Chapter 10: They’re all scum.

Today, Master brought me along to the guild.

The purpose is simple: to ask about that boy, Cain. We’re here to speak with an old adventurer known for being well-informed.

I don’t know why, but I just can’t get that childhood friend of his out of my head. I can already guess how things turned out, given that she’s not by his side… and yet.

“There was another letter in the middle of the night. I don’t know how it keeps getting in…”

“It’s alright. I’ll protect you, okay?”

As I catch a glimpse of a red-haired girl comforting a visibly exhausted man, I do my best to erase them from my thoughts and hide behind Master’s back.

The one we’re looking for is Master’s acquaintance, Zebel—the most knowledgeable man he knows.

I’ve seen him before too. I caught a glimpse of him during a previous visit to the guild.

A middle-aged man with a scar on his cheek and sharply defined features. He gives off the air of someone who’s more than meets the eye, but not in a scary way—he seems dependable.

“Zebel.”

“Oh, if it isn’t Shuu-boy. What’s up?”

Oh… they seem friendly. Maybe Zebel helped him out when he was first getting started.

Now that I think about it, I don’t really know much about Master’s past before I met him… Well, this isn’t the time to dwell on that.

“It’s about Cain. You know him, right? My pet here is worried about what happened to the girl he sold off.”

Apparently, in relationships that are overly familiar, there’s a trend where a cherished slave is referred to as a “pet.” It’s a disgusting custom.

He doesn’t even see me as human anymore. Even though I understand that, it still stings. Especially because he says it so casually, not like a joke, but like it’s normal.

“Yeah… poor girl. I heard the brat didn’t even try to negotiate an extension. He didn’t even show his face after the deadline passed.”

Just as I suspected… That guy is absolutely rotten. He gets to wear fine clothes and be surrounded by women, while the girl who gave him her all is left with nothing… They’re all trash.

“…Turns out, she’s of a rather rare race. Word is, she’s being put up for auction this weekend. You gonna buy her?”

“…Who knows.”

I hate being so powerless. If I at least had half the cheats Master does, maybe I could do something for her.

Even though I know full well that Master has no obligation to help, I find myself struggling not to press him and ask why he won’t.

I’m so pathetic… all I can do is take it out on the one who raised me.

“I see… So, what’ll you do? If you want to meet her, now’s your chance.”

Master said this after a brief pause, his eyes on me.

“I can… see her?”

“If we say it’s for inspection, sure.”

Even if someone asked what I plan to do by meeting her, I wouldn’t have an answer. But the truth is, I just can’t sit still.

“I’d like to see her. To talk to her.”

Master gave a solemn nod.

The two of us headed to the slave trader’s shop.

Lulu was strongly opposed, so we asked her to stay behind. Honestly, I get it—I’d love nothing more than to tear that toad-faced bastard apart myself.

The slave trader—nicknamed "Toad" for his greasy, frog-like face—greeted us with a twisted smile and led us toward the holding cells where slaves intended for auction are kept.

Only slaves deemed worth more than 30 gold coins are eligible for auction.

Slaves like me, the cheap ones, are usually tossed into personal clearance sales or sold by the gram in bulk to merchants.

It was my first time entering the high-end slave area. You could tell just from the air and the hallways—everything was cleaner. The difference in treatment made me want to carve the toad into pieces right then and there.

And then, there she was—one of the girls in a row of cages.

Her once-vibrant jade-green hair had lost its luster. She looked a bit thinner, but even in her tattered clothing, her body still kept the kind of curves that men would find appealing.

At the very least, they must be managing her nutrition.

Even if her appearance was somewhat ragged, she was clearly kept clean. When she sensed someone approaching, the girl—her name was Yuria—lifted her head. Her expression was surprisingly composed.

“…What do you want?”

The way she tried to maintain her composure made my chest ache.

“Aren’t you… frustrated?”

Before I knew it, I’d asked something so painfully obvious.

“Eh…?”

Perhaps surprised that it was me who spoke to her and not Master, she turned her gaze toward me, eyes widening.

It looked like Master was holding back the toad trying to stop me.

I’ll thank him later.

She tilted her head, clearly not understanding what I was talking about, so I continued.

"I saw you being sold about a month ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I begged my Master to bring me here."

When I glanced back at Master, she followed my gaze, then looked down as if understanding.

"I see... so you saw it."

She paused, seeming to struggle with her words, then looked up again after a brief silence.

"...If he’s happy, then that’s all that matters to me."

She answered with a calm, gentle "mask" still fixed on her face.

But the anger and hatred lurking beneath it couldn’t be hidden. Even so, she must be telling herself: I want him to be happy. If my suffering led to his happiness, then it's worth it.

Otherwise, everything she’s been through would feel meaningless.

She reminds me of someone. Her face, her hair color—none of it is the same, but... a long time ago, back when I was still little, there was a woman I used to like. She's just like her. That’s why I could see through it—how she’s forcing herself, how much she’s pretending.

"Cain-kun... was it? I met him in the labyrinth. He was surrounded by women, you know."

Her expression changed. I could tell she was shaken.

What am I doing? Telling her this can only hurt her.

"......Still... if he’s... happy..."

"I see..."

Even if she asked me for help, I’m just a slave now. Without Master’s protection, I’m nothing more than livestock—I'm not even allowed to live like a human being.

I can't do anything, and yet here I am, hurting someone who's already doing her best to endure. What am I even trying to accomplish? I don’t understand myself.

"Sora... that’s enough."

"Yes..."

He finally stopped me. Of course he did. He probably saw how tightly she was clenching her fists, her knuckles white.

What I said earlier really was cruel. I didn’t mean to hurt her.

"I’m sorry... I went too far."

"...You’re lucky, aren’t you."

"Huh?"

Just as I was about to stand, her eyes pierced through me, filled with hostility.

"It’s obvious just by looking. You’re treated with such care. You’re allowed to be selfish, loved as if you were human. You really were bought by a good owner."

Fury, hatred, hostility. Emotions she can’t direct at him, so she lashes out at me instead. It stings, a little, but there’s nothing I can do except accept it.

"I’m a slave now. No matter how much I hate it, no matter how much it hurts... I have to convince myself or I won’t survive. I don’t want to die. I want to love someone. I want to get married! I want kids too! But that’s all impossible now. I can’t have any of it anymore... So if he’s happy, then that’s enough."

I wasn’t foolish enough to believe those words came from her heart, not with that expression of resignation on her face. But I had no words, no strength, no anything to deny her despair.

"I see... I hope you’ll be found by a kind Master someday."

She didn’t respond. I wiped my eyes with my robe sleeve to clear my blurry vision, then left the slave dealer’s shop. Even when Master gently patted my head, I didn’t have the strength left to resist.

"...That’s not like you. Did something happen with that girl?"

As I sat absentmindedly gazing at the night sky from a chair on the second-floor veranda, Master’s voice reached me. When I turned around, he handed me a glass of honey lemon squash.

"............"

I stared into the fizzy drink, hesitating for a moment, wondering if I should say anything.

"...She reminded me of my first love."

"――――"

Master froze with a strange expression. What’s with that look, like a pigeon struck by a pea shooter?

Don’t tell me he still doesn’t believe I used to be a high school boy in Japan?

Well, after all the ways he’s toyed with me, it’s a bit late to be grossed out now. Since we’re here, might as well have him listen to one of my old stories.

"My first love—well, I was only in upper elementary school at the time. I admired a kind, beautiful older cousin. But she liked someone else—a childhood friend of hers, this cool guy who was aiming to become a musician. So I gave up."

What comes next is one of the memories I’d rather have forgotten. But seeing that girl’s face earlier, stained with despair, brought it all rushing back.

"That childhood friend of hers? He was the textbook definition of a freeloader. Even so, my cousin supported him with everything she had, telling herself that if he just kept trying, his dream would come true."

"I see... well."

I guess Master, who values independence, couldn’t see someone like that as a decent guy. Honestly, even from my perspective, he was a terrible person. He used to mock me just because I was a kid.

No one could’ve honestly called him a "good guy."

"But the band actually started doing well. Thanks to her support, I guess... he ended up landing a professional debut. From there, things took off—he started to sell decently. I had mixed feelings, but... I thought the two of them would get married and live happily ever after."

"...Which means, in the end?"

"Yeah. He found another woman in the same industry and dumped my cousin. He used her as a cover—called her a crazy stalker who wouldn’t leave him alone. She was torn apart in the media. And even then... at first, she said the same thing that girl earlier did—‘As long as he’s happy.’"

When I stopped talking, a somber silence settled between us.

"What happened to her?"

A sharp pain stabbed in my chest.

"...‘I’m just tired now. I’m sorry.’ Those were her last words, apparently."

"…………"

"His fans kept harassing her, until she finally had to quit her job... She kept saying she didn’t want to burden her family anymore."

Master said nothing. And I couldn’t go on any further.

"I’m pathetic... All I can do is lash out at you, asking why you didn’t save her. Even though I’m Japanese too, I don’t have even half the strength you do... It’s pathetic. It hurts."

"My strength isn’t really mine. It’s borrowed."

Master looked bitter. And honestly, it kind of ticked me off.

"Even so, strength is still strength."

For someone like me, who has nothing, even power gained through unfair means is enviable. Knowing that if I’d had that kind of strength, I could have protected her—makes it all the more unbearable.

"...It hurts. It’s frustrating. Why is it always people like her who have to suffer?"

"...Yeah. Really. Why is that?"

No matter the world... it’s always filled with cruel, senseless unfairness.

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇
【EXP】
NO BATTLE --
◆【Sora Lv.12】
◆【Lulu Lv.4】
◇―
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.12 [120]
Lulu Lv.4 [45]
【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 21
[MAX HIT] >> 21
【PARTY】
[Shuuya] [Lv32] HP 440/440 MP 720/720 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv12] HP 30/30 MP 110/110 [Melancholy]
[Lulu] [Lv4] HP 352/352 MP 24/24 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
【Comment】
"…………"
"Senpai, the water’s warm now, so let’s wipe each other down... huh? Did something happen?"