Rupegia

Chapter 8: Guts and Glory

The morning light seeping in around the blinds wakes me up, and they illuminate our small room just enough to allow me to notice Alissa's orange jewels staring right at me.

We smile at each other, but we don't make a sound or move a centimeter. We just want to enjoy this moment a little longer.

I get the feeling that something changed within me, so I open my "Stats" and "Skills" while we rest.

My "Endurance" raised by 1 (now 10), my "Willpower" raised by 2 (now 15), my MP raised by a whopping 100 (now 355), my "Magic Power" raised by 10 (200). My [Sword Use] raised by 2 (now 12+4), my [Dodge], [Block], [Sense Mana] and [Mana Control] raised by 1 (now 0+5, 0+7, 0+3, and 0+4). I learned [Light Magic] and [Mana Overuse Resistance] with 1 point. The most interesting of all is that I learned [Redirect Mana (creator)] with 1 point, and I can't add or remove points in that skill.

My right hand instinctively searches for Alissa's furry ear, and I notice that my muscles still ache, but I let the hand do as it pleases.

Her other, lonely ear twitches, and the imp within me suddenly takes over. I pull her into a tight hug and playfully bite her ear.

"KYAH!" She lets out the cutest scream I ever heard.

I release her and stare at her embarrassed expression in surprise. "Oh? What was that?" I hum teasingly as a grin slowly grows in me.

She pouts and gives me a mild glare as she complains, "M-master! I told you my ears are sensitive!"

My grin turns into a smirk. "But you didn't hate it, right?"

"N-no… but be gentler," she bashfully replies.

Ah, it's good to be alive.

I nod in understanding, then I gently massage both her ears, and she closes her eyes in happiness.

Suddenly, she opens her eyes and exclaims, "No-no good. I should be the one massaging you!"

I open my arms wide. "Then by all means."

She crawls up to me and kisses my lips, then she raises her chest, mounting me, but unfortunately it doesn't become sexual, and she only uses her hands to massage my muscles.

It feels good because my whole body is still sore and the pressure is nice and stimulating. Alissa doesn't have the [Massage] skill, so I wonder how good it'd feel if I gave her the skill.

While I'm enjoying a good massage, someone knocks on the door and tells us that breakfast is ready.

Her stomach rumbles, and we both stop and stare at each other.

"Let's go eat," I suggest, and she silently nods as her skin grows scarlet.

We get dressed, then Alissa guides me to the mess hall, a very wide room with a dozen wooden tables and benches. There are a few priests about, coming and going with trays of surprisingly tasty-looking food.

As we observe the area, the priest who started to treat me yesterday comes to us.

"How are you today?" He kindly asks.

I pat my own arm and wince. "Sore all over, but I'm fine. Seems like everything has healed already," I answer with a smile.

He nods and hums, but then his expression starts to become worried, "Yes, that's expected… wait, no. The state you came in was quite stable considering how desperate your battle was."

Well, shit. I used [Light Magic] to heal Roxanne and myself a good deal before coming here, so it's impossible to not notice.

"Well, I fainted multiple times while using [Regeneration]. It really was by a thread," I try to make an excuse.

He nods and soberly states, "Certainly seems so. You're a lucky man."

Could I spend a day without hearing something like this? I'm not lucky, I know this now more than ever. Even if the universe is conspiring for me to be "rewarded," I don't consider that "lucky".

I awkwardly laugh and look away, "Hahah, that is something I doubt a little."

"Oh yes, I know some would agree with you." He wryly replies, then returns to being professional again. "But now, you should rest at least for a day-cycle. Also, make sure your body is ready before you begin training. Internal wounds like yours are difficult to see, and can continue to do damage in the future if you're not careful."

I hum and give a quick bow. "Thank you for your advice. There's certainly nothing I want to do more than just rest right now."

The priest gives us a brief smile, then leaves to get breakfast, and we also get some. Bread, a nutty spread, jerky, a not-apple, and some tea. Quite nice, really.

Mid-way our meal, Roxanne comes in with Ciel helping her walk because she seems unsteady.

They notice us and Ciel waves, then they take a seat in front of us.

"Good morning, Mr. Ryder. I feel like the sunlight has never been so refreshing," Roxanne greets with a pained smile, then she takes a deep sigh while Ciel asks for one of the priests to get them a tray of food.

"Your positivity is unbreakable," I remark, rather impressed.

She cheerfully nods and readjusts her oval glasses. Her childish cheerfulness may look jarring against her sensual beauty, I'm starting to grow fond of her. "Of course, I couldn't be happier, I finally have the chance to use Moonlight Moss on my potions and grow rich and famous!" She makes a fist and begins to raise her arm, but then immediately lowers as she makes a pained face.

"Miss Roxanne, please don't do that, your body is extremely weakened now," Ciel pleads and gently lands a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll have difficulty keeping Miss Roxanne quiet, Grand Ciel," Alissa calmly states matter-of-factly.

Grand Ciel? There's that weird honorific again.

"Please, Miss is fine," Ciel replies with a smile.

Alissa nods and relents, "As you wish."

Then Ciel turns to me and gives me a stern, but caring stare as she cautions me, "Now, Mr. Ryder. You too should be resting, your wound wasn't any less worse than hers."

I smile back at her kindness and reply, "Well, I lost way less blood than her because I could heal myself up to a point, so I'm mostly just sore, but don't worry, I'll take at least one day-cycle of rest. I have a lot of things I want to do in town, and I'd also like to talk to you again, Miss Ciel."

Her gaze softens and she mirrors my expression."Certainly, I'd be glad to."

Roxanne receives her tray, and she immediately goes for the tea, then she gives me a curious look as she asks, "Mr. Ryder, are you leaving today? If so, can you come to my house in a couple of days? I'd also like to talk to you and properly thank you for saving me. Do you have a pen? I'll tell you my address."

Oh, how nice of her.

I pull out a cheap magical fountain pen. It generates ink if you put some mana into it. Then I ask Alissa to write because my calligraphy with these pens is horrendous and my hand is kind of shaky.

I softly exclaim as I suddenly remember something, "Ah, I still have the body of the Symbol with me, so I'll give it to the guild today, then I'll share the bounty with you."

She opens her eyes wide. "Wha-well, that's… unnecessary. I owe you far more."

I smirk as I casually slice my not-apple. "Say that again and I'll pinch you. You're the one who actually finished it, I just gave you the chance, so I'll follow our previous agreement: I'll negotiate our share, and you take one third of the bounty."

She sighs and drops her head, and I get the feeling her spiral horns suddenly look oddly bouncy. "If you say so…"

We chat a little longer, then I finish my meal.

I stand up and announce, "We'll meet again in a few days, then. Rest well, Miss Roxanne."

"You too, Mr. Ryder and Miss Alissa," she weakly replies and smiles.

Ciel gives us a small wave. "Goodbye Mr. Ryder, goodbye Miss Alissa."

Then we wave back and leave.

The walk back to the inn is slow,  but I feel that my body enjoys the light exercise.

I'll sleep in for the rest of the morning, then we'll go to the guild during the afternoon. Silas sent word to Alissa when I was sleeping that he would like to talk to me as soon as I was able, I can just guess what it is.

When I enter the inn, the innkeeper opens his eyes wide and simply stares at me for a couple of seconds.

What's that about?

"Mr. Ryder! You are back already?" He suddenly exclaims.

"Uh… Yes, I finished my expedition," I awkwardly reply.

"I think he means you were supposed to stay at the temple longer," Alissa whispers in my ear.

I hum in understanding, "Ah, that? Well, I can heal myself somewhat, so it wasn't that bad for me. But no matter that, how did you know I was wounded?"

"You're the talk of the town, Mr. Ryder. Everyone knows you're the one who killed the Symbol of Hate. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the story."

Oh fuck, the entire town knows, already?

"Master is very tired now, and he still needs rest, so let's talk later," Alissa saves me.

"Ah! Yes, certainly, please forgive me." He smiles embarrassedly and bows.

You don't need to bow, though.

We enter our comfy little room, and I just drop on the bed. Alissa lays down next to me and hugs my head, and I feel the softness and warmth of her breasts on my face.

"You don't have to stay all day by my side, though. I'm going to sleep for a while, so you should do whatever you want," I declare, my voice slightly muffled due to where my face is buried.

"I want to stay here," she asserts, and I leave it at that, then I fall asleep in her arms.

I have a pleasant dream about golden fields and a blue sky, then I gently wake up, and once again the first thing I see are Alissa's orange eyes stare into mine as she plays with my hair.

I smile like a fool madly in love, but she returns only a sad, anguished look.

"I don't want you to do that again," she whispers sternly.

"Do what?" I blurt out, caught by surprise.

She frowns and looks down as she rests her hand on my chest. "To jump… To throw yourself into the enemy like that, to use your body and harm yourself."

"You know that was our best shot at surviving," I calmly point out.

She gives me an anguished look and exclaims, "I know! I just don't want you to do that again."

I'm not the one to make empty promises, so I carefully word what I'm going to say next.  "I can't say I won't do that again… but what I can promise you is that I'll do everything that I can so that we're never in a situation like that again. Remember my two rules?" I gently ask and smile.

She obediently answers, "'Don't die,' and 'let's never get into a situation where someone needs to die.'"

My smile grows wider, and I pat her head as I whisper huskily, "Good girl."

She bites her lip, and then I see her eyes water. I'm thankful she cares so deeply about me.

I kiss her hand, and she lets out a few silent tears.

Looking back after the fact, it's easy to be calm and collected, but I dread thinking about what next trial will befall us. I have no intention of dying before we grow old together, but I'm sure our lives won't be easy, and that scares me.

We stay like this until my stomach growls, making it my turn to blush.

We go down the stairs, and I walk up to the innkeeper.

"Excuse me, is Miss Selina around?" I calmly ask, but he subtly opens his eyes wider and then averts his gaze.

Hm…?

Then he looks at me again and flatly replies, "She's… not here today, but she's coming back tomorrow."

"Coming back"? Suspicious.

I smile politely. "Oh, I see. Then I'll meet her tomorrow." Then I say goodbye and leave.

We eat some tasty fried Dragolite again with noodles! Unfortunately, noodles are not as popular as pasta, so only a few restaurants seem to be serving it. What a shame.

Then we go to the hunters' guild.

We enter the noisy hall, and the first thing I see is Targua is drinking with a group of rugged adventurers, then he notices me and mutters something to the people around him. As we walk in, the gazes of most of the guild slowly turn to us.

Then I recognize the trio that we fought the Symbol with quickly approaching us, and so we wait for them.

The first one to come is a wide black man with dark hair in a buzz cut, the shield-bearer. "Hello, Mr. Ryder. I don't think we were properly introduced, I'm Gunther from Hauberk," he politely greets with a bright smile. His face is oval and youthful, but his enviable stubble ages him up quite a bit.

Then the mage girl cheerfully greets next, "I'm Minerva." She's wearing an average green dress today that goes well with her boyish, short, red hair and her adorable freckles. She's pretty, but nearly everyone in this world also is, so you could say she's "average."

"I'm Lorthar, well met," the weremonkey archer soberly greets. He's wearing his tacky, red, feathered hat again, and coupled with his rather fashionable black and red clothes, he seems rather eccentric. His thin, white tail happily sways about, which makes him actually a bit charming.

I nod and smile politely as I return the greetings, "Well met. Thank you for your help yesterday, we'd all have died if a single person wasn't there."

They nod, except Lorthar, who looks away. I think he was literally useless during the fight, but he helped out by carrying back Roxanne and me, so he still saved us.

"Everyone is staring at us; let's just go meet the guildmaster," I request, then the three awkwardly look around and quickly nod.

We go towards the nearest attendant, and she leads us towards a meeting room, then we wait for a minute before Silas comes in.

The short, bearded guildmaster greets with a wry smile, "We meet again, Mr. Ryder. Mr. Sonny is happy with the surprise you prepared for him."

"Ugh… I just want a quiet life…" I moan tiredly, and Alissa gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Fate says otherwise," he promptly replies and chuckles softly then takes a seat before us.

I frown and grumble, "Maybe I need to change jobs."

"I don't think that'll make a difference," immediately replies again and flashes a smile. "Now, let's talk business. First, I'd like to hear a retelling of the fight. I heard what happened, but I want all the details."

And so we retell it.

We all agree that the most likely reason the Symbol of Hate was there was because she was looking for the White Arachne too. It was known that the Symbol liked to hunt and fight, and she went after other Aberrant monsters or weak adventurers if they got too close to its territory, excet the Arachne was spotted far from the Symbol's nest. This means that it was just an "unlucky coincidence" that she went so far from her nest to hunt the Arachne, then switched targets to Hauberk, chasing them until they stumbled upon us, who had a train of Giant Moles behind us, effectively boxing us between two choices of death.

Our only salvation was that the Symbol was actually a physically weak monster compared to others of the same threat level. She was just very cunning and brutal, and quite capable of running from subjugation forces, so everyone was quite afraid to deal with her.

Considering how she was maniacally laughing while leisurely chasing Hauberk, she was just playing around until we faced her head on.

Just the thought that we met such a sadistic being makes me shiver a bit.

Once we're done, Silas eyes each of us as he announces, "Are we all in agreement that what has been said here is completely factual?"

We nod.

He hums and continues, "Then let's discuss the reward. The bounty on the Symbol of Hate is two rose coins, but price for the body is undetermined as there are no previous records to go by, so we'll need to bring all the interested parties here and auction the body parts."

Holy shit.

Everyone is speechless, and the gazes of the Hauberk trio even go blank.

"We don't really deserve the reward, we barely helped," Gunther meekly declares, his face warped with guilt.

"That's… dumb," I reflexively point out. "You'll get your part, too."

It's honestly a good idea we met so soon after the battle. If we had waited, greed might've come upon their heads, telling them to demand more. I want my deserved share, but I don't want them to go away with nothing. They risked their lives for us, too.

"For the bounty, how about ten gold for each of you?" I propose. That leaves us with 110 gold coins, which drop to 73 gold coins after Roxanne's share.

Lorthar opens his eyes wide and nods. Gunther and Minerva take some time but nod too.

"What about the body auction?" Silas questions me as he strokes his envious, protruding beard.

"Twenty percent goes to them?" I ask out loud.

They nod in agreement. It's possible they'll profit a lot more from the auction than they ever could from the bounty.

Then Silas moves on, "What about Miss Roxanne?"

And I happily answer, "We follow our previous agreement: one third of all we earn is hers. She did kill it, afterall. Without her magic, we'd all be dead."

Silas waits a few seconds to see if we have anything else to say, then he brings the finisher, "Do you want the Guild's opinion on this matter?"

The guild doesn't force the agreements, but it acts as the mediator since it's the one paying the hunters. They also prefer that hunters work together and build bonds, so in times of need, like in town defenses, there's way less drama. The guild offers their opinion on agreements, and it's generally a good idea to take it. The way profits are divided are generally made public, so, if you negotiate a bad deal, you'll get a bad reputation among the hunters. The world isn't perfect, and unpopular hunters die in "accidents" considerably more often than the popular ones.

"Yes, please," I accept.

"It's a fair deal," Silas announces with finality.

Then we shake hands.

Next, we go to the dismantling room, and I present the body. Alissa collected the arms and head that survived, which she promptly turned over yesterday to the guild as proof of extermination, so that's why they all already believe our story.

Once we enter the room, Gordon's expression goes blank, then he swallows heavily and nods to me. 

Why are you so serious right now? I prefer teasing than silence.

I pull the body out of my "Items," and everyone stares in silence.

The silence is broken by Sonny, who barges into the room, almost breaking the door, then immediately stops and stares wide-eyed.

"Mr. Ryder… I'm speechless..." Sonny whispers in awe.

Even you! But, technically, you aren't speechless.

Then Gordon chuckles and finally teases, "This is a bit much for a surprise, eh? But I gotta say, you got guts boy."

A two hundred years old murder machine that gave the town nightmares while it lived is now finally dead and killed by a random young boy who just a few days ago was suffering while killing goblins by himself. Yeah, I agree, now I've done it.

I just smile wryly while Alissa hugs my arm and pats my hand comfortingly.

Then Gordon turns to Silas and gives him a serious look as he refuses, "Boss, I won't touch this. Who knows what's inside. I also don't wanna lose my ears hearing the complaints of some old quack who says I did my job wrong."

Silas strokes his beard twice, then he nods. "Agreed. We'll just auction it off intact if no one has the knowledge or courage to do it." Then he turns to me. "Mr. Ryder, would you like to keep it with you or would you prefer to let us store it? For this monster, we'll store it in a way so that it remains intact until the auction."

I immediately accept his offer, "Please store it, I don't want to touch this anymore."

He flashes a smile. "Understandable."

I look behind me and notice that a small crowd of attendants and adventurers have gathered at the entrance.

Well, shit.

Then Sonny walks up to me and soberly states, "Let me say this Mr. Ryder: you're unbelievably lucky."

Alissa and I share a look. I think she wants to say she agrees with him, but only on the part that I was lucky to survive jumping into the Symbol's claws.

Gordon laughs and joins in, "Hahah, that's true. What's up with that, boy? You got a good luck amulet or something? Grey Berserker, Orc Headhunter, and now Symbol of Hate. That's no mere luck you have."

"He's a walking good luck charm," Sonny flatly adds.

"The 'good' part is debatable," I awkwardly reply.

Gordon hums and states, "That should be his nickname then, 'Good Luck.'"

I immediately interject, "No. No, no, no, I don't accept this."

He gives me a shit eating grin. "Too late, boy. That's your new name."

Then I feel something change within me. I immediately open my status, and see that under my "Titles," there's the entry: "'Good Luck' nickname."

I moan and close my eyes as my heart pangs with pain, "Nooo~… that's it, I'm going home."

Sonny and Gordon say their goodbyes with a smirk while Silas keeps a neutral expression, then we quickly leave, walking past silent gazes of fear from the spectators.

We've already received the bounty and split the money, and Roxanne's share will be stored until she comes to collect it, so there's nothing else for us to do here.

I'm already feeling tired again, so we return to the inn. There are still a few hours until dusk, so I just play around with Alissa's body to pass the time.

She slowly strips in front of me then lays down at my side. I wet her nipples with my tongue, then I use my fingers to play with these ping buds of heaven to my heart's content.

I slowly trace her small areola with the tip of my indicator, occasionally giving it a lick or a short suck, then gently pinching and pulling, then I close my eyes and enjoy the music of her light moans as it grows louder.

"Master... please…" She moans as her body begins to writhe.

"What?" I huskily ask with a smirk.

She gives me a pleading look. "Please…" She begs again and again.

But I say nothing else and continue to play with her nipples.

"Master!" She suddenly exclaims, starting to sound annoyed. "Please, give it to me!"

I smile sadistically and get on top of her. Her legs are already spread, so I just slowly push my hip forward, the wetness covering her pussy lips making a lewd sound as I slide in, then I start pistoning.

Her cute moans are just pure music to me.

I'm still rather tired, so we eventually switch places, and she mounts me, then I just stare at her amazing body moving up and down as her tits jiggle until I reach heaven.

I think about giving her the Clothes of the Berserker again, but I might hurt myself if she wears it. We're rich now, so another day I'll tell her to go back to that store and bring mor.

When we bathe, I notice that my wounds left scars: five horizontal lines along my left flank. Healing magic normally doesn't leave scars, but since I mixed it with potions, different spells, intermittent healing, and a long walk without rest, it left imperfections, scars.

I look a bit badass, though, and the way Alissa touches them makes me believe she's inclined to agree.

Then we have dinner and go to sleep.

I wake up feeling quite energetic and almost fully cured, so we fool around a bit more intensely, then go down to have breakfast.

After we eat, I decide to train my [Spirit Light] with Alissa this morning.

Ah, the feeling of hugging her while I sense her mana swirl around is just great… But anyway, I feel like I can cast this spell if I practice for a few more sessions. My one point in [Light Magic] seems to be helping me a lot in understanding this spell. I'm still just copying her, though, so it's not like I suddenly understand magical theory, just like how [Sword Use] works.

Then someone knocks on the door. Alissa opens it and reveals a very anxious Selina.

"Would you like to come in?" I politely ask with a smile, then and motion her to the chair in front of the only desk in the room.

"Y-yes, please, excuse me," she shyly replies and walks forward, then she suddenly gives Alissa a tight hug. "I'm glad you are safe!" She cries out.

Alissa is taken by surprise and freezes, but then she wraps her arms around Selina and starts to soothe her, "A-ah, yes. I'm happy you were worried for me, but I wasn't in much danger since I was always at the back."

Selina disentangles and gives her an anguished frown. "T-that's not true, just by facing that monster you…" -She sadly shakes her head- "What horrible luck. I can't believe the things you two went through!"

I smile bitterly and reply, "Luck is a funny thing. Some say I'm lucky I survived, some say I'm unlucky I met that monster."

She lets out a nervous laugh while knitting her thin, blonde eyebrows, "Hahah… don't joke about such things, Mr. Ryder."

And Alissa politely retorts, "That's the life of an adventurer. We have to look back and laugh to be able to move on."

Selina stays silent. She still looks a bit sad but she's quickly calming down. She seems to have understood that we're past the point of being bitter or fearful of what happened.

After a few awkward seconds, she decides to move on to the main topic, but she lowers her head and her tone gains a noticeable amount of guilt as she announces, "Mr. Ryder, I came here to tell you something… I was proposed to, and now I'm going to get married."

Alissa raises her eyebrows high, and a hole opens in my stomach.

Well… 

What do I even think about this girl? I just… don't know. She's cute and funny, and it makes me happy to talk to her, but what would our relationship be? This world is very different, people are marrying at fifteen while I was marrying at thirty. I can't just keep standing around, talking and being friendly, and slowly build a relationship like on Earth. That's not how things work here, and that's why Selina is being stolen away.

But then again, what kind of relationship I would have with her. An inn girl that doesn't fight and will likely never leave Rabanara? Certainly wouldn't be a good match.

Alissa gives me a pitying look, and it snaps me out of it. What the fuck am I even thinking? I have Alissa, why would Selina even accept me?

Anyway, I have to focus on the now. A girl is telling me she's going to get married with a sad face, and that's just not how things should go. The fact that Alissa isn't jealous or angry just makes this scene even more bizarre. What, exactly, should I be feeling right now?

A deep sigh escapes my lips. I still need to act like a man, an adult, and fix this mess. I can't make Selina unhappy, she's Alissa's friend.

I force a pained smile and politely reply, "Selina, I give you my congratulations and my blessing. I just want you to be happy."

She raises her head and shrinks her posture like a frightened small animal about to cry, then she looks at Alissa who nods at her.

A bit of courage returns to her and she returns my smile. "Thank you, Mr. Ryder. I definitely will," she whispers and sniffles.

"Please, be happy, Miss Selina," Alissa adds, and now she's the one who gives a tight hug.

Selina lets out a girlish laugh and hugs back. "Thank you, thank you…" They remain still for a few seconds, but Alissa lets her go before things get awkward, then begins excusing herself, "That was all I had to say. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have to go back to work."

She bows, and we wave, then she leaves, and I plop down on the bed.

Alissa kneels before the bed and gently lands her hand against my chest as she concernedly asks, "How are you feeling, master?"

"A little bit confused…" I mumble tiredly.

That scene of sadness is just too grating for me. I have to ask her.

I turn my head to the side and stare into her beautiful eyes as I ask, "Alissa, don't you feel a little odd about my relationship with Selina? Even though I already have you, I was thinking about Selina, too."

She opens her eyes wide and her face flushes. "Master? D-do you see me like this?" Then she inhales, but her breathing starts to become erratic, and she stumbles upon her words, "I-it'd make me very happy, if you w-would l-l-love m-m-me…"

I just blink blankly in surprise.

Okay… things are getting messier.

I collect my thoughts and decide to confess, "I find it kind of difficult to separate sex from love, and thought it's not the same as a true, deep love, I do feel something very strong towards you."

Her tail starts to wag uncontrollably as she grins like fool. "I-I-I-I also f-feel something v-very strong, Ma-Master," she stutters again, completely flustered.

I sigh and get off the bed, then kneel and give her a tight hug.

What do I even feel? Is this love, possessiveness, or lust?

Does it... matter what I feel? Do I need to truly love this girl to make her happy?

She closes her eyes and happily hugs me back.

Relationships in this world are confusing. I barely had a grasp on them back on Earth, and now I learn it all over again.

An impish thought appears in my mind, and I blurt out before I can hold it back, "What do you think if I were to bring more women?"

"The strong s-should protect the we-weak. Y-you are very strong, Master," she happily replies, still stuttering a bit from elation.

"I think you could easily kill me if you wished," I wryly retort.

She pouts and exclaims annoyedly, "Not that! Your heart is stronger than any other."

I frown and grumble, "What does that even mean?"

And she just chuckles. "You don't have to reason everything, just accept it," she warmly affirms and hugs me tighter.

I feel like I've heard something like that before.

I don't feel like training anymore, so we go outside. I need to repair my armor and shield, upgrade my and Alissa's equipment, upgrade all my tools for ultimate comfort, buy better tea and cookies, and then visit Ciel. I want to send Alissa to the night clothing merchant while I talk to Ciel, but she seems to like the latina priestess, so maybe I should have her make a new friend.

We end up spending fifty gold coins, but at least now Alissa has Grey Berserker armor like me.

The armor and [Wind Armor] are what saved me, I think. The dagger-fingers didn't even fully penetrate my body, they just got stuck midway, and they'd have sliced me in half if I was naked. [Wind Armor] may be as if it was a small, flat reduction in damage, but it's better than nothing, and still, I had five punctures along my body, so it really was pretty serious. It was one in my shoulder, two in my lungs and two in my stomach.

Alissa now has an enchanted, small, composite bow made of white wood with pretty, wavy, golden carvings. She thinks it's a bit excessive but it really is a good bow. It has a small enchantment called [Loosen], which lets her draw the bow easier, but it's really simple, so not really expensive.

She needs to be rewarded for her good work and amazing accuracy. She actually hit one of the Symbol's main eyes and saved Roxanne from being fully skewered, so she really deserves it.

And she actually blushes when she receives it, which just encourages me to praise and reward her even more.

As a luxury, I get a perfumed anti-scent for her, which is oddly contradictory, but it's a magical perfume that disappears after a few seconds so that it doesn't leave a trail in the air. And for me, I got a pocket watch for one gold coin, which we both think was kind of expensive, but not having a clock on me at all times was making me feel very anxious and "naked."

We also buy a comfy large tent, a comfy large sleeping bag, comfy clothes, comfy shoes, a high quality brush for her hair and tail, magic stones for warming tea, cooking, and roasting, and good knifes for cutting. Even though we can just (seemingly) put infinite food in my "Items," Alissa wants to cook.

For me, I get a new steel kite shield covered in young Emerald Dragon scales; a white Young Emerald Dragon fang sword, which has a one-sided blade curved bulge to it. I thought about getting a magical sword, but those things are the cutting edge of technology, pun intended, which means they cost a few rose coins each, so nope, not today.

It's kind of ridiculous the breadth of the level of equipment here. There's some expensive stuff being sold right next to the Gray Berserker armor, which is also right next to average, mass-produced stuff, all marketed to adventurers. It goes to show this is a proper "adventurer town."

I notice there's a bit of a lack of metal equipment in comparison to monster-based stuff.

"Why aren't there more plate armor around here?" I question Alissa.

Her pointy ears flick cutely as she enters deep thought, but then she shakes her head as she replies negatively, "I don't know, Master. I passed by a mountain fort on the way here, and there were plenty of dwarves, but perhaps it's too dangerous to mine too deeply around here."

Curious…

"Do monsters appear inside mines?" I move on.

She nods once and replies robotically, "Yes. The deeper it is, the more ground the monsters have to appear." I think she acts like this when I ask something too weird that's common knowledge for her.

Anyway, I guess monsters sprouting from the ground must make mining much more dangerous than on Earth, and the abundance of monsters makes using them for equipment that much more common.

We have twenty-three coins left from the bounty and a few more that I'd saved, but we'll also receive the reward from Roxanne's request, and there's still an unknown amount coming from the auction. It's enough to live comfortably for quite a long time, but I don't think that I should try.

At 3 o'clock, we go to the temple.

Inside the temple, we find Ciel on a bench talking to a commoner. She notices us and smiles, then she quickly finishes her talk and comes to us.

Oh, we would've just waited…

"Good day, Mr. Ryder, Miss Alissa," she cheerfully greets with a bright smile.

"Good day, Miss Ciel," I politely reply.

The two girls share a cheerful smile, and Alissa follows, "Good day, Miss Ciel. How's Miss Roxanne?"

Ciel's smile becomes strained, and she answers with a rather defeated tone, "Prancing about, trying to turn her room into a lab because she doesn't know what 'resting' means."

That sounds like her.

I share a smirk with Alissa.

"Tomorrow morning we're freeing her," Ciel adds wryly.

Not releasing or discharging, "freeing" her.

I hum in acknowledgment and continue, "Then I'll visit her in the afternoon. But anyway, I wanted to have another talk session with you, is that alright?"

She nods repeatedly. "Oh, yes, it's fine. Let's go to a consultation room."

We go up the stairs and enter an empty room, then Alissa pulls out the new tea set and the cookies.

"Oh my," Ciel hums, pleasantly surprised, then she turns her eyes to Alissa. "So… is she…?"

I know you're trying to be cautious since I'm a reserved person, but there's no need to stall, just ask it, already.

"Yes? What is it?" I hum back.

She awkwardly wrings her hands. "Well, is she the slave you were considering buying?"

I hum and explain, "Ah, well. At the time, I was only considering the merits and ethics of buying a Blood Slave, and I only met her a few days later."

She slowly turns to Alissa, and the two smile at each other. "I see. It seems it was the correct choice then."

"Yes, she's extremely helpful." I caress Alissa's hand and notice her tail wagging a little with the corner of my eyes, then she blushes but retains her poker face.

Cute.

I clear my throat and continue, "Now, I want to talk about the gods again. Well, first I have to say I got a Blessing from the Goddess of Knowledge."

Ciel raises her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "Oh! that's surprising, well, not really considering it's you, but it's still amazing."

I awkwardly look away for a moment at the sudden praise. "Hm, yes, well. What can you tell me about it? I know nothing about the Blessings."

She nods and clears her throat, then begins her exposition speech, "A Blessing means that you've pleased a god. Whatever you did that pleased Knowledge, you should keep doing it, and she'll help you fulfill your wishes in the future. The Humanoid Gods have subtle powers to alter Fate, and there has been no hero in history who got there without a Blessing. Be it a simple arrow that misses its mark, to a lucky encounter that completely changes their Fate, Blessings are extremely powerful."

I have a small suspicion that meeting the Symbol of Hate was her doing, or at least a small push into the correct tunnel. Isekai protagonist's rotten luck strikes again.

After a small pause she continues, "Also, a Blessing is a symbol of trust in society. You'll quickly lose your Blessing if you do something evil, so you can trust the honor of those who carry them. Since yours is a Blessing from the Goddess of Knowledge, you'll certainly find it much easier to enter the magic university now. I don't know how they treat those who have a Blessing but that one isn't uncommon among scholars."

High school slice of life arc, other world version.

"How would they know I have a Blessing?" I ask.

"A modified Inspection Crystal can show it. It's also how we verify Titles and those who received Messages from the Gods."

How convenient, but it also seems that I won't be able to hide my new nickname.

I smile to hide the pain and continue, "Seems like I have my next objective in sight. But there's something else I want to ask, what are the Humanoid Gods like? Alissa says it's a good idea to find out their likes and dislikes to better please them."

Her gaze loses focus as she collects her thoughts. "I see, that's the correct idea. Well, about the Gods…" She clears her throat and prepares to give us another flood of information. "Let's start with the Genderless God of Existence. They're the only one who wasn't once a humanoid, and you can't really say they have a personality. They like those who cherish life and dislike those who kill carelessly. It's rare, but adoptive parents are known to receive their Blessing.

"The Goddess of Fertility is similar to the God of Existence, and she works closely with the Goddess of Love and the Goddess of Growth, but her power is more broad. She's known to help pregnant women and animals, to increase the bounty of the lands, and even help those who manage the monsters and dungeons so humanoid life could prosper. People commonly pray to her to ask for the sex and race of their children to be what they want. She was born a human with a happy and carefree personality, and her biggest work was to spread her knowledge of farming, water wheels, and windmills.

"The Goddess of Piety sees all prayers, and she helps those who seek guidance from the Gods, even those who are ignorant of the Gods, so perhaps she's the one who guided you here. Her Blessing is common among priests or others who guide people. She was born as a human who was known to be a kind but strict person, and she's responsible for creating the temple organization.

"The Goddess of Will is a goddess that keeps the mind of humanoids intact. There are many horrors brought by the monsters, so, to keep the people united and strong, she Blesses the nobles and heroes so they, in turn, can inspire others. She was born a dragonkin, and contrary to how her race usually acts, she's famous for being a neutral and composed person. She's credited with creating the skill of [Mental Resistance] and [Poison Resistance] along with being a famous adventurer."

Thank you, Goddess of Will, you helped me a lot in the Ant Hill and Royd's Kerfuffle. Maybe I should pray to you, too.

Ciel's tone becomes noticeably more energetic as she talks about the next God, "The Goddess of Love rewards those who make others happy, not just in a sexual way, and she helps us create bonds with each other. Receiving her Blessing is very rare, but it was most often given to emperors or kings who have large harems, orphanage caretakers, and rarely to mere simple lovers. She was born a Pixie, and she was famous for being very touchy and extremely amiable. She also wrote the 'Treatise on Acting' and created the imperial orphanage along with the Goddess of Piety.

"The Goddess of Growth helps not only the plants and animals to grow, she also helps humanoids who want to grow in any way. Be it physical growth, martial growth, magical growth, artistic skill growth, intelligence growth, or society's growth, the intent of her Blessing varies a lot. She was a dog-type wereanimal and she was a strict and serious person. She created the Nemesis, a group of one hundred elite soldiers that personally serve the emperor, and they're known as the best monster killers of the entire Realm.

"The God of War is a straightforward god. Kill monsters, and he'll bring you glory; give it your all, and he'll reward you; challenge yourself, and he'll give you the tools to kill and protect. Obviously, his Blessing is most common among adventurers and soldiers." -Alissa nods diligently- "He was a typical boisterous and willful dwarf, and he became famous when he defended a fort with just five hundred men against a whole army of monsters for an entire month.

"The God of Law is the god that keeps order in our society. He seeks the Wicked among us and strips them of their power. He doesn't do justice with his own hands because the law is for us to uphold, so we're also being judged by him while we do our own "justice." He has given his Blessing only to Lords and Judges so far. He was a golden elf, and his personality was of a perfectly stoic and calm person. He instituted our law system, becoming the first Judge.

"The God of Festivity works closely with the Goddess of Love. Together, they spread the happiness that keeps us moving, and he also gives us the glory that the God of War promises, making sure all heroes have their own happy beginning, middle, and end. He has rarely given his Blessing, and only to famous artists or cooks. He was a krampus demon race who was infamously loud, but his happy demeanor made him loved. He used his fortune to create the coliseum and spread the Ten Festivals of Seasons.

"The God of Endurance is the god that helps the servants, so they have the power to continue to serve their Lord. He's a god that helps those who don't have the power to reach glory but can help those who can. He's the one who gives the most Blessings among all of the Gods, and it's usually to good workers, indicating to their employers that they're quite valuable.

"Then Alissa will surely get her Blessing soon," I state, and Alissa blushes a little again.

Ciel smiles and continues, "He was a gnome, though quite solemn and thoughtful considering his race. The work of his life was to create darksteel through much toil and effort, which is an incredibly useful alloy since it can resist even dragon fire.

"The God of Luck is a very misunderstood god. He doesn't like gamblers or those who abuse luck, and he gives luck only to those who deserve it. Not much else is known about him, and his Blessing has never been recorded."

Maybe I should actually pray to him? He sounds… reasonable? Though he's a little too mysterious.

Then Ciel smirks. "I have a small suspicion he's the one helping you, Mr. Ryder. He was a halfling, but little else is known about his life, except that he's known for killing an ancient dragon by using [Shocking Touch] on its eye."

Oh, I see it now. He must be the one who sent the Symbol of Hate to me, so now I'm conflicted about him. Also, I think I heard that story about the dragon somewhere before.

"The Goddess of Knowledge is a goddess who likes to spread knowledge, and she helps those who write down any sort of knowledge to then share it with others. The commoners also call her the Goddess of Books, though plenty of priests will be displeased if you say that." -She flashes a smile- "She usually gives her Blessing to prolific scholars. She was a silver elf, and she's believed to be a stoic and curious person, though there's little information about her personality since only scholarly articles mention her. She created the first magical university and became the Head of Magic of the empire.

"Her brother is the God of Intelligence, who has helped anyone trying to unveil the mysteries of life, be it understanding monsters, the land, the plants, or magic, he's the one who seeks answers to everything. He gives his Blessing quite often to inventors and researchers, and he occasionally works together with the Goddess of Growth. He was also an elf and he was famously inquisitive and innocent. Your personality seems similar to him, Mr. Ryder, so perhaps you should pray to him."

Huh? Innocent? Do I give that aura?

"He was a prolific researcher in his sister's magical university, being credited as the one to finish most of the system magic schools we now use regularly in our daily life.

"The Goddess of the Plants and her twin brother the God of the Animals are very obscure Gods. They work with the Goddess of Growth and the Goddess of Fertility, but they rarely give their Blessings, and only botanists and animal caretakers have ever received them, but none of them seemed to have done anything special. There was a legend of a monster tamer who received a Blessing but he died before achieving full potential, so our knowledge on monster taming is lacking. These Gods were lizard beastfolk, and the only thing known about their lives is that they were hermits. They're credited with creating the first HP potion and creating the spell [Animal Tongue].

"The God of the Sun is the one who gives us light so that we can work. He's the one who has sent us more Messages than all of the other Gods combined, and we speculate that's only possible because his Avatar, the sun, is always watching over us. But, on the other hand, not much is known about his Blessing. He was a human whose jovial personality charmed everyone, and his hard-working mentality led him to rise further than anyone else before him, which gave him the tools to conquer and unite the continent, becoming the first emperor of the Avgi Empire."

He's the sun?!

"How did the world look like before he ascended?" I ask, suddenly dying of curiosity.

"The days and nights were not stabilized like now, they were dependent on the forces of Light and [Dark Magic], or deliberately manipulated by extremely powerful rulers. The more wars and death that happened, the longer the nights were. It was a very chaotic age, but because of such influence, the magic power of everyone was greatly increased. After the God of The Sun ascended, he took control of the multiple suns and stabilized our cycle of day and night. His sister ascended later and took control of the moon, then she stabilized the flow of mana across the Realm."

"Multiple suns?"

"The sun is the same as the moon, it has many smaller ones orbiting it, but the light that the sun gives hides that from our view."

I nod as I hum, "Ah, right. Moving on, isn't the sun necessary for plants to survive? I know that if animals and humanoids live in caves and away from the sun for too long we can get sick."

Vitamin deficiency happens without sunlight.

Ciel raises her eyebrows and smiles faintly, seemingly pleasantly surprised. "Well, not all plants need the sun, and though plenty will lose their color and grow weaker, only some of them actually die without the sun. On the matter of animals and humanoids, I don't know anything about that. Is that common knowledge in your homeland?"

"Somewhat. There were plenty of people who lived indoors and worked only from their homes, and they'd often get sick."

Talking from experience.

She leans back on her chair, deep in thought. "Hmm… curious but it's something quite 'difficult' to test and find evidence of…"

I wave my hand dismissively. "Well it's nothing important, let's continue."

She nods and moves on, "The Goddess of the Moons is the sister to the God of the Sun. She's the one who helps us heal and gives us mana, and her Blessing is given to accomplished healers and magicians. There's a lot of speculation about what exactly are the smaller moons orbiting her Avatar, the 'aspects,' but it's all mere conjecture. She was also human, and contrasting with her brother, she was extremely introspective, but also quite selfless. She was the first Lord of the capital, and through her brilliant management abilities, she brought forth a golden age for the empire."

Oh, now I know why meditation helps with mana recovery.

"But what exactly is known about her 'aspects'?" I interject.

She smiles faintly at my question, as if she already knew I was going to ask this. "The leading theory is that since the moons are the Avatar of the Goddess, they must be some internal 'organ' of her soul or her mind since she doesn't have a physical body anymore that can be exposed. There are many theories about what those seven moons represent, but the most popular one is that the moons are all parts that make up the basis of her personality, and the multi-colored moon is the combined result. Each color represents an aspect of a humanoid's personality. Red is irritability, orange is sociability, yellow is presence of mind, green is friendliness, blue is openness, indigo is otherwordlyness, and purple is wickedness."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "'Otherwordlyness'?"

"It's the unknown, the deeper parts of our mind that makes us move. Some say it's our 'creativity,' but since it's so close to purple, which is wickedness, the true nature is somewhat darker."

I smile as I pompously state, "Even art can draw upon our wickedness."

Alissa and Ciel chuckle softly, then the priestess slowly shrugs as she replies,  "Perhaps, but I don't participate in these discussions, so I can't argue on that matter. If you want to know more about it, I can guide you to one of the priests who holds debates about this."

I wave my hand with a smile. "No, thank you. I've heard enough about it."

"Suit yourself." And she flashes a smile. "That's all I have to say about the Gods, unless you want to ask me something more specific."

"No, I have no more questions for today."

Alissa suddenly leans towards me, then she shyly whispers, "Master, may I speak with Miss Ciel for a bit?"

I put my hand over hers and reassure her, "Alissa, you can always speak with whoever and whenever you wish. Do you want to speak with her in private?"

She smiles, looking a bit excited. "Y-yes. I only want to ask questions about the Gods, but I feel a little embarrassed sharing that."

I pat her hand and announce, "It's fine, I'll leave you two alone."

"Also, fine by me," Ciel kindly chimes in.

I go out and wander downstairs, then I take a look around, and notice that the statue of the Goddess of Knowledge is close by. It's a bust of a woman who has a really sexy air, which is actually quite similar to Roxanne's, but the Goddess has the iconic long elven ears, giving her a more heavenly look in comparison to Roxanne's demonic horns.

Being around so many people fervently praying makes me rather uncomfortable, so I go outside to kill some time.

I still haven't broken the fellowship with Roxanne, so I know she's nearby at the clinic. I think about visiting her, but she's likely tired and in need of rest, even if she doesn't want to.

Then I decide to walk around the building of the priest's living quarters.

Behind it, I see a small flower garden with a few wooden chairs and a table below a glass porch, which is quite lovely and irresistible to me, so I sit on a chair and stare at the garden while my conscience slips away.

"Master..." A gentle voice tickles my ears.

"Hmm…?"

Do that again…

"Master, I'm back," the voice tickles my ears again.

 I open up my eyes and see Alissa is sitting beside me, a beautiful smile on her pretty face.

"I'm still a little tired," I hum and yawn.

She grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze as she remarks, "You don't seem to like taking a rest, Master, which is just like Miss Roxanne."

More like I'm anxious about the future and just want to level up.

"I guess…" I reply noncommittally with a shrug.

After I bought Alissa, I thought about just training for some time, but the Oodogloo request was too tempting, and then after that, Roxanne's request was also too good to pass up.

"Let's go back," she suggests, and I nod, then we both stand up and she entwines her arm with mine.

We begin walking, and I take a look at my watch. It's five o'clock now, so dusk will begin in a minute. They talked for quite some time.

Alissa sees me raise my eyebrows in surprise, and she gives me a guilty smile as she explains, "I'm sorry, Master. We took a long time because we started talking about our adventures, and I got carried away."

I wave my hand dismissively to soothe her. "It's no problem; I had a pretty good nap here. But anyway, is Ciel interested in adventuring?"

"Somewhat. She seemed to have become worried about how you were doing after she learned you killed the Orc Headhunter."

I smile embarrassedly. "Oh, she told you about that one?"

She nods happily and her fluffy tail starts to wag. "Yes. Master's growth is amazing. From training at a low level dungeon, to killing the Symbol in such an incredibly short time."

"That was mostly Roxanne's work, I just used myself as bait," I immediately retort.

Her gaze suddenly becomes warm. "Still…"

Eh, whatever.

Then her expression returns to normal as she remembers something, "Ah, Ciel said thanks for sharing the tea and cookies, and she'd like to know where you bought them."

I snort. "Considering the price, maybe it's better she doesn't know." And she gives me a worried smile.

We return to the inn and reserve a bath. This time, Alissa teaches me how to properly care for her tail and hair, which I enjoy thoroughly. It's something I used to do for Lily when we were winding down after a good night of playing games together.

I put some effort into forgetting her to not ruin my moment with Alissa.

Anyway, this new brush is really good. Alissa almost melts on the chair as she confesses to me all of her weak spots. Since she wants to be pampered, it'd be a crime to not give her what she wants.

After the bath, we have a simple dinner, then I fall asleep while hugging her as I train [Spirit Light].

I wake up feeling quite "breezy" down there, and I quickly notice that I'm naked, though I have no memory of how I lost my clothes. I don't have the habit of sleeping like this, but since Alissa seems to enjoy the view, perhaps I could indulge her.

After our good morning deep kiss, we go downstairs, but then the innkeeper calls our attention and motions for us to get closer.

"Good morning, Mr. Ryder. Two messengers asking for you just came by, and here are the letters," he politely explains.

"Oh? Well, thank you," I awkwardly reply. I want to learn his name, but I'm too embarrassed to ask.

Anyway, I just open the letters. The first is from Silas, and he says that the auction will happen in a half-cycle at the theater, which is quite fast, I think. Then I open the second one, and the contents give me chills. Ghulam, the slave trader, is asking me to come to his shop for he has a "business proposal" for me.

"Oh, that's great, Master. Mr. Bhatt has deemed you worthy," Alissa happily coos.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Worthy of…?"

"A special slave, most likely, one he thinks will serve you well," -her smile becomes coy and her cheeks start to redden- "and I believe his ability to pair masters and slaves is unquestionable."

I also blush softly at her implication, so I immediately question to deflect, "But I don't understand why he suddenly thinks I'm 'worthy.'"

"Your battle with the Symbol must've impressed him or one of the slaves, so they've decided to sell themselves to you."

"Our battle," I sternly correct her, but she just smiles happily, so I shake my head and continue, "Can slaves choose their own masters?"

"It depends on their contract. I could refuse anyone who I… didn't find attractive," she stiffly replies, her face twitching as she strains to remain calm and professional, but the color of her face betrays her efforts.

I frown in concern. "Seems like selling Blood Slaves is quite the involved affair."

She nods and hums, "It is. That's why they're so expensive or valued."

I'm extremely lucky I managed to acquire Alissa, then…

Then I let a sigh. I'm scared about Ghulam's "proposal," but I'm also interested. That man is a devil in disguise. He can see the darkest parts of my soul, and he uses that knowledge to abuse my weaknesses.

My heart is not ready, though, so I make an excuse, "Would it be okay if I saw him tomorrow? I want to train this entire morning and then visit Roxanne after lunch."

"Yes, it's not urgent, but it'd seem disrespectful to take more than a half-cycle to go."

I nod and move on. We've already embarrassed ourselves enough in front of the innkeeper.

I try to ignore the looming darkness inside my heart and focus on eating my breakfast. Selina is also busy today, but she sends a warming smile to us. Thankfully, things aren't awkward with her.

Thenwe go back to our room, and I focus hard on [Spirit Light].

"OOOH!" I suddenly shout in awe.

There it is, a blue ball of weak light floating above my head. I open my info and see [Spirit Light (weak)] in my "Magic" window.

Alissa looks back and whispers warmly, "Congratulations, master,"

I grin like a child. "Finally! Next is [Item Box]!"

And she gives me a surprised look. "What? Don't you already know [Item Box]?"

Gah! My tongue slipped!

I reflexively make up an excuse, "Actually… it's… not [Item Box], it's a different spell… from my homeland. I want to learn [Item Box] because of customs since it'll attract a lot of attention if people knew I can hide anything inside my different [Item Box]. This is another secret you have to keep."

She immediately accepts my flimsy explanation, bless her soul, then hums in understanding, "Ooh… now things make sense. In any case, Master, I have to warn you that this one was very difficult, and it took me three months to learn it. Though, your progress with [Spirit Light] was extremely fast."

Crisis averted. It seems I'm good at lying, but I'm not sure if I should be proud of this.

I shrug and reply, "Eh, it's okay. I'm going to learn it, eventually."

I thought about learning [Conjure Water], but it wasn't as inconvenient as having to waste 5 points into [Light Magic] like [Spirit Light] was, so it makes sense to choose [Item Box] next. Besides, I can just mess with my skills real quick whenever I need water.

We fool around for a bit, and after that, Alissa starts to read one of the hero books I bought.

I'll make a small library one day, Alissa, you just wait.

We just chill for a while, but I'm still too anxious to just do nothing. I have to investigate [Redirect Mana], but right now, I feel way too attracted to [Golemancy], which I've never even put a single point in to investigate, so I lay down on the bed, then I take out my points in [Light Magic] and put them into [Golemancy].

With one point in [Golemancy], I get a spell called [Infuse], and with fifteen, I get a spell called [Mold], but I can't add any more points past that. There are a few skills with low limits, like [Cooking], which tops at level ten, but I expected more out of [Golemancy]

I decide to cast [Infuse], and my hand suddenly glows, then my mind gets hazy, and I begin tripping balls.

I see geometric shapes that I can't even describe, colors that I've never seen before, and I even feel things that I can't explain, all constantly shifting and warping in a mad kaleidoscope that hurts my brain just to look at.

I see a simple, boring square, something so mundane that I focus on it to anchor myself, and then I feel like I've "grabbed" onto it, somehow. I turn it around, and it suddenly becomes a cube, then I keep it still, but it shifts into a sphere, then warps into something that I can only describe as "insanity," then it goes back into being a boring square.

I start to get annoyed at the chaos, so I try to "grab" onto things and force them to remain still, but I don't know how to actually do that.

It's like there are multiple overlapping songs, and I'm trying to discern one from another, but I don't even know what the song is supposed to be like. It's noise, but I know that there's something below it, I just can't grasp it.

My head starts to hurt, so I wish to go back, and the cacophony suddenly stops, then I feel like I'm returning to my body.

My vision focuses, and I see Alissa's pale face a few centimeters away from mine.

"Wow," I mumble, a bit stunned at what I've just gone through.

Her orange jewels open wider as she grabs my shoulders and exclaims, "Master!? What happened?"

I realize she was worried for me, so I guiltily admit, "I, uh… I cast a spell from the [Golemancy] skill, then I saw something really weird."

Her thin eyebrows knit in worry, but she begins to calm down. "[Golemancy]? What's that?"

I shrug as I sit up. "I don't know, but it's one of the magic skills that I can use with my powers."

And she immediately becomes understanding again. "Ah, with your guide ability? I see, but please tell me before you do something like that again. You scared me!" Then she frowns and puffs her cheeks cutely.

I pull her face towards me and kiss her forehead, then I earnestly apologize, "I'm sorry, I just had no idea it was going to be like this. By the way, did I do something while I was unconscious?"

"Well, you lifted your hand, and it started glowing like a rainbow, then you froze up and stopped moving your eyes as if you were a statue. I poked you many times, but you never reacted, so I started to become worried."

So, this explains the faint pain I feel on my ribs.

I hum in understanding and continue, "Wow, well… I want to study this spell some more, so I'll do this again a few more times, but, unfortunately, it seems that I've used up all my mana in just a minute."

But Alissa seems to become anxious as her ears go flat. "Hmm… it could be dangerous, Master. I've never heard of something like [Golemancy] before. What if it's forbidden magic?"

Her cuteness makes me feel a bit guilty. "Oh, that could be a problem. Alright, I'll look into it at the magic university before I use that spell again."

The name looked innocent enough to me, though.

She smiles adorably and nods. "Thank you, Master."

"Why are you thanking me?" I confusedly ask.

Her tone gains an earnest kindness that just pulls on my heartstrings. "For listening. Forgive my insolence, but I don't want you doing dangerous things. I can deal with monsters, but I can't help you if you hurt yourself with magic."

The way she acts just straight up appeals to all my weaknesses. I'm totally vulnerable near her.

I grab her hand and appease her, "Oh, well… Don't worry, I'll be as careful with magic as I am with our expeditions."

"After the Symbol, your words give me doubt," she quietly replies and lowers her head.

"Geh!" I grunt exaggeratedly as her retort is super effective.

I meditate and practice [Telekinesis] until 2 PM, then we get ready to visit Roxanne. I choose to wear my formal clothes while Alissa picks her yellow dress with heeled boots.

Through the fellowship bond, I know exactly where Roxanne is, and it seems that she has moved somewhere close to the noble's quarters, so she must live in a relatively wealthy area.

When we reach her house, the first thing we notice is that it's quite a bit excessive. It's a large, gated house with a tall metal fence, a wide grass garden with a flower patch under the windows, and a tree with a swing. It's made of dark brown boards and cobble for the pillars while transparent glass covers the windows. It has two floors, and a small veranda on the second floor where we can see two cushioned chairs and a decorated mono table.

The house has a rustic style, but everything looks very well made, and its size is considerably larger than the average home in this town.

We cross the gate and knock on the door, then I sese Roxanne coming down from the second floor.

Did she not notice we were approaching?

The double doors suddenly swing wide, and Roxanne throws her arms above her head as she yells, "Welcome!"

She's wearing a body conforming black straight dress, and open high heel sandals, which makes her look like a model straight out of a runaway. She actually looks a lot more attractive like this than with her robes, which is impressive since she was already rather stunning.

I pull my thoughts out of that place and force a smile. "U-uh, yeah. How are you doing, Miss Roxanne?" I awkwardly ask.

She grins, once again ruining her sexy image with childish excitement, then she cheerily exclaims, "Perfect! I'm back to perfect health and fully working again, not that I wasn't working hard since I just couldn't stop thinking about the Moonlight Moss. I actually worked so much that Ciel got angry at me!"

I actually feel a bit bad for Ciel.

She stands out of the way and motions for us to come in. "Oh, yes! Please, come in."

I sigh internally, and we enter, then we find ourselves in a carpeted dining hall with a large table that could easily sit eight people. On the wall ahead of us, there's a large painting of the town castle, on its right there's a door to another room, on its left there's a chest-high counter that reveals a nice kitchen, and on each of our flanks there are stairs going up, leading to the bedrooms.

Aren't chest-high counters kind of a modern design?

"Sit, sit, please," she requests and motions to the table.

We comply, and she goes to the kitchen, then she opens a large, black, metal box, and I see a bit of fog coming out. She hums as she pulls out a metal tray that has a black with white frosting.

Oh boy.

She rushes back and deposits it before us, then she opens her arms wide and laughs, "Ha-ha~! I had this arranged to be made by the baker when I came back, so it was finished just yesterday. Since I kept it cold, it's still perfectly good."

Alissa breathes in, taking in the faint and sweet smell of the cake, then her tails starts to wag.

Roxanne wastes not another moment and pulls out three sets of plates and cutlery from her [Item Box], then she immediately cuts the cake, revealing that the filling has a suspiciously brown color.

She hands the first slice to me and suddenly starts to act a bit shy and embarrassed as she declares, "This is a thank you for a job well done. I wish I could do much more for you since you saved me, but this will do for now!" Then she grins and returns to being the silly woman that I know.

I smile embarrassedly and earnestly reply, "Thank you. I appreciate what you're doing for us." Then I eagerly take a bite.

OOOOH~… this is… this is…

I cover my mouth with my hand and shout, "CHOCOLATE!"

"Yaa, what?" Roxanne mumbles, and the two girls stare at me in fear.

I hold back tears and try to explain between sniffles, "I… missed this taste… so much… I couldn't find… chocolate… anywhere…"

While Alissa pats my back to comfort me, Roxanne switches her frown into a grin and begins laughing like a lady, "Ohohohoh. I wanted to surprise you with something new, but this reaction is just as good."

Alissa gives her a worried look, but then she also takes a bite of her slice and her tail starts wagging furiously. "This is delicious. Is this something from your homeland, Master?" She asks without looking away from her plate.

I hold myself back from wolfing my slice down and answer, "Yes, it's the most delicious sweet ever made, 'The Chocolate'. Well, it wasn't created there, and I don't know where it comes from, but it's the best sweet I ever ate there."

"Unfortunately it's not imported here, yet," Roxanne remarks and flashes an exaggerated frown. "A peddler caravan from the Faium Principality brought it here, and it all sold in an instant. It seems to be the new craze over there."

Faium…? Nour… I'm coming…

She takes a bite and eats it like a posh lady, then she adds, "Since they're still learning how to use it, only cakes like these are available, but they'll run out of ingredients soon."

"What a shame…" I grumble.

Then Alissa starts to wonder,"The fruit merchants commented how the first harvest for the elven sugarcane is coming. If chocolate and sugar gather here…"

I moan in delight just from imagining it, "Ooh… all the sweets that will come… This is too much teasing!"

Roxanne chuckles amusedly, "Hahah, I didn't know you were such a honey bee, Mr. Ryder."

I think she's calling me a "sweet tooth."

And Alissa factually adds, "I can see why Master gets grumpy when he doesn't have tea and cookies."

I shrug. They aren't lies. I know my weaknesses, and chocolate is one of them.

Alissa pulls out a mild and faintly bitter tea that goes well with the rather overly sweet cake. It seems she understands quite well the subtleties of tea.

After we all take a sip, Roxanne assumes a serious expression and begins, "Now, there's something really important I want to ask you, Mr. Ryder."

I blink blankly and hum, "Oh?"

She lowers her head and clasps her hands as she begs, "Please, let me join your fellowship!" 

Honestly, I was expecting that.

After buying Alissa, I've become a lot more confident in working with other people, and at least now I know that I won't be burned at the stake if some of my powers were made known, so I think I can risk it. I don't think Roxanne is the kind to look too deeply into my lies because she's kind of an airhead, and she already owes me her life, so it's unlikely that she'll blabber about my powers.

"Oh, well. Okay," I calmly answer and smile as I take another sip.

"Wha… that easy?" She mutters, flabbergasted.

I happily nod. "Well, you're trustworthy and reliable. Also, people are praising me too much; you're the one who blew up the Symbol of Hate with a single spell, so you're a really powerful mage, and we'd certainly work well together."

Roxanne actually blushes, and her unnaturally pale skin becomes a deep crimson red.

That's a first.

The rush of emotions coming to her makes her stutter adorably, "T-t-t-thank you! I have been looking for a fellowship for such a long time, but I rarely found anyone trustworthy, but those who were never let me join. I've been lonely for such a long time!" Then she realizes that what she just shouted is actually quite sad, and her posture shrinks in shame.

Well, I can kind of guess why people wouldn't want her to join. Her carefree personality would definitely put off the more serious types.

To prevent an awkward silence from settling in I immediately move on, "Well, but what do you mean by 'trustworthy'?"

She frowns and readjusts her glasses as her eyes shine with anger. "Greedy, backstabbing, abusing, harassing, ignorant, and arrogant ugly little men and women. If you're an unknown hunter, it's really difficult finding someone good."

"Even with your powers?"

Alissa puts a hand on my arm to grab my attention, then she kindly explains, "Master, remember Dennis and Simon? Even if you are powerful, it takes a while to build trust. The first ones to come are most likely trying to use you instead of building a bond."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "You thought Targua was trustworthy?"

She shrugs. "Perhaps."

I scratch the side of my head as I deliberate, "I guess I understand your situation now, Roxanne. But, what are your objectives? I plan on continuing adventuring as I learn more and grow stronger so that I can travel around the world. Would you be ready to come with us and leave this house?"

She nods repeatedly, then readjusts her glasses as she exclaims, "Why, yes! This house is a rental, and I already crossed an ocean to come here, so I'm not too attached. I..." -She looks away and cringes- "don't really have a real goal yet. I just want to keep creating more potions, and I love all the incredible things I can do with this magic. I can heal, change, improve, and purify the body without even touching a person. I can leave my mark in the world without even being there." And she begins smiling innocently as she spills her heart out.

But something catches my attention. "Wait, go back. This is a rental? Isn't it… super expensive?" I concernedly inquire.

This is a large house with what looks like many bedrooms and a large kitchen. She was living alone here? How does she clean all this? I haven't rented a house yet because it's much more economic to just stay at the inn… Why is this a rental?!

She freezes like a deer in the headlights. "Well… uh… I w-wanted to use this house as a benefit to-to recruiting me, but I never joined any fellowship, and I… I didn't want it to go to waste, so I kept the house." Then she gives me a shit-eating grin.

That's a bit irresponsible. I think this would be a point against her instead of in favor when she asked to join other fellowships.

I facepalm as I smile wryly. "Well, then. I guess we can use it, right? Since we're kinda rich now, we can live here for a while."

Perhaps we'll have to find work again sooner than I thought, but at least this is a really comfy house, so it'll be a nice place to rest for a few days.

Roxanne suddenly shouts as she remembers something, "OH! I'll give you the master bedroom. I feel a bit lonely on that huge bed. Also, all rooms are soundproof so there's nothing to worry about." Then she grins and winks at Alissa, who tries to keep her face as neutral as possible, but she can't stop herself from blushing.

There's no need to be embarrassed after everything we've done together.

Roxanne recollects herself and continues, trying to make herself look better, "There's a bath upstairs that fits six people. Whenever you want, I can easily fill it up and heat it for you. There's also no need to clean because I hired a maid to do this for me every half-cycle. I can even cook my own meals, so I can also cook for you, too."

"No, I'll cook and clean," Alissa proudly states.

But I interject, "I'll allow you to cook, but to also let you clean might be too much. We'll keep the maid for now, this is a big house, after all."

She pouts, but those cute lips pursed together just makes me want to kiss her.

"I want to spoil you to death, not overwork you," I kindly add, and she faintly blushes again as her tail wags.

So easy.

"I'll just move my things, and in an hour, the room will be ready for the two of you," Roxanne affirms.

I nod and announce, "Then I'll go back to the inn and end my reservation. Alissa, you should help her and prepare things while I'm out."

"Understood, Master," she dilligently replies.

And Roxanne offers, "The hunter's guild might now be a bit too far for you to walk, so I can lend you my flying carpet if you need it."

Eh, no, thank you. I feel like that thing is really unsafe.

I frown and deflect, "I…think I'd rather start riding Alissa around town. It might attract a bit of attention, but I don't mind it anymore."

Alissa smiles smugly and immediately accepts, "Please do, Master. There's no need to walk around so much."

The feeling of her fluffy fur against my body makes me change my mind, "Actually, I'm already starting to feel lazy, so let's go to the inn together, Alissa. Also, you should say goodbye to Selina. You can visit her occasionally, but you'll see her way less often now."

"Yes! Thank you, Master."

I can see a few gazes follow us as Alissa flies through the streets. Wereanimals aren't exactly rare, especially with the werefoxes living rather close by, but to have a person riding a large fox is still an interesting sight.

"Hello, I'm here to say I will be ending my reservation," I cheerfully inform the innkeeper. I really wanted to say his name right now, but I don't remember!

He's taken by surprise and frowns worriedly. "Oh! Y-yes, at once. But… is Selina, uh…"

I wave my hand dismissively as I interrupt him, "Ah, no, don't worry. I wish Selina happiness, but I recruited another member to my fellowship, and she's already renting a house, so we'll be moving there."

He immediately calms down and lowers his head apologetically. "Ah, I see. I apologize for insinuating such things."

"It's no problem. Is Selina here? I'd like to say goodbye for now."

"She's in the kitchen, let me call her for you."

The innkeeper hurries away and quickly comes back with Selina, who's wearing a lovely apron and removing a toque.

Alissa explains the situation, and they hug each other, then Selina turns to me and respectfully bows. I'll surely miss her beautiful face.

Then she says she's going to marry in a day-cycle and gives us the date of the ceremony. After that, she'll live with her husband and help his shop, a simple cloth store near the Bazaar.

I keep quiet while they talk because I'm hurting a little. I really did start to like her.

We leave soon after, and since we're nearby we pass by the guild to register Roxanne in our fellowship, and we also update our house address.

It's not even five in the afternoon and the drinking here is already heavy, but it's not like adventurers have a time where it's appropriate to begin drinking.

There's a minstrel playing some songs on a lute, and he actually makes me miss music from Earth because of how loud and crude his playing is. Some people obviously enjoy it, but it's not for me. Perhaps the theater will have shows with better music.

The gazes on us are actually quite annoying this time, so we quickly finish our business here, then we return to our new home.

The house has six bedrooms on the second floor, and a study with a large, but mostly empty book stand that gets a little bit less empty as I put my few books in it. Roxanne works in her own bedroom, leaving the study unused, so I decide to put my research notes on the desk.

There's a basement, but it's completely empty. There's also a back garden where we could make a small plantation, but no one knows how to do it.

I take all of my and Alissa's clothes out of my "Items" and put them into the large wardrobe, and it gives me a chill. This reminds me of when I started to live together with Lily, and the nostalgia makes me a bit emotional.

This is no time for these feelings, so I shove them into the dark drawer where they belong. I don't want to keep wallowing in the "what could've been."

Aside from the painting and some horizontal relief lines around the interior walls, there's no other decoration, which makes even I believe that it needs some sprucing up. The house is comfy, but boring.

The lower floor has a kitchen with a large table, lots of cutlery, a large magical stone oven, a magical stone sink, and a magical stone fridge, and it looks quite modern and archaic at the same time. We have to refill the mana of the fridge every day-cycle, which is a bit of a heavy mana cost for the average person, but it's nothing for a mage like Roxanne. The bath and sink water go to the sewer below the town as only the poorest parts of town don't have a sewer exit. There's no plumbed water, though.

The last room on the first floor is the living room, and it's quite large. It has a small, empty book stand, three really comfy sofas around a small table, and a magic tool fireplace, but there's still a chimney for real firewood.

The back window gives a nice view to the garden, too. A small wall separates the end of our garden with the start of the garden of the back neighbor, which is another house very similar to this one. It seems this block is all rentals, which must be why I saw both nobles and wealthy-looking adventurers around.

The bath is huge, which is a big plus in my book. It has a magical stone to fill it, but it takes a while to do it while Roxanne can just use [Water Wall] and a [Fireball] to make it ready in just ten seconds, and it seems she practiced that a lot. The toilet is a small little room beside the bathroom.

Alissa will start cooking tomorrow, so today is still an "Items"-ready meal. After the three of us fill our bellies, I cuddle with Alissa in the living room while she reads a book. It's quite warm today, so we don't need to light the fireplace. Roxanne retires to work in her room, and once in a while I hear the twinkling of glass, metal hitting each other, and some mutters.

I'm honestly somewhat bored in this world. The lack of games and internet makes me quite the pervert since it's the last big source of dopamine that I have available to me. I guess this is why people drank so much in the past.

The book Alissa is reading is a bit boring. It's an epic, but I could find more interesting light novels on the internet in a few minutes back on Earth.

I guess I should keep practicing magic, so I choose to train [Mana Control] while I think about [Golemancy]. The [Infuse] spell was such a mindfuck I'm still processing that experience.

Our evening ends quite fast, and I suggest to Alissa some fooling around before we go to sleep.

We eagerly enter the Master bedroom and drop on the bed, then I notice that it's actually enormous. I think three people could easily sleep here together. Ridiculous.

Then we test the cushioning of the bed and the soundproofing of the wall with the Clothes of the Berserker.

Today, I'm going to meet Ghulam, and I wake up feeling nervous. While I build the courage to get up, Alissa goes down to make breakfast, and I begin to hear Roxanne working again.

I slap my face and power through my anxiety. I can't let Alissa do it all by herself.

I help make ground meat dumplings while Alissa fries them and makes a salad with some cider vinegar Roxanne has here.

Once the smell of good food starts wafting out, she comes down looking disheveled and sleepy, though even that isn't enough to make her not-gorgeous.

We sit down to eat, and I curiously ask her, "Miss Roxanne, how often did you cook?"

She smiles both wryly and embarrassedly as she answers, "Erm, rarely. There was no time, so I made a lot of steamed or roasted vegetables and stored them for the day-cycle, then I'd buy meat from nearby and eat it with bread."

That's kind of boring, so I pity her a bit.

Better not dwell on such a topic, so I change it to something more neutral, "I'll be going to the Golden Necklace today with Alissa. Will you stay home?"

She nods slowly. "Yep, I still have finish my new work with the Moonlight Moss."

"What are you trying to make with it?" I reflexively ask.

Her face lights up with childish happiness. "Heheh. Secret!"

I just shake my head and focus on my meal.

But now it's her turn to curiously ask, "Ah, Mr. Ryder, are you going to buy another slave there?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Mr. Bhatt called me there to 'conduct business,' but I have no idea what to expect."

"It's a woman," she states matter-of-factly.

I almost choke on my tea and give her a surprised look. "W-why do you say this?"

She smirks suggestily. "What else would it be? You're the town hero for now, so you'd certainly be worthy of a powerful Blood Slave. Also, if he called you, it means he found someone really good," then she turns her teasing gaze to the quiet foxgirl- "and after Alissa, it'd be difficult to sell a man to you."

That's… absolutely true. I don't want a man near Alissa, slave or not. I think I've become overprotective, but I'm happy! That's what counts.

We arrive at the Golden Necklace at 8 AM, then we enter, and Sebastian greets us with a wide, polite smile.

"Welcome, Grand Ryder. Would you like to meet the head now?" He calmly inquires without even glancing at Alissa once, which annoys me a little.

I simply nod, and he leads us to the same room from before. Alissa wants to remain standing, but I make her sit beside me. After a minute, Ghulam comes in, wearing his wide and handsome smile. Sebastian follows behind him, and offers us the heavenly cookies and tea again.

"Welcome again to the Golden Necklace, Mr. Ryder," Ghulam calmly greets with his deep and stimulating voice, then he takes a seat before ours. "I'm glad you came so soon. I thought that the reclusive hero would take a long time to leave his nest, but I'm happy that he has chosen to spend his precious time here."

He puts so much emotion in each word it's almost like watching a play. How high is his "Charisma"!?

"Uh… hero?" I concernedly question with a frown.

He gracefully nods and amusedly explains, "Yes, you should know by now you're the talk of the town. There are even some voices asking for you to appear before the lord and get a commendation for your service, but it's rather refreshing seeing how you aren't that concerned about such matters."

I snort. "I try to live quietly, so I don't want to get involved with nobility and neither do I need to bask in glory. I'll just embarrass myself greatly."

He hums thoughtfully and categorically points out, "You have the guts to face the Symbol of Hate without hesitation, but not to face the crowd that's giving you glory?"

Well, how am I supposed to answer that? I just stay quiet and smile, and I feel Alissa's hand twitching as she holds mine.

After an awkward couple of seconds, he briefly bows and apologizes, "Ah, forgive me, that was rude of me. It's not guts you lack, but self-importance. It's good to live a quiet life, but unless you're a priest, it'll be helpful to be mindful of the importance of receiving your deserved rewards."

I get what he means. You can't just ignore tradition in a warrior society. "Well… what you say isn't wrong, it's just difficult for me. I'm actually really shy."

And he very kindly replies, "No shame in that, just make sure you live without regrets, Mr. Ryder." Then he flashes to me his unnervingly handsome smile.

I chuckle. That's kind of my motto already.

"I try, I try…" I mumble and sigh.

Then he slowly becomes more serious as he continues, "Now, Mr. Ryder, you may not be basking in the glory others want to give you, but accept a little bit of mine. I know how your party is rather lacking in front line power, so I have the perfect addition to your party." Then he claps his hand twice.

Oh, boy. I knew it.

The door opens and a nearly two meters tall dragonkin comes in, and it's a woman. She has red, wavy hair with such volume it's almost a mane; yellow, lizard-like eyes with a naturally intense stare; a slender and sculpted body that'd make anyone envious; a large and perfectly round pair of breasts, too perfect in fact; a fearsome face and narrow eyes that makes her look like a model. The worst thing is that she has one of my weaknesses: faintly tanned skin.

I shudder when I see the jiggle under her white silk one-piece that barely covers her body. She also has small, round patches of neatly-arranged, shining, emerald scales on the back of her hand, side of her cheeks, top of her bare feet, and at the side of her arms and legs.

All the slaves shown so far, even Alissa, had their eyes and posture slightly lowered to show their submission, but this woman is different. Her eyes pierce me, her gaze makes me feel small, as if I'm a prey and she's merely toying with me, then a small grin appears in the corner of her mouth.

She's not a slave, she's a man-hunting woman, and I feel like prey. Is this how women feel when men leer at them?

I don't know how long we stare at each other as I lose myself in her striking yellow eyes, but then Ghulam's honeyed voice pulls me back to reality, "This is Hanafuria. She's a dragonkin with affinity for fire. She is twenty-three years old, and an experienced adventurer. But don't worry, she's still a virgin as certain types of dragonkin normally wait until they're past their physical prime to marry and have children.

"Her skills are in the martial arts, and she's extremely sturdy even for normal dragonkin. She can use the spear, sword, bow, and pole arms with ease. If she doesn't know a weapon, she can learn it as she has a talent for learning new weapons. She has enough 'Endurance' to use full plate armor for extended periods of time, lasting even longer than lightly-armored soldiers, though she isn't able to fly with such heavy equipment.

"Her magic skills are ordinary and forgettable, so her specialty is being the front line of any sort of attack. As she is a dragonkin, she can fly for short bursts, so this means she can also be used as a swift shield to protect anyone anywhere as long as it is within flight distance. Lastly, she can also use this power to charge towards enemies and empower her attacks."

"Master… she's perfect..." Alissa whispers, her tone full of awe.

You aren't supposed to say things like this. How is a man supposed to think rationally when there's such a meal in front of me…? I agree with you, Alissa, she's perfect, now come to me and strip!

"W-why are you offering such a woman to me?" I stiffly ask, sweating cold.

He answers with absolute calm and composure as he knows I've fully fallen into his trap, "Your party is extremely unbalanced right now. Miss Roxanne is weak in close combat, as the reports of your battle say, and if you don't bring a proper front line warrior, she'll be put in danger once again. I'm sorry, Mr. Ryder, but you aren't enough to protect her and Miss Alissa at the same time.

I stare at him in fear. "How did you know that Roxanne had joined us?" I only registered her yesterday.

And he gives me a perfectly innocent smile. "Fellowship records are public, also, extremely easy to learn this kind of information about hunters if you just ask a little. Since my job is to find the right clients, it'd be shameful if I did any less."

And suspicion of him gives me just enough courage to question, "And you are offering her to me just because you think my party is unbalanced?"

He shakes his head and soberly states, "It's only one of the reasons. Your subjugation of the Symbol of Hate demonstrates you have enormous potential, your behavior shows you have strong character, and Hanafuria herself is interested in serving you."

"She can choose?" I blur out.

She grins excitedly at me, making me feel a shiver, and Ghulam politely explains, "It's part of her contract. She's too powerful to be sold to just about anybody, and she needs someone with the potential to give her the future she deserves."

I get a chill when I hear the word "sold." She's not a companion to join a fellowship, she's considered another object that will serve me, just like Alissa.

"And if I don't do my job to my best, then the Gods will punish me," he chipperly adds, but I ignore his tone as a sudden realization falls upon me.

The gods are indirectly telling me to create a slave harem.

"What's her price?" I ask, suddenly feeling quite sharp.

"One rose coin."

Oof.

"I don't have that money."

He shows me his infuriatingly handsome smile again as he had already foreseen this. "It's no matter. The auction is coming soon, and the lowest predictions say you'll earn at least two rose coins, so we can defer payment until then."

I don't have a way out. I'm cornered, and I'll be left alone with the man-eater as not even Alissa wants to save me from her.

Why am I hesitating? I'm already past the point of no return.

"Then I'll take Hanafuria."