts, at least. For some reason, she insisted on standing in front of me to fight.

"Just don't push yourself."

She'd nod at my words, but I was left with nothing but anxiety. I tried to give her a slime's Mana Seed, but she wouldn't take it.

"Just drink it."

"I can't. I couldn't possibly accept something so valuable."

It seemed Famu was worried about the money.

"I found it. I'll find more. Don't worry about it."

"Then you should drink it, Master."

"If you're not going to drink it, I'll shove it up your ass."

"Hmph! Just try it if you think you can!"

She raised her sword as if she was going to fight me.

"I'll do it at night, while you're sleeping. I'll pull down your pants and shove it right in. I'll grind it with my finger until it's all the way inside."

"Ugh... Please don't do that. But... are you really sure I can have this?"

"Stop arguing and just drink it."

Famu finally drank the Mana Seed. Her stamina went up by one. Pathetic.

"Calm down now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

Famu looked dejected. I placed a hand on her head. No resistance. I started stroking it. She let me. My hand brushed against her ear. I took a chance and touched it.

"Whoa! So soft! How can I even describe this feeling? It's a mix of fluffy and smooth, and it's incredibly calming."

"Master?"

Famu's voice brought me back to my senses. I pulled my hand away from her ear.

"Ah, sorry. Let's get back on topic. Right, in a way, I'm relieved."

"What do you mean?"

"I met someone who was aggressive and strong. I thought that was normal, and I was getting anxious, thinking I had to become like that too. But I was using the wrong measuring stick. You're the normal one, Famu. Things don't go well. You don't know what to do. Getting hit is scary. Fighting is scary."

"...Are you scared too, Master?"

"Scared isn't the word. I'm terrified."

Famu's level rose to 7, and her attacks finally started to damage monsters, allowing her to defeat them. My own level hit 10, and I gained the ability to use beginner-level magic for all four elements. I decided to test them out. Fire magic launched a fist-sized fireball at a monster. When it hit, the monster burst into flames. But it was faster to just pick up a rock and throw it. Water magic also launched a fist-sized ball of water at a monster. It didn't seem to do any damage. As for wind magic, a gust of wind would hit the enemy for a moment, but... so what? Earth magic, however, was quite useful. It shot a fist-sized rock at a considerable speed. I could adjust its mass, shape, and rotation, allowing me to throw sliders, forkballs, and even knuckleballs. It was handy for distracting enemies. I got absorbed in developing my magic pitches. One of them broke a little too much and hit Famu right on the butt. I'd used a light stone for testing, so it didn't do any damage.

"Aah!"

She spun around and glared at me. We were in the middle of a fight.

"Hey! Could you please stop being perverted during a battle?"

Even as she said it, she had completely forgotten about the battle herself.

"Famu, behind you, behind you!"

"Wha—Kyaa!"

A scene straight out of a comedy routine unfolded before us.

As evening fell, we returned to the city. No Mana Seeds today, either. We stopped by the guild. The usual girl was at the reception desk.

"You found a companion, I see?"

she asked, first thing.

"Yeah. Take these. And this is for your help with the referral."

I handed her a bundle of herbs, including yesterday's haul, and one gold coin.

"Wow, so the deal went well!"

"It did. You were a big help."

"Just let me know if you need anything. I'm happy to be of service."

The receptionist gave me a bright smile.

"Oh, that's right! The gold coin reminded me. There's a nominated quest for you, Mash-san. Here you go."

I took the request form. The reward was one gold coin. It was a quest to exterminate goblins that were raiding a village's fields. The target village was some distance away, requiring us to camp out for several nights to get there. In total, it would tie us up for ten days. The meeting time was tomorrow morning at the city gate. It was too sudden.

"Why am I getting a nominated quest like this? We're astonishingly weak, you know."

"Is the client, Aidan-san, not an acquaintance of yours?"

"No, I barely know anyone in this city. And I definitely don't know any Aidan."

I glanced at Famu, but she shook her head too.

"Aidan-san is an A-rank adventurer. He's a man of few words, but he's a very good person."

"What happens if I refuse?"

"I'll let him know through the guild. But I'd recommend you accept it."

"You think so?"

"I do,"

the girl nodded emphatically.

"Famu, what do you want to do?"

She was just a villager who was tagging along because I was an adventurer. Right now, I wanted to gain experience in a safe environment. I wanted to turn this down. But the receptionist was saying we should take it. She knew our situation from the quests we'd completed so far, and she was saying it with that in mind.

"I will follow you wherever you go, Master."

