Volume 13 Chapter 3 A Woman from Another World ③ (Rena’s POV)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Th-then, Lena, I leave this to you. Vera, Georgia—take care of Lena too,” said Sir Soyuz, before slipping through the door and vanishing beyond it.
In that last exchanged glance, I thought I saw unease in his eyes. Of course, it must have been because of my own incompetence. The thought of my unworthiness gnawed at me, stirring something close to despair. But no—I had no time for self-loathing now. I had been entrusted with this task, and I had to carry it out.
I turned my gaze back to the dais.
The woman lay there naked, wrists and ankles bound, body embedded in something between a slab and a bed. We all understood, without needing to speak, the cruel purpose of such a device. Vera, who had once been in a situation closest to hers, did not even attempt to hide the anger burning in her sorrowful eyes as she looked at the woman.
”…We really are lucky, aren’t we? To have been picked up by someone like Master,” Georgia murmured.
Yes, she was right. Had Sir Soyuz not taken me in back then, I would still be in that cursed village, forced into the hands of those men. A chill ran down my spine just at the thought.
”Indeed. And surely, this woman too will share in that fortune,” I said, turning to Vera, whose eyes brimmed with tears.
Sir Soyuz’s actions were always rooted in kindness—noble, deliberate. We could not betray that. Our duty was to do our part, and for that, she first had to awaken.
”Let’s begin.”
I removed my cloak, draping it gently over her exposed body, just as Sir Soyuz once had for me. Then I unsealed the vial of smelling salts.
* * *
”Mm…ugh…what’s this smell…? Ah?”
The acrid bite of the medicine roused her within seconds.
”You’re awake. How do you feel?” I asked.
”…Strange. The last thing I remember…was a lanky pretty-boy.”
She tilted her head, still groggy, and I was unsure what this “pretty-boy” meant. Likely, she was wondering where Mr. Mikhail had gone.
”That was Mr. Mikhail—the elf adventurer. He defeated everyone here and came to rescue you.”
”Defeated…all of them?”
”Yes.”
She fell silent, eyes unfocused, then finally exhaled a soft, “I see.”
”And who are you?” she asked.
”My name is Lena.”
”Vera.”
”Georgia,” said Georgia with a nod.
”…So. A dark-skinned beauty, a little elf girl, and even a beastkin. Quite the lineup.”
”Excuse me?” I asked.
”Nothing. More importantly—are you adventurers?”
”Yes. Still inexperienced, but we serve under our Master as adventurers.”
”So you all defeated the people here and made it this far.”
”Not us,” I admitted. “It was Mr. Mikhail. We were only summoned after.”
”Hm. And what do you plan to do with me? As you can see, I can’t move.”
”Of course, we’re here to help. That’s why Master was called.”
But she only looked up at me with a sad smile.
”Help me? If that’s what you call it…then hurry up and kill me.”
The despair in her eyes was familiar. I had seen it in Vera, back when she was saved from goblins. I had seen it in the faces of new slaves dragged into the pens. I had worn that same look once, before Sir Soyuz saved me.
Her body had been broken, stripped of freedom, used again and again. No wonder she longed for death. Worse, whatever magic had twisted her form, she likely never dreamed it could be undone. I couldn’t blame her. Before I experienced it myself, I too had never believed in miracles.
All I could do was show her, as I had been shown. Convince Sir Soyuz to grant her the Life-Sharing magic. That was the only way.
”Please, don’t despair. You can be saved—if you truly wish to live, and if you can trust our Master with all your heart.”
I remembered how I had once looked into her eyes, and tried to infuse that same earnestness into my own. Extending my hand toward her, I whispered, “Believe.”
”…What? That’s shady as hell. Are you some cult or something?”
”Eh!?”
M-me!? Shady!? Even after speaking so earnestly!?
”…Wow,” Vera muttered.
”Lena, come here a sec,” Georgia said, grabbing my sleeve.
I was dragged to the corner of the room by my companions, their faces equal parts exasperated and pitying.
”W-what? What did I do wrong?” I asked.
”You were seriously creepy just now,” Vera said flatly.
”Yeah. If some stranger told me that out of nowhere, I wouldn’t just nod and say ‘sure.’”
”Eh? Ehh?”
”Also, Soyuz said, ‘wake her and hear her story,’” Georgia reminded me. “You’re rushing ahead.”
”Exactly. Honestly, Lena…watching that was more embarrassing for me than for you.”
W-what!? I was being scolded? By both Vera and Georgia!?
And yet…thinking back, I realized they were right. Sir Soyuz had asked us only to wake her and learn her circumstances. I had gotten carried away.
”…Yes, that’s true. I rushed in too recklessly. What matters first is finding out who that woman really is. Before all else, we must judge carefully if she is truly worthy of Sir Soyuz’s favor,” I said.
”Hmm… that’s true, but I don’t think it’s just that,” Vera said.
”Exactly! Do it properly!” Georgia chimed in.
”My dear sister, whenever it comes to Soyuz, you lose all sense. It’s your worst habit,” Vera whispered.
”Right? Well, not that I ever expected much from Lena in the first place,” Georgia added.
The sting of their words hit harder than I cared to admit. Especially from Ms. Georgia. If it were Vera, I could bear it. But from this unruly, loud, hopeless little mutt? I could not let that pass. It was time someone trimmed her overgrown pride.
”If you insist on saying such things, Ms. Georgia, then by all means—show me an example.”
”Oh? You really said that? Fine then. I’ll show you what a difference in class looks like.”
Foolish dog. She swallowed my provocation whole. Lately, she has grown far too bold. Yes, she is cute to look at, skilled with her tongue, warm, and… accommodating—but at her core, she is still the same woman who once dared raise her blade against Sir Soyuz. That crime cannot be forgotten. She could betray us again at any moment. As the first slave, it is my duty to keep her leash tight.
For that, I must remind her who stands above. In combat, we are equals. But in service? In tasks that require tact and finesse? That clumsy girl is unfit. She will tuck her tail and come crying soon enough. And when she does, I will make it clear once again—between us, only one stands as the true slave of Sir Soyuz.
”…Mufufu.”
”There it is, she’s thinking something weird again,” Vera muttered.
”Yeah. Lena’s useless, so I’ll go,” Georgia said.
What? Both of them now stared at me with eyes full of scorn. Why? How dare they— No, not now. Let her go and make a fool of herself. I would savor her failure.
* * *
”Hey, what are you three whispering about over there?” the girl called out.
”Eh? Ah, sorry, sorry. Anyway, Miss, what’s your name? I said earlier, but I’m Georgia,” she said.
”Name? …I’m Chie… Chelsea.”
”Ms. Chelsea, huh? That’s a kind and lovely name.”
”Ah… thank you.”
What—? What was this? Georgia not only began a conversation but managed to get her name already? Grr… perhaps her looks alone gave her that advantage. Her cheerful manner, those careless but disarming gestures—they might make it easy to lower someone’s guard. But still! Anyone can ask a name. What matters is why she is in such a state, and how to steer the conversation toward that truth…
”So, Ms. Chelsea, why are you in this situation?” Georgia asked.
She asked it!? She actually asked it, straight out! The one question that should have been the most delicate, the most difficult, she just blurted it with that dumb mutt’s mouth.
Ah, curse her! This is why I call her a useless dog. Of course, I no longer look down on beastfolk as a whole. They have strengths different from our human kind. Ms. Mor, for instance, is wise and thoughtful, even if the nights reveal… other qualities. But her daughter, Ms. Georgia, is a disaster. A hopeless baka-inu (T/N: pun on “baka” = fool, “inu” = dog—stupid dog).
”You really don’t hesitate to ask the hard ones. Well… I could tell you. But you should know…” Chelsea’s eyes narrowed.
”But?” Georgia tilted her head.
”After hearing everything, will you still say you want to help me?”
”Hm… that’s not for me to decide. That’s up to our Master. Actually, can I call him here?”
”Ah, yes, I recall—you all serve that ‘Master.’ I don’t mind.”
”He’s a man though. Is that alright?”
”Fine. You’ve draped me with cloaks, and at this point, what does it matter if a man sees me bare?”
”Alright then. Vera—go get Master.”
”Understood,” Vera replied.
Ah? Ahhh? Before I knew it, the flow of conversation had carried itself forward. Smooth, natural—yet leaving me behind.
Ahh… could it be? Could it be that I am the one who has just been shown my place?
Ahhh…
Notes:
• Lena – Female. A young slave girl in her early teens. Her appearance is emaciated with brown skin, long black hair, and grotesque scars across her face, including one that blinds her left eye. She wears a black collar and tattered clothing. Her relationship to the protagonist is that of a rescued victim. She is silent and appears to have endured severe physical and emotional abuse.
• Mikhail – Volodya’s brother and a guest of the guild, seeking to defeat Volodya for destroying his village.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply