Volume 3 Chapter 7 Mother and Daughter Reunion
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I got engaged to the second daughter of the nobility, Mira Brooke Taylor (13). Apparently, it’s rumored that I raped her and took her virginity. If this were in Japan, it’d be a headline like, “40-year-old man arrested for sexually assaulting a junior high school girl after drugging her with sleeping pills.” Though it’s a baseless false accusation, I decided to go along with it, prioritizing connections with the nobility.
I already told the Slaves about this yesterday. They seemed oddly convinced—it aligns with me sneaking out to experiment on sorcerers’ bodies. Only Nier believes in my innocence. She was the one who stuffed cloth into my pants, too. Later, she said she used the cloth she wiped Mira’s mouth with after putting her to sleep.
* * *
’The next morning.’
After a late breakfast, I set out for Torben’s base. Exiting the town through the North Gate, I saw farmers working in the fields. As I walked, I noticed cattle pulling plows. When I asked Nier, she explained they were tilling the soil.
Today, only Nier accompanied me. It’s about an hour’s walk, so we took it slow. I gave the others a day off and handed each a Silver Coin—they’ve been working non-stop.
At the Brooke Taylor estate, the maids handle everything. Even at my Mansion, it’s comfortable, but Nier and the others struggle. Nier and Helga handle chores; John and Reina guard duty. All four never get a day off—I’m the one making them work.
Staying at Brooke Taylor’s made me realize servants are necessary. When I return to Grimm, I’ll consult Leon about hiring some.
As we talked, we spotted the side road and turned. The path was poorly maintained. After walking for a while, the red-roofed building came into view.
”Is that Torben’s base?” Nier asked.
”Probably,” I replied.
Approaching the grounds, I saw a single-story wooden building and a small shed. The area was enclosed by a wooden fence. Outside, only grassland stretched as far as the eye could see.
There was a gate, so I opened it and entered.
”Woof! Woof!”
Two dogs barked fiercely as we neared the door. I stayed away and shouted, “Hey! Is Torben there?!”
After a pause, the door opened, and a young man appeared.
”What do you want? So early in the morning,” he grumbled.
”I heard Torben deals in child Slaves. Is that right?”
”You a customer?”
”Yeah. I heard he has Jipanese kids.”
”Oh, from Concart’s boss, huh. Hang on.”
He shouted inside, and a plump man emerged.
”He says he’s from Concart. Came to buy kid Slaves.”
”Kid Slaves? I’m Torben. And you are?”
I held up my Adventurer Plate.
”Ryuichi, silver-ranked adventurer.”
”Silver rank?! This is amazing.”
”So, do you have child Slaves? The younger, the better.”
”We don’t raise them to be sold as kids. Is that okay?”
”Show me all of them. I’ll buy at your price.”
”Got it. Please look around.”
As soon as they realized my rank, their attitude changed.
”Ben, show this gentleman around.”
”Got it, Ryuichi. Follow me.”
Nier and I followed Ben. About 50 meters away, I saw four shabby structures. Ben pointed to them.
”The far right is for kids up to 10; the second for 11 and older.”
”What about the others?”
”We use those when it’s busy, but they’re empty now.”
”Which one first?”
”Let’s start with the far right.”
”Right, I’ll open it.”
Ben unlocked the door and entered. A strong stench hit me. I covered my nose. Even Nier grimaced.
”This… is terrible,” I muttered.
”It’s pretty bad the first time. You’re special, Ryuichi.”
”I’ll look around with Nier. Is that okay?”
”Sure. Call me if you need anything.”
I lit a Magic fire¹ to brighten the room. The structure was clear—six wooden cells.
”Let’s look for Mia,” I said.
”Yes,” Nier replied softly.
We checked the cells. In the first, three children lay motionless. Their chests rose slightly—they were alive. Despite the cold, they wore thin, hole-filled clothes.
Through the gaps, I saw scars. They were probably whipped. There was nothing in the cells—just feces and urine in the corner.
Nier’s daughter is in a place like this…
”Goshujin-sama… she’s not here…” Nier whispered, her voice trembling.
I took her hand. Her palm was sweaty.
”Let’s check the next cell,” I said.
We continued, lighting each cell. None of the children spoke. They either huddled against the wall or lay motionless.
”She’s not here… or here…” Nier’s voice cracked with grief.
Every child was skeletal. It was clear they weren’t fed. Despite the cold, none shivered—either used to it or too weak.
There were about 20 children. After checking all the cells, Nier’s daughter wasn’t among them.
”Mia… she’s not… anywhere…” Nier’s sobs wracked her body.
”Maybe she’s in the other building. Let’s ask Ben.”
I pulled Nier outside. Ben leaned against a wall.
”Did you find anyone?”
”No. Are there other children?”
”Nope, just here.”
”We heard there’s a Jipanese child here.”
”Oh, there was a 6-year-old Jipanese kid. She died last winter.”
Nier asked, her voice barely audible, “What was… her name?”
”I don’t remember. Wait… Mia. That’s it.”
”Mia…” Nier’s voice broke.
”Mia…” she repeated, her body shaking.
I pulled her into my arms.
”Mia…” Her sobs pierced my heart. The pain of her grief was palpable. My eyes stung, and my chest felt tight.
Mia’s fate had ended in the worst possible way. She had died soon after being bought by Torben. Left in that cell, she must have trembled with hunger and cold. Maybe she was whipped repeatedly. It must have been so painful. She probably died alone, thinking of Nier’s warmth.
”So, that girl was…?” I clenched my fists.
I’ll kill all of them. But not easily. I’ll make them suffer more than Mia did. Dark emotions swirled within me.
But not yet. First, I need to confirm where Mia’s body was disposed of.
”…Can you take me to where her body is?”
”You want the kid’s corpse?”
”Here’s something for your trouble.”
”A Gold Coin²?! Sure, follow me.”
Ben led us to a large hole near a grove.
”All the dead kids are dumped here.”
”They’re mostly just bones now, so I can’t tell which is which, though.”
Ben turned back toward us in front of the hole and said.
”Nier… what do you want to do? Do you want to check for yourself?”
”Hic… I want to see… please.”
I walked up to the edge of the hole together with Nier and looked down inside.
(……Sick, twisted bastards.)
Inside the hole, countless corpses had been discarded.
There were many small children.
A large volume of skeletal remains completely covered the soil at the bottom.
Near the top, the decomposition of recently thrown-in bodies was rapidly progressing.
One child’s face was swollen black and massive, twisted into a demonic grimace.
Another child’s belly was bloated like a balloon and ruptured, with entrails spilling out.
Maggots crawled across the remains, and swarms of flies buzzed around inside the pit.
With things like this, there was no way to even guess which one was Mia’s body.
”Mia… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Faced with the horrific scene, Nier collapsed to her knees.
I looked back behind us.
Because this place was a blind spot, no line of sight could pass through from Torben’s single-story house.
I turned my face toward Ben, who was standing to my right, and activated my Magic.³
I have a use for this guy later.
”‘Coma Magic’”⁴
Ben’s head was instantly enveloped by a thin film of light, and he collapsed backward with a heavy thud.
After confirming that Ben had lost consciousness, I returned my gaze to Nier, who was kneeling to my left.
”Tch! ‘Ice Bullet!’”⁵
I fired a minuscule ice bullet and knocked the knife right out of Nier’s hand.
The deflected blade spun through the air as it plunged into the hole.
Before I realized it, she had been trying to press a small knife against her own neck.
As she reached out toward the falling blade and nearly tumbled into the pit, I dropped to one knee and caught her, holding her back.
”Ah! Please let me die! Goshujin-samaaa! Mia! Mia is suffering!”
Resting against my right shoulder, Nier begged me repeatedly, endlessly, to let her end her life.
This was just like the deeply affectionate Nier, who constantly lived for her daughter.
I had been worried, thinking that she might be contemplating exactly this sort of thing.
”If I don’t go to her… the f-fire… of purification… it’s burning Mia! Wailing… please, let me die!”
While firmly hugging the struggling Nier from the front with both arms, I silently continued to stroke her head.
In order for Mia’s soul to go to heaven, her sins were being burned away by a purifying fire.
Mia’s soul was crying out in agony from the hellfire, calling for her mother.
She had to die too, so she could rush to the side of her suffering child.
Listening to her frantic appeals, that was exactly what it sounded like she was saying.
While holding Nier close, I manifested a ‘Fireball’ in midair.
However, it was not an ordinary red flame.
On the day I underwent teleportation to this alternate world, this was the fire-attribute Magic that had manifested for the very first time back in the Magic Forest.
It was a flame of the exact same blue color as a modern gas stove.
”Nier, look. Look at this flame.”
”Gasp……… eh?”
A fireball of pure blue flame floated quietly above the corpses of the children.
Around it, I created one blue fireball after another.
Forgetting to wail, Nier stared intently at the countless shimmering blue flames.
In this culturally backwards alternate world, she had probably never seen or heard of a blue flame before.
”…Goshujin-sama… this is…”
”This is the holy flame that salvages souls.”
”Salvages… souls…?”
”That’s right. It purifies all sins, and can release Mia’s soul from her suffering.”
”From suffering… Mia…”
”…Did you forget? Your master is a special existence.”
”Goshujin-sama’s… a miracle of God…”
Nier turned back to face me and clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest.
”Now, let us send Mia’s soul to heaven.”
”Ah… Goshujin-sama…. Please, please save Mia’s soul…”
Her eyes, staring up at me, were completely begging for salvation.
I gave a small nod and activated the Magic.
”‘Ice Sphere’⁶ Mini-incantation
’Fly’”⁷
Along with the ground beneath us, I encased myself and Nier within a sphere of ice and made it float slightly.
I wrapped my left arm around Nier’s shoulder to draw her close, and we faced forward together.
I gathered the countless blue fireballs, compressing them into a single, massive fireball.
From here on is the real challenge.
Failure cannot be permitted.
I concentrated my entire consciousness on the giant fireball of blue flame.
Taking one deep breath, I unleashed the spell.
”‘Breath of Holy Flame’”⁸
Centered around the giant fireball, a torrent of blue fire breath erupted directly into the pit.
It succeeded.
Even though I had to do it on the spot without any practice, I managed to project a ‘Fire Breath’ of pure blue flame.
A massive flamethrower one meter in diameter thoroughly incinerated the inside of the hole.
The corpses caught in the high-temperature flame carbonized right before our eyes, making loud crackling and popping sounds.
The skeletal remains that were already reduced to bone crumbled away into ash.
Sparks danced and leaped high above the pit turned crematorium, beautifully evoking a scene as if children were running around and playing.
”Mia… I’m so glad…. Someday… Mommy will come to you too. Until then, wait for me… stay safe…”
While chasing the sparks soaring high into the night sky with her eyes, Nier silently let her tears flow.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi and Nier search for Mia at Torben’s facility. They learn Mia died shortly after arrival. Ryuichi vows revenge.
Moving deep into a secluded location near Torben’s property, the protagonist and Nier are confronted with a horrific mass grave filled mostly with children. Unable to find her daughter Mia’s remains amidst the decay, Nier suffers a complete psychological breakdown and attempts to take her own life before being forcefully restrained. Seeking to provide comfort, the protagonist manifests unique gas-burner blue flames from his initial arrival in the Magic Forest, recontextualizing the magic as a divine act of soul salvation to stop her from spiraling further into despair
—
Trivia:
- Ryuichi’s sorcerer experiments
- Reason for false accusation
- The protagonist reveals he has a specific, unstated plan or use for Ben later on, justifying his choice to knock him out cleanly rather than killing him.
- Nier believes her daughter’s soul is actively crying out from an ongoing purification fire, revealing her internal theology regarding death and sin
—
Character Insight:
Ryuichi’s protective instincts and anger intensify. Nier’s grief becomes overwhelming.
Nier experiences total emotional devastation, shifting from cooperative sorrow to active suicidal impulses driven by theological anxiety over her daughter’s soul. The protagonist demonstrates clinical pragmatism combined with targeted empathy, using his status and an elemental anomaly to fabricate a comforting religious narrative to stabilize Nier.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Brooke – The family lineage to which Mila and her father belong. The Brooke Taylor family holds substantial aristocratic and financial influence within the city-state of Niver. The noble family name carried by Mila. The lineage holds aristocratic status within the region of Niver.
• Taylor – The family name carried by Mila and her father, representing a prominent noble lineage in Niver. The secondary component of the aristocratic family name carried by Mila Brooke Taylor.
• Mira – The second daughter of the Brooke Taylor family. She is a noble from the city-state of Niver who was rescued from a bandit attack, carries herself with aristocratic pride despite immense embarrassment over her situation, and is highly knowledgeable about the geography and governance of Niver. The second daughter of the aristocratic Brooke Taylor family from Niver. She survives a catastrophic bandit ambush that slaughters her retainers and guards, subsequently using her high-born lineage and the promise of her father’s financial rewards to negotiate passage to Niver with a highly callous Ryuichi. A thirteen-year-old girl who wears heavy makeup that masks her true age, causing others to mistake her for being around twenty. She is the second daughter of Roman’s legal wife. A young woman who has her hair on the left and right sides in braids, brought to the top of her head in two tightly wound coils. Her dress leaves her shoulders completely exposed, has decorations heavily attached, and excessively emphasizes the thinness of her waist, with a skirt long enough to drag on the floor in a strangely swollen shape. She wears thick makeup, carries a strong scent of perfume, and is the second daughter of a Niver noble.
• Nier – A 27-year-old Japanese beauty with long black hair, refined features, and a motherly warmth, she is Ryuichi’s deeply devoted slave. Traumatized by the slave trade, she travels with him while managing domestic duties, reading local script, and assisting in magic experiments. Protective of other captive children, her profound affection shatters into intense grief upon discovering her daughter Mia’s tragic fate.
• Torben – A Free Citizen who operates a slave-trading business out of a red-roofed, single-story house outside the city walls of Niver. He justifies his actions through the social stratification of slavery before being bound and executed by Ryuichi.
• Helga – A twelve-year-old former Adventurer’s Guild receptionist with waist-length blonde hair, silver eyes, a doll-like appearance, and a raspy voice. Bratty yet high-energy, she previously knew John and Reina and gave Ryuichi key info on world magic systems. After a conflict, she fell into slavery but is now Ryuichi’s doted-on companion. She wears a fluffy gown, loves meat snacks, and handles domestic tasks, horse care, and fetching fodder.
• Reina – A 19-year-old female archer, village hunter, and slave to Ryuichi, she has fair skin, a brown ponytail, a well-proportioned build, and wears a leather cuirass. Mobilizing with a shortbow and dagger, she serves as her party’s emotional heart alongside friends Allen and John. Highly competent in wilderness survival, she drives the carriage with John, vigilantly watching for ambushers or bandits, and holds immense, submissive respect for Ryuichi.
• John – A twenty-year-old blond, large-built vanguard mercenary who grew up with Allen and Reina. Arrogant and gruff, he wears chainmail, a helm, and a wool coat, wielding a massive two-handed sword with advanced half-swording techniques alongside a heater shield. To protect his partner, he becomes Ryuichi’s combat slave and carriage driver, securing perimeters, looting foes, and taking route directions from Mila.
• Man – A roughneck wearing a hat who participated in a group assault. He suffers the loss of his right arm and later his left arm during an experiment by the protagonist before being stored.
• Grimm – The name of a large settlement and community located near the Forest of Magic. Grimm is a walled city featuring a bustling marketplace and diverse population, though it suffers from severe lack of sanitation and a legalized slave trade.
• Concart – A prominent slave merchant based in Niver who operates an expansive trading establishment that deals closely with elite noble lineages. He maintains extensive local commercial records and serves as a key logistical contact for regional information networks.
• Ryuichi – Poison Snake is a 40-year-old, bearded Japanese silver-class adventurer who acts with calculated pragmatism to survive and return to his family. This corporate-minded sorcerer masters diverse magic, including earth, spatial, sleep, Cure All, an Item Box, and a unique blue fire. He uses noble connections to dismantle Torben’s trafficking ring. Fearing heights, he views his slaves, Nier and Helga, as tools for his satisfaction and estate, yet defends them with protective rage.
• Ben – A young man who acts as a guide and subordinate at Torben’s base. He is Torben’s nephew and demonstrates a callous attitude toward the deceased children under their care. The son of Struan and nephew of Torben who assists with the family’s slave-trading enterprise. He is interrogated, bound via Stone Ball magic, and ultimately drowned by Ryuichi after confessing to the circumstances surrounding Mia’s death.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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