I wish she wouldn't just dump the decision on me. But I'd made up my mind.

"Alright, we'll take the quest. We'll show him just how weak we really are."

We ran into Wind Blade at the guild.

"We were worried because you weren't at the inn!"

"Mizuki."

Mizuki approached me. She looked gloomier than when we first met. Maybe she wasn't adjusting well to this other world.

"Yeah, something came up and we had to move to another inn."

At my words, Mizuki's gaze shifted to Famu, then stopped on her arm.

"Mash, you... I can't believe you!"

"That's not it, Master is—"

Famu started to make excuses for me, but I stopped her.

"It's exactly what it looks like. I bought this girl."

Even Famu was now looking at me with an expression of disbelief. She looked like she wanted to say something but remained silent.

"Slavery... that's just wrong!"

"Looks like your group got a new member, too."

I glanced at the muscular guy who seemed to be the newest addition to Wind Blade. He also had a Slave Mark carved into his arm.

"Ugh... Right. Let me introduce you. This is Beers. Reed brought him along."

Mizuki replied, sounding dejected. Coincidence or not, he had the same name as their previous slave. It gave me an uncanny, creepy feeling. I looked at Reed. He noticed my gaze and smiled at me. I gave him a small wave in return.

"...Exploring alone is too difficult. I think it's good that you found a companion,"

Mizuki said. She sounded resigned, as if she'd given up.

"Yeah."

"Tell me your inn. I'd like to contact you if something comes up."

"The Asuka Inn. But I just got a nominated quest. We'll be out of town for about ten days."

"I see. I'm staying at the Great Ape Inn."

Mizuki nodded, her expression still stiff, and we parted ways.

Instead of heading to the inn, we went to the market. One section of the city was a market district lined with shops and stalls, selling everything from daily necessities and food to weapons and armor. We needed to prepare for a ten-day journey. That said, according to the quest description, the client would be providing necessary supplies like food. We casually browsed the shops, looking for anything that might be good to have on hand.

"There are so many people. I'm afraid I'll get lost."

Famu was clutching my clothes.

"Is this your first time in a place like this?"

I bought some grilled skewers to tide us over, and we ate them together. It was chicken. The sauce was rich and delicious. The market sold a lot of food. Maybe we could buy ingredients and cook for ourselves.

"Yes, it's even more amazing than the festival in my settlement."

Famu couldn't contain her curiosity, her eyes darting everywhere.

"It's not just the market; I don't know anything about this city. Master, I'd like you to tell me about it."

"Well, actually, this is only my fourth day in this city. I hardly know anything myself."

"Oh, is that so..."

I still hadn't told Famu that I was from another world. I'd tell her eventually. Conversely, I didn't know anything about Famu either. Considering she'd been sold as a slave, it was a difficult topic to bring up. I'd wait for her to start the conversation.

"I have a guidebook called 'The World's Guide.' I'll show it to you when we get back to the inn."

Before I knew it, we had walked through the market district. We turned around and headed back to the inn.

"By the way, Master, you're one of those people who pretends to be bad, aren't you? Could you please tell me why you acted like that at the guild?"

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"About what happened with Mizuki-san,"

Famu said. I hadn't intended to act like a villain, but apparently that's how it looked.

"Mizuki-san is the person with the light blue panties. She must be the 'aggressive and strong person' you mentioned. I don't think you should have acted the way you did, Master... no, I thought it was wrong."

"You're way too sharp! It'd be great if you were like that in a fight, too."

I didn't want to talk about it. I tried to change the subject.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. But I want to know more about you, Master."

Famu persisted.

"I don't really understand why I acted that way myself."

"Really? May I take a guess?"

"I like psychological games. I'd like to hear it."

"To put it simply, it's how a child acts towards someone of the opposite sex they're interested in."

"That's not—"

I started to make an excuse, but when she put it like that, it was spot on. Was I a child? I had wanted to get Mizuki's attention, but I didn't know what to say.

"This is embarrassing... I'm not good at talking to women. In my old world, no woman ever spoke to me."

"Is that even possible?"

Famu looked at me with an expression of pure shock. That was the heaviest blow I'd taken all day.

Before we reached the inn, we passed the spot where the slave trader's tent had been. It had been taken down, and the lot was empty again. Famu looked like she wanted to say something, but she passed by in silence. I couldn't read her heart, so I kept quiet as well. We arrived at the inn. The innkeeper naturally handed us the key to a double room. I thought Famu might complain, but she said nothing. As promised, I gave her the bound copy of 'The World's Guide'.

"This smells like the person with the white panties."

"Correct!"

She seemed very happy with the contents of the book and started reading eagerly. When it was time to wipe ourselves down, she put up a sheet as a partition. And then she got into the same bed. Did she think she was safe from being attacked because she was on her period? She turned her back to me and fell asleep. I also drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, I was woken by the sound of Famu crying. She was still facing away from me.

"...Mom..."

She was being loud. I considered kicking her onto the floor, but I decided against it. I was joking, of course.

"Can't sleep?"

I asked.

"I'm sorry. I'll be quiet."

I placed my hand on Famu's head and stroked her dog ears. Famu didn't move.

"If I'm being too loud and you can't sleep, please kick me off the bed. I can't seem to help it myself."

How is she reading my mind?

"I thought you were going to do lewd things to me tonight. I am in your debt. I will not resist."

"You're on your period. I'm not doing anything."

Also, that's a messed up way of thinking. I'd like to correct her, but I do want to have sex with her, so I'll keep my mouth shut.

"I can't believe you're concerned about my body, Master."

"You've been pretty harsh since this morning. I don't mean to hold it over you, but the reason you're healthy right now is because I was concerned about you."

I had to protest.

"That's right. You've been doing perverted things to me all day, so I almost forgot. I hold you in high esteem, Master. I will try not to forget that."

"High esteem, huh? You're the one who forgot, Famu. I wonder about that."

Famu rolled over to face me. She was close. I could see her clearly in the darkness. My heart started to beat faster.

"As an apology, of sorts, let's climb the church's bell tower when the quest is over. It was in the guidebook. It costs five copper coins to enter. It says the view of the city at sunset is beautiful. There, I will give you the thing I treasure most."

"Even if you say that, you didn't have anything when we met, did you? Was it those rags you were wearing? I threw those out, you know."

Was it something important? But they smelled awful.

"That's not it. You'll understand when we get there."

Was she hiding something?

"Um, may I tell you about myself?"

"If it's a dirty story, I'm all ears."

"It is not a very pleasant story."

I nodded. It seemed like a serious topic. I would try my best not to make light of it.

"I lived in a settlement near the border with the Demon Kingdom."

There was an Empire ruled by humans. The city we were in was governed by a feudal lord and belonged to the Empire. And to the east was the Demon Kingdom, ruled by demons. Both were centered around a single race, and other races faced no small amount of persecution. In the Empire's case, it became more pronounced the closer you got to the capital. The Demon Kingdom was apparently more lenient, but that didn't mean it didn't exist. There were places near the border, beyond the reach of either's rule, where races other than humans and demons had built towns and villages to live in. Famu had lived in one such settlement. They lived deep in the forest, hunting and gathering.

"I fell ill when I was ten. Our settlement has a guardian god who protects our village. But in exchange, the god makes one villager sick."

"A sacrifice? What kind of guardian god is it?"

"It isn't chosen from among the residents, so... yes, but it's not quite a sacrifice. Normally, as long as you don't leave the settlement, the illness is cured in about five years. Also, no one has ever seen the guardian god."

There's a god that curses people? I have to file a complaint with Laciel.

"So your illness got worse because you left the settlement?"

She nodded.

"In that case, we should probably head back to that settlement first."

That might mean parting ways with Famu. I'd have to make sure I got what I wanted before then. She seemed prepared for it, too.

"Even though I was sick, my mother and father were with me. The people of the settlement also treated me kindly, so I was happy. But six months ago, bandits attacked our settlement. We lost the fight. My mother and father died protecting me. The settlement was destroyed, and I don't know what happened to everyone else. The people who were captured were sold into slavery, like me."

It seemed they were attacked by people hunters for the purpose of human trafficking. A settlement that didn't belong to any nation wouldn't have anyone to complain on their behalf. But still, the guardian god didn't do its job. What exactly was this guardian god?

"And that's how you ended up being sold."

I understood the circumstances of how she ended up in the slave market. I wondered if any of her fellow villagers had been for sale in that tent. The caravan leader had said he bought Famu from someone else. And now he was gone from the city.

"I have no place to go back to anymore. I don't know what to do, even if you tell me to do as I please. Please let me help you, Master."

I wanted to say something clever to comfort her, but I couldn't find the words.

"I'm working as an adventurer, but I don't have any particular goal for my journey right now. Once we've leveled up a bit, let's leave this city and head east. We'll break Famu's curse. And we'll try to gather information about your settlement, too."