by Aneko Yusagi
Filo went straight into an impression of Melty. It was perfect. You would have thought Melty was standing right here with us. But what the hell? What kind of line was that?! Charming?! I’d have to have a talk with Melty next time I saw her. I motioned for the slave trader to continue.
“If you did that, the brother would continue fighting to the very end, all for the sake of his precious little sister, who would have actually already departed this world. All that would be left is for you to reap the benefits.”
His plan was pure evil. It made me cringe. There were just too many ways it could backfire. I could just imagine someone like Itsuki showing up, rescuing the brother, and then teaming up with him to try to defeat me. That wouldn’t even be funny. I’d win the fight, of course, but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to create my own enemies.
“That’s why you’re useless at handling all but the simplest slaves. I’ll show you how to do it the right way.”
I told the slave trader to unlock the cage.
“Wh . . . what are you going to do?!”
“Just shut up for a second, you little brat.”
“What?! I’m not a brat!”
“You sure look like one to me.”
The brother was surprisingly aggressive, but I just ignored him. I went inside of the cage and approached his younger sister at the back.
“Stop! Don’t touch Atla!”
The brother tried to stop me. I pulled some medicine out of my pocket and showed it to him.
“I’m just going to give her some medicine.”
I’d made the medicine using my shield, by the way. I still couldn’t pull it off on my own. That’s how difficult it was to make. I’d learned how to make it from an equip bonus on the Spirit Tortoise Sacred Tree Shield. The bonus was called . . . miracle drug recipe.
Spirit Tortoise Sacred Tree Shield 0/40 C
equip effects: protection of the ancient flora, blessing of the sacred tree
mastery level: 0
I had no idea what the shield’s effects did, although it was clear that they had something to do with plants. The miracle drug recipe had only taught me how to make one medicine. Even worse, it required a bunch of other medicines and potions to make: regular medicine, superior medicine, a healing salve, magic water, and soul-healing water. On top of that, you had to mix an extremely precise amount of poisonous materials, filter the mixture, and skim the top layer off to use along with . . . sacred tree sap, wherever that came from.
Just recently, I’d tried to compound the medicine without using my shield, but I failed. I went and asked the apothecary to try to figure out what had gone wrong, but he just scolded me and told me I was in over my head. That’s how difficult it was to make. It was a priceless medicine that was practically impossible to get your hands on unless you just happened to have a legendary shield.
Its name: Elixir of Yggdrasil. It was the same medicine that the lively old Hengen Muso lady had used, so it went without saying that it was effective. Any gamer would know that something with “elixir” in the name was bound to be powerful. The name may have been my shield’s translation, but it still included the name of the world tree, nonetheless.
“. . .”
How did that old lady get her hands on such a priceless medicine? She must have been filthy rich. I wondered if maybe she had used the Hengen Muso style to rake in money while traveling the world. How did her son end up being so plain? The poor guy wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Anyway, the elixir was a miracle drug that could cure any ailment in one go.
“You belong to me now. This is medicine that will cure your sister. You can pay for it by dedicating your life to serving me.”
The apothecary mentioned that it had a ridiculously high market value. Selling it wouldn’t have made enough to buy up all of the Lurolona slaves, though, and my stocks were really limited. Very few cases were dire enough to actually require this medicine to save someone’s life. Still, lots of people wanted it since it was so effective. Some said that it could even bring back the dead.
My funds were running low lately, so I’d brought it planning to rob someone blind, but this was the perfect chance to use it. Considering the coming battles with the waves, I needed power more than I needed money. I would use it to secure a powerful ally via an enormous debt that ensured allegiance.
“You better not be lying . . .” he said.
“Maybe you know the smell.”
The brother sniffed at the medicine. Of course, if he’d smelled this medicine before, he probably wouldn’t be here in this situation. He took a couple of really big sniffs before looking up suddenly and shouting.
“That’s the Elixir of Yggdrasil!”
“So you do know it . . .”
What was he? A dog? Maybe being a superior race meant having a good nose, too.
“But . . . but . . . it could have poison in it!”
“Are you always this suspicious of medicines? Do you distrust every medicine your sister takes?”
“Uhh . . .”
“If you refuse to believe me then I don’t have to give it to her. But will that save your sister? I’m buying you, either way. Whether your sister is suffering or not won’t change that.”
“Ugh . . .”
The brother let out a humiliated moan.
“Is somebody there?”
The girl coughed as she turned her head in our direction. She was blind, right? I guess she was relying on the sound of our voices as a guide.
“I sense the presence of someone who is incredibly strong, yet kind. Am I right, Brother?”
“Wh . . . who knows . . .”
“However . . . I feel great power . . . However . . .”
The girl slowly turned her head toward me. The brother hesitantly motioned for me to approach her. I moved toward this girl that he’d called Atla. She was in terrible condition. She was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. You couldn’t even see her face. But I could still tell she was covered in sores. Judging from her appearance, it was surprising she was still alive. Her ears and tail were the only signs left that she was even the same race as her brother.
“However . . . what?”
She seemed to be referring to me, so I tried speaking to her. The first impression is always the most important, so I decided to go with my usual bigheaded attitude.
“I feel a deep sadness hidden within that great strength and kindness.”
Deep sadness, huh? Memories of being consumed by rage after Bitch betrayed me came flooding back for a split second, but then faded almost immediately, being replaced by memories of my time with Raphtalia.
If I’d only just recently arrived in this world, I probably would have been drawn to this girl’s act. Characters that spout off seemingly profound lines like this were common in manga and games. Not to mention, this was a young girl on her deathbed. It was all a bit too perfect.
“Umm . . . May I ask why you are here?”
“You know what kind of place this is, right?”
“Yes. I am being held hostage here in order to force my brother to work.”
She understood completely, and yet . . . No, there was a sense of resignation in her voice.
“Man with the kind voice . . . Might you be so kind as to tell me your name?”
“Naofumi.”
“Mr. . . . Naofumi.”
Her pronunciation was impressive. Apart from the other heroes, this was the first time anyone had pronounced my name correctly here. Even in the other world, Kizuna had been the only one who could pronounce it properly. L’Arc and Glass could never say it quite right.
“Mr. . . . Naofumi. Please, take good care of my brother for me.”
“Atla! What are you saying?!”
Wasn’t it obvious? She knew she didn’t have much time left, so she was asking me to watch over her brother.
“Sorry, but that’s not a promise I’m ready
to make.”
“Oh . . . I see . . .”
“Because I plan to take care of you, too. Here. Take this medicine.”
Atla started to say something in reply, but then simply nodded. I held the Elixir of Yggdrasil up to the young girl’s lips. Unable to defy his younger sister, the brother stood aside with clenched fists and said nothing.
Gulp .
Atla drank the medicine without hesitation. Huh? In addition to the glow from my skill that increased the efficacy of medicine, there was another strange light radiating out. It was no small glimmer, either. I had unlocked the complete Spirit Tortoise series of shields thanks to Ost, so I did have a bunch of new skills. Maybe it had something to do with one of those. Whatever it was, it was obvious that it was increasing the efficacy of the medicine even further.
Pant . . . Pant . . .
The medicine was starting to work. She began to breathe more easily.
“What’s . . . this? My body . . . suddenly feels lighter.”
“Atla?”
“My skin . . . is tingling and . . . I can feel a warmth deep within my body.”
“Well, it will probably take some time to feel the full effects of the medicine. I’ll give you several doses over a period of time, so just rest for now.”
“Understood. I’m afraid I will be useless to you, but I thank you for your kindness.”
I stood up and stepped out of the cage.
“And your name was Fohl, right?”
The brother had been glaring at me but looked away when I spoke to him.
“I get it. You don’t want to talk. I didn’t want to wake Atla up, but I guess . . .”
“Yes! That’s right! My name is Fohl!”
“And your last name?”
“. . .”
He suddenly fell silent. Considering their race, they probably came from a good family. Maybe they had been disowned or something and could no longer use the family name. It didn’t matter, anyway.
“That’s fine. Either way, you’re my slave now. Understood?”
“Yeah. Fine. That medicine seems to be the real deal, so I’ll work until it’s paid for. You want me to fight in the coliseums?”
Hmm . . . That wasn’t a bad idea. But having this little brat fight in the coliseums in his current state would be a waste of time. I wanted to toughen him up a bit before anything else.
“I haven’t decided if we’ll do that yet, but I have different plans in mind for you, regardless. You don’t need to worry about fighting in the coliseums for now.”
“Then how am I supposed to make money?”
“I’ll take care of the details, so you just do as I say. Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to short-change you.”
I threw in an evil laugh there at the end and Fohl shot me an icy glare. This was how the relationship between owner and slave was supposed to be, right?
“That medicine is expensive, you know. It’s on a whole different level than any Elixir of Yggdrasil you’ll find on the market.”
I threw in a bit of extra condescension for good measure. If I talked the price up enough, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to say he’d worked enough to pay for the medicine and running off. Although, it wasn’t like I’d actually let him get away.
“I know! That’s obvious from how peacefully Atla is sleeping now!”
Fohl was clearly unhappy, but his reply was an honest one. He seemed to have a pretty serious sister complex. Maybe it had just been the two of them for so long now that he viewed everyone else as an enemy. I could kind of understand where he was coming from. I saw pretty much everyone around me as an enemy for a while after being falsely accused by Bitch.
“But . . . there’s no way I’ll let you have my sister!”
“What’s this kid going on about? Anyone?”
“You’re ruthless, little Naofumi. You really are great!”
“Sadeena . . . If you think calling me great is going to make me happy, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
I wasn’t Motoyasu, after all. I wasn’t the kind of idiot who got excited over flattery. I preferred someone who would complain when I stirred up trouble, like Raphtalia did.
“Aww . . .”
I was busy trying to ignore Sadeena’s sulky response when Raphtalia spoke up.
“He’s just jealous because his little sister seems to like you,” she said.
“Rafu!”
Raph-chan clearly agreed with Raphtalia. Hmm . . . So the kid was jealous. In that case, he definitely had the wrong impression.
“No! That’s not it! What’s that girl’s problem?! You too, Nadia! Stop being so rude!”
Fohl pointed at Raphtalia and Sadeena while shouting. So this was what people meant when they talked about someone not knowing their place. I was going to push this brat harder than a Spartan soldier when we got back to the village. He supposedly had a lot of potential, after all. I was starting to look forward to his training. I’d given his sister the same medicine that cured the old lady, so I had a feeling she would get better, too. When she did . . . I was sure I could find something for her to do at the village.
“Don’t worry. Mr. Naofumi is not that kind of person.”
Raphtalia remained calm and smiled at Fohl.
“And little Fohl . . . my name isn’t Nadia. You know my real name now, so use it, okay?”
I couldn’t help but feel like things were getting a bit too lighthearted.
“We will perform the slave registration shortly. Yes sir.”
“Sounds good.”
And that was how I ended up taking the siblings off the slave trader’s hands.
Chapter Two: Return to the Village
“Alright, I’ll be taking you back to the village as we finish the registrations, so everyone line up.”
The slave registrations were going smoothly. I took the slaves back to the village in groups using my portal skill as they were completed. Of course, we had to wait for the cool down to expire each time, so we were sitting around twiddling our thumbs a lot.
“It’s too bad you don’t have a more convenient teleport skill, Raphtalia.”
“I could use Scroll of Return.”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t do much good to send people to the dragon hourglass. Although, I guess we could have Filo pick them up and take them to the village from there.”
It had a similar cool down time, though. The same was true for Kizuna’s Return Dragon Vein. That reminded me . . . I guess Raphtalia could use Return Dragon Vein, too.
“By the way, I wonder where that seven star hero that’s supposed to be in Zeltoble went,” I mumbled.
I figured meeting up with Zeltoble’s seven star hero would be no problem with the queen, the accessory dealer, and the slave traders all backing me. But the hero had gone off somewhere and was out of the country. Searching for the hero was too much trouble, so I’d had a message sent asking the hero to return. I wasn’t sure if the hero had been summoned from another world or if it was someone chosen from this world, but this hero obviously didn’t think much of the holy heroes. Then again, thanks to those other three idiots, people had come to the conclusion that I was the only one that wasn’t a fake or just damaged goods.
“Still, at least we got to bind you to the hourglass here so that you can use Dragon Return Vein.”
“Yes. But it would have been nice if we’d been able to meet and talk with the hero, too, for the sake of the world.”
“Yeah.”
Talking with the seven star heroes to learn about their power-up methods would boost my own stats, if nothing else. At least, that’s what I’d hoped to see happen.
“Hey, little Naofumi. We’ve got some spare time, so how about you and I—”
“Portal Shield!”
I didn’t feel like dealing with Sadeena, so I went ahead and sent her back to the village before the next group of slaves. Her flirting was getting out of hand and I didn’t have the energy to put up with it right no
w.
“I can never tell if she’s being serious or just messing around,” I said.
“Sadeena never seems to be too serious about anything,” Raphtalia replied.
“Yeah, I know. You have no interest in pursuing romantic affairs before this world is peaceful, right Raphtalia?”
“R . . . right . . .”
We went on chatting while sending people back with my portal each time the cool down expired.
And then, finally, it came time to send Fohl and Atla back. Atla was still recuperating, but Fohl brought her over and laid her near where we were all waiting. After he got her situated, he brought her a jug of water.
“Thank you, Brother.”
“No worries. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes. I feel very comfortable.”
“That’s good.”
“Mr. Naofumi . . . When will we be departing?”
Atla turned in my direction when she addressed me.
“It’s almost time.”
“Understood.”
“We should probably go ahead and give you one more dose of medicine.”
I changed my shield to the Spirit Tortoise Sacred Tree Shield and gave Atla another dose of the remaining Elixir of Yggdrasil. She had already gotten a lot better, but her condition seemed to improve even more.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
I shot Fohl a patronizing look.
“Gununu . . .” he grumbled.
Hmm . . . Was it just me or did something about the way he said that sound just like someone else? Whatever. He was going to have to work hard to pay for this medicine. He was supposed to have some real potential, so I wasn’t going to go easy on him. I’d work him like . . . a slave.
“Mr. Naofumi . . .”
Atla gripped my hand in hers.
“Please try to get along with my brother.”
“We get along fine! Right?!”
Fohl threw his arm around my shoulder like we were good buddies. What was up with that attitude? I couldn’t have him getting the wrong idea about our relationship.
“You too, Brother. This man is an extraordinary person.”
“I . . . I know that!”
