I go greet the village chief, and Iâm not only welcomed, but also provided a room in the inn for free. It was provided to me, but it only has three beds. Are they actually looking out for me?
I sit down on a bed, Hikari sits next to me, and Mia and Sera sit on the one in front.
Mia has been pouting ever since I spoke to those villagers. Is she upset because I go in the way of their work?
âIâm glad we managed to meet up without any problems. Did you have any problems on the road?â
ââŠNot really, master. We werenât attacked by monsters either, and we didnât have problems with the other slaves either.â
Says Sera. Thatâs good to hear.
âThen I want to decide a few things about whatâs to come. That said, our destination is already set. Sorry, but I wonât be able to hear your wishes.â
âIâll go with you Master.â
âI will follow you, Mister Sora.â
âYouâre the one who gets to decide.â
Say Hikari, Mia, and Sera.
Hn⊠This feels so stiff and formal. I wish they could be friendlier. I get that theyâre slaves, but Mia in particular sounds weird. It feels like I turned her into a slave with no choice in the matter.
âMia. Can you stop it with the Mister Sora?â
âNo, youâre Mister Sora. Iâm a slave now.â
She really got that into her head. Was the shock of people going after her life that severe?
âYou should talk normally, like you did before. You were only made a slave because it was a good way to escape the holy city in the first place.â
âProbably. But you have saved my life multiple times.â
âI donât remember those multiple timesâŠâ
I try to argue, and she shows me a necklace. I remember this.
âI would have died for sure back then. Iâm only here because of you.â
Itâs a magic stