Volume 1 Chapter 12 The Resurrection Of The Brown Girl 3️⃣
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next morning.
When I opened my eyes, the warmth beside me was gone. The space that had held Lena only hours ago now felt cold and empty.
A quiet ache spread in my chest as I pushed aside the blanket with my still slightly numb left arm and slowly sat up.
”Good morning, Master,” Lena greeted, her voice soft and gentle—timed perfectly, as if she’d been watching over me, waiting for the moment I awoke.
Of course, there was only one person in this room who would do something like that.
”Good morning, Lena,” I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I turned toward her.
There she stood—a girl of deep brown skin, her bangs parted neatly in the middle, her entire appearance freshly groomed. Her lips curled into a gentle smile. The ugly scars that once marred her face were now completely gone, revealing her large, expressive eyes that shimmered in the morning light. A closer look showed they were slightly puffy, as if she had cried, but not from sorrow.
Even the arms and legs peeking from beneath her tunic were free of marks. It seemed not just her face, but all her lingering wounds had been erased by last night’s ritual. I could hardly believe it.
To think the ritual had such power… and that my body had played a role in that…
”You’ve become cuter,” I said, unable to keep the words from slipping out.
At that, Lena lowered her head deeply, tears forming again at the corners of her eyes.
”Thanks to your kindness, Master… Lena was able to see this world again… Lena… Lena…”
Her voice trembled, her body following soon after. She couldn’t finish her sentence.
”It’s alright,” I murmured as I stepped out of bed and pulled her slender frame into a quiet embrace.
”Master…” she whispered, her voice muffled against my chest as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.
I held her close, gently stroking her hair. Her soft sobs filled the room, and before I knew it, my own eyes grew damp.
* * *
”I see… so your vision hasn’t returned after all.”
”Yes. But I don’t wish for more. Just being able to go outside… to show my face in the light… that alone is more than I ever imagined.”
We sat across from each other in the familiar tavern, a breakfast for five spread out between us like always.
For a girl, those scars must’ve been an unbearable burden. Now that they were gone, her expression had softened—freed from the weight she’d carried for so long—and the smiles she offered me were no longer strained.
Her left eye still lacked vision, and upon close inspection, her pupil remained dull. But that was only noticeable if one looked carefully. Other than the lingering frailty in her body, her appearance was completely healed.
”There’s nothing more I can do for you now,” I said, taking a sip of soup. “Just eat properly. That’s your next job. Understand?”
”Y-yes,” she replied quickly, her posture straightening.
With a bashful smile, Lena looked down at the three plates stacked in front of me, then gave a tiny laugh. We passed the morning quietly like that, surrounded by the warmth of a peaceful breakfast.
* * *
Once we’d eaten, we headed into the bustling shopping street.
Verdaine was the largest city in the region, filled with all kinds of stores and merchants. I didn’t want Lena to wear that worn tunic forever. Now that she was finally beginning to look like herself, it felt wrong not to dress her properly.
Of course, I had no clue about women’s clothing, so all I could do was drag her into a random boutique and leave it to the staff.
”Could you find something that suits her?” I asked a female clerk.
”I cannot allow you to spend money on someone like me… a mere slave,” Lena whispered, her eyes cast downward.
”If you’re staying with me, then you need to look the part,” I said, letting a slightly arrogant tone slip into my voice.
That was enough to end the conversation. Lena quietly became a dress-up doll for the store attendant, standing still as outfit after outfit was tried on her.
In the end, we settled on a light summer-style outfit: a short-sleeved white top that revealed her navel and a pair of black shorts, the kind often worn by girls from the southern regions.
”You’ve gone with a pretty bold look, huh?” I said with a raised brow.
”Yes… I’ve been hiding it all this time,” she replied with a shy smile.
It was a small thing, but I could tell—this choice reflected how happy she was to be able to show her body again.
The white shirt contrasted nicely against her rich brown skin. Though she was still thin and her figure lacked softness, I could already imagine how well the outfit would suit her once her body recovered more of its natural curves.
After that, we enjoyed skewers at a food stall for a late lunch, bought her underwear and daily items, then stopped by weapon and tool shops to browse. All in all, it was a full day—one that could only be called a shopping date.
For Lena, who had been stolen away by slave hunters as a child and had known only the harshness of slave quarters and that bleak village, every sight in town was something new. Though she tried to behave modestly, her eyes lit up like a child’s, sparkling with wonder. She laughed. She cried. And she lived.
Watching her like that,
—I’m really glad I saved her.
That thought filled my heart again and again.
Even if those slave traders or that gluttonous, bald village head saw her now, they wouldn’t recognize her.
The Lena who stood beside me now was a completely different girl from the one I’d met just two days ago.
* * *
As the sky began to glow red with the setting sun, we returned to the evening district, where rows of inns and taverns came to life.
From nearby alleys, laughter and drunken chatter echoed as inebriated men swayed under the lantern-lit streets.
”Are we eating dinner here tonight?” Lena asked, tilting her head slightly.
”That sounds good,” I replied, “but first, there’s something we need to do.”
From my pocket, I pulled out a black tag carved from obsidian and gently held it to the collar still resting on Lena’s neck.
”Unlock,” I whispered.
A soft glow emerged from the tag, and with a quiet click, the collar loosened. It slipped from her neck and hit the stone ground with a dull thud.
”M-Master…?”
Lena’s voice trembled as she stared at me, eyes wide with disbelief.
”I’m not your master anymore,” I said with a smile. “From this moment on, you’re free.”
”Why…?”
”I told you from the start, didn’t I? That I would help you. That I had no intention of keeping you as a slave.”
”…………”
”I brought you here to help you find work. You’ve managed household tasks all this time, so I thought you might do well at a tavern or inn. There are plenty of safe places looking for help. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
”………………”
”Of course, you’ll have a place to live. Many inns offer room and board. I’ve also prepared some money for your first steps. If you’re uncomfortable with that, you can repay me slowly once you’re settled.”
”…………………………”
”And then—”
”………………sniff…”
”Eh? What’s wrong?”
She trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Of course she did. After so long, the chains of slavery that bound her had finally been broken. Her body must be shaking with joy—just like mine once had.
”I… don’t want to.”
”Huh?”
”I don’t want to! I want to stay your slave, Master!”
Lena’s voice cracked as she cried out, her shoulders shaking like a frightened child.
Why…? Why would she say that?
I couldn’t comprehend it.
I knew what it was like. I had experienced firsthand the pain, the struggle, and the fear of being enslaved—and the overwhelming relief of freedom. That’s why I couldn’t understand. Why would she reject such a rare, life-changing moment?
”Uh… Lena?” I asked, my voice uncertain.
”Please… don’t abandon me…” she whispered, clinging to the edge of my sleeve.
”Abandon you? That’s not what this is, Lena. I want you to be free.”
”I don’t want freedom,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “I’ve lived as a slave for so long… I don’t know how to live any other way. I can’t become free now. More than that… I want to serve you, Master… until the day I die.”
”What…?” I froze, unable to form a proper response.
Her words left me stunned.
”I died when I got that wound,” Lena continued, her voice trembling. “I truly thought that was the end… and I lived like a corpse after that. So, when those bandits took me, I didn’t care anymore. I just thought, ‘If I die now, then that’s fine.’ My heart was empty.”
She spoke with a tearful smile, as if frozen in a moment of painful clarity.
”Even when Master took me in, I was only surprised. I thought, ‘He’ll probably mistreat me too.’ But… you didn’t. You saved me. You healed the scars I’d long given up on, and even returned my left eye—something I thought I’d lost forever. It felt like… like you brought me back to life.”
Her words flowed softly, but each carried weight.
”Maybe Master only helped me out of kindness… or maybe on a whim. But for me, even so—Master is like a god. No… even the gods I once prayed to never answered. Compared to them, Master is far more precious to me.”
Lena knelt down and picked up the black collar that had fallen nearby, cradling it gently in her hands.
”The empty shell I was… has been filled by you. That’s why… I believe I was born to serve you. So please, Master… don’t throw me away. If I can’t serve you, then I have no reason to live… If you truly don’t need me… then, please, end it here. Kill me.”
Even as she said those words, Lena’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression shifting into something that looked almost amused—maybe at herself.
The branch manager’s words from yesterday echoed in my mind.
“If you can accept Lena… then please, take this collar.”
Lena held the collar out to me with both hands, as if offering her very soul.
And then, another voice surfaced—my old teacher’s, like a memory rising from deep within.
Lena continued to cry, even while smiling faintly. Her outstretched hand wasn’t merely offering something—it was reaching for something… no, someone.
Me.
A long sigh escaped my lips as I stepped forward and took the collar from her hands.
”Master…!”
Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed deep red.
”It was your chance to be free,” I said softly, “but… you really are a foolish girl.”
She lifted her face slightly, closing her eyes like she was waiting for something—perhaps a kiss, or perhaps just my decision.
I raised the collar and gently fastened it around her neck once more.
”Lock,” I said under my breath, securing it in place.
”Now, you are truly mine, Lena.”
”Yes…” she answered, her voice warm as she smiled brightly.
”But listen, Lena. I don’t intend to treat you like just a slave. From now on, I want you to think for yourself and act based on your own will. That’s what I expect from you. In a way, it will be harder than before.”
”My own will…?”
”Yes. What you choose to do, what you want to be—I will respect that.”
She lowered her gaze, seemingly deep in thought. Then, all of a sudden, she looked up with a spark in her eyes.
”Is it all right for me to share my thoughts? My desires… with Master?”
”Of course,” I replied with a nod. “As long as it’s within reason and within the law, I’ll listen. And I’ll support you.”
At those words, her face lit up in pure joy.
”Then… if I may be so bold… there’s something I would like to say. May I?”
”Go ahead. Say anything.”
”N-Normally, I know this isn’t something a slave should ask of their master,” she said, blushing furiously.
”I don’t mind at all. Speak your heart.”
”…Then…”
Lena’s eyes trembled as she looked up at me, her voice almost a whisper.
”Please… hold me.”
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.
• Verdaine – The largest local city in the region, ruled by the Margrave of Verdaine. It houses a branch of the Adventurers Guild and is the protagonist’s temporary base. Located within walking distance from the unnamed village where Lena was found.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply