Volume 3 Chapter 7 Alice Rescue Operation – Part I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning sun shines through the inn’s window, wrapping the room in warm light. A gentle morning breeze flows in through the thin curtains. The inn, “Dream of Lapis,” is affordable at one silver coin per night, yet it feels clean and is filled with a pleasant quietness.
(Ah… I woke up. I’m so happy that my new technique worked, I ended up hugging Tiseris… I feel like something happened after that, but… I can’t remember.)
I rubbed my eyes as I got up from the futon and opened the status window.
The usual interface appeared on the screen.
******
Name: Rob Revalus
Job: Link Master Lv.4
Lv: 105
HP: 15428/15428 (+1298)
MP: ? /23649 (+999)
SP: 12654/12654 (+999)
Strength: 1140 (+81)
Stamina: 1158 (+99)
Speed: 1142 (+83)
Dexterity: 1140 (+81)
Intelligence: 1141 (+82)
Magic Power: 2160 (+99)
Spirit: 1650 (+91)
Luck: 102 (+3)
Special Move: Holy Sky Slash Lv.1
Job Skills: Affection Insight, Skill Sharing, Thought Sharing, Location Swapping, Ability Sharing
Unique Abilities: Sword Talent, Spirit Elevation, Magic Brilliance, Holy Attribute Affinity, All Attribute Affinity, Cell Enhancement Itemization, Body Super Regeneration, Pain Nullification, Fatigue Immunity, Goddess’s Blessing
Skills: Swordsmanship Lv.4, Body Techniques Lv.3, Ki Manipulation Lv.3, Ki Detection Lv.3, Ki Cloak Lv.3, Magic Control Lv.5, ‘Magic Detection’ Lv.5, Mana Cloak Lv.5, Fire Magic Lv.3, Water Magic Lv.3, Wind Magic Lv.3, Earth Magic Lv.3, Light Magic Lv.3, Lightning Magic Lv.3, Space-Time Magic Lv.4, Healing Magic Lv.3, Barrier Magic Lv.3, Gathering Lv.3, Poison Resistance Lv.3, Paralysis Resistance Lv.3
After defeating the Demon King Rozel Nightshade and continuing to fight against the demon race, my level had increased by 6.
Also, a new technique I created in my dream, ‘Holy Sky Slash,’ was added to my Special Move list.
******
I accessed the ‘Goddess Chat’ and started a conversation with Nessa.
(Nessa, good morning. It’s Rob, please respond.)
(Hi, good morning! It’s the goddess Vanessa! Wow, I’m really impressed! No, I mean Rob! I never thought you would defeat a Demon King on your first day back in Yggrasil! If you were close to me, I would hug you and give you a kiss!)
It seems like I really made Nessa happy by defeating the Demon King.
(I’m glad to see you so happy. I have a few questions. …First, can you tell me where Alice Valliere is and if she’s safe?)
(Alice Valliere? …Oh, right, Ariel used that name… She’s alive for sure. Her location is southeast from where Rob is, inside the ruined Sphere Kingdom. But there are a lot of demons there… Oh, I found her. It looks like Ariel is chained up in a cell.)
I was curious about what “Ariel” meant, but I was really relieved to hear that Alice was safe.
(That’s great, she’s alive… Next, I want to know about the hero’s unique ability ‘Beautiful Girl Gacha.’ I think in the game, it randomly gets young girls from the country where the hero is staying. Is it the same in this world? If so, please tell me how to prevent my friends from being taken by the hero.)
(That ability is a convenient way to make friends and level them up, but that’s a bit of a problem! …The sure way to deal with it is to make the targets sl*ves! If they are already contracted with someone else, they won’t be included in the gacha!)
Wait… Are you saying that if I don’t want them to be taken, I should make them sl*ves?
(…Huh, is there no other good way?)
(Other than that… you can’t change your age, and dying is not an option. Even if you escape to another country, the hero will just follow you there, so that’s pointless. You could also hide in the dungeon forever, but… well, that’s not realistic either.)
…What a mess.
None of the options are good.
I never thought I’d have to consider making them sl*ves.
But, as it stands, if I don’t do that, I might not be able to protect my friends.
I understand that my choices are limited to avoid the absurd situation of being taken by the hero’s “beautiful girl gacha.”
But the word “sl*ve” stuck in my throat, and my heart ached.
(Do I really have to make them sl*ves…?)
Before I knew it, I was unconsciously clenching my fists.
The thought of Alice and Nana becoming my sl*ves is something I can’t accept at all.
Because I care about them, I hated the idea of even suggesting such a choice.
But──
(…Is there really no other way?)
I ask Vanessa again. Her cheerful reply comes back.
(It’s definitely a tough decision! But, Rob, there might be other ways. For example, you could look for stronger magic or contracts to protect them… but, there are risks involved!)
Vanessa’s voice is bright, but the harsh reality lurking behind it hasn’t changed.
Even if I want to search for another way, there’s no time right now.
(Is Rumi going to be okay?)
(Yeah, Rumi is contracted with the ‘Sword Saint’s Soul,’ so she’s not part of the gacha. You can relax!)
(So, that means I have no choice but to make Nana and Alice my sl*ves… I wonder if they’ll accept it?)
(How would I know that! You should check for yourself!)
I guess I have no choice but to make them my sl*ves…
I should also ask about what to do if I can’t accept that.
(Yeah, I’ll just ask directly. …One more thing, is there a way to disable ‘Affection Control’?)
(If that’s the case, you can disable it with the ‘Goddess’s Bracelet’ I gave to you, Rob. It’s like a status effect of ‘Charm.’ …Well, it’s pretty strong, so you can’t remove it with other tools or magic~♪)
(Sigh… I think that’s everything I wanted to ask… just 3 times, too.)
(That’s right! Oh, by the way, you should defeat the Demon King in the demon race’s country to the east of Sphere Kingdom next!)
(Understood. After I rescue Alice, I’ll try to go if I have time.)
* * *
After leaving the inn, I first headed to the guild to check where Dad Izana and Mom Emma were.
It seems they were staying at the most luxurious inn in this town, ‘Paradise Above.’
Probably a privilege provided by the guild for S-rank adventurers.
They were having a meal on the first floor of that inn.
While I was gathering information at the guild, the conversation with Rumi continued in my mind.
[By the way, I wonder how everyone in ‘Saint Guardian’ is doing?]
(‘Saint Guardian’? What’s that?)
[It’s Mr. Izana’s party name! …Rob, didn’t you know?]
(I thought Dad was doing everything solo all this time.)
[Hehe… he has strong companions! They’ve helped me many times!]
(I see, I should thank those people later.)
As I approached my parents during dinner, Mom noticed me and rushed over.
Then she hugged me tightly. …Ugh, it’s so tight.
”Rob… Welcome back. You wrote in your letter that you’d be back in a year, but I was worried because you didn’t come back at all.”
”I’m back, Mom. …I’m sorry, I was stupid to believe what the goddess said. But thanks to that, I got a lot stronger. So… I have a favor to ask you two, is that okay?”
”A favor? …Is it to help you defeat the Demon King?”
”Haha, no, it’s different this time. I want to go to a dangerous place to help my important friend.”
”…You mean Allie (Alice-chan)? Is she alive?”
”Yeah, I just checked with the goddess a little while ago.”
”I see… Izana, let’s go help Rob’s friend.”
”Ah, um… that’s fine, but Rob, is Rummie okay? I heard from Nana that she might become the spirit of the Holy Sword…”
[I told Nanna before coming to Rob that I would become the ‘Sword Saint’s Soul.’]
(So that’s what happened… I need to explain the current situation.)
I held the [Dawn Sword] and decided to explain Rumi’s situation to my mom and dad.
”Rumi is alive. Right now, her soul is inside the sword, but she can turn back into a human for a short time each day. She used that time today, so tomorrow, I’ll show you both her Humanization.”
”…Got it. Then let’s go help AliAli!”
”Ah, Dad. Earlier, Rumi said that the people from ‘Saint Guardian’ are strong too. Can we ask them for help?”
”They’re in the royal capital right now. The invasion from the northern demon race has started, and they’re prioritizing that. I thought it would just be me and Emma here, but I never expected the Demon King to show up.”
”I see… Then let’s go with the 3 of us. We just defeated the Demon King a little while ago, so I think this is a good opportunity.”
With that, we decided to head to the ruined Sphere Kingdom to rescue Alice.
* * *
(Alice’s POV)
Right now, this place is the underground town of the former Sphere Kingdom, which has become a “human ranch” for the demon race.
Inside this town, there is a dark, cold stone floor and a gloomy prison with iron bars.
It was once meant to hold criminals, but now it’s where Charlotte and I are chained up.
After losing to the demon race, we have been captured alive.
The reason we weren’t killed in the fight against the Demon King is that Charlotte and I have holy attributes, like ‘Sword Saint Princess’ and ‘Saint.’
It seems that there are only a limited number of people with that power in this world.
So, it’s more convenient for them to curse us, seal our powers, and keep us alive as sl*ves.
They even said things like, “And since you’re women, you can also bear humans to be food for the demon race,” which is just despicable.
…In other words, we’ve been kept alive as livestock.
This hopeless reality is eating away at my heart day by day.
But Charlotte is different.
She never loses her smile, even in this situation.
Her smile is my only salvation.
”Hmm… Alice, good morning. Ouch… I’m glad to have you by my side, but I still want to sleep in a proper bed.”
Her bright voice always seems to illuminate the darkness of the underground, just a little.
”Good morning, Charl. Yes, I’m glad to have you here too.”
I offer a wry smile and apologize to Charl.
”I’m sorry, if I had chosen to run away from the start, we wouldn’t be in this mess…”
”No more apologies! It’s not your fault. I chose this path, remember!”
Charl’s words bring comfort to my heart, but the anxiety and despair deep within me remain.
(Sir Rob… I believe you’ll come to our rescue.)
Once again, I pray for him to save us today.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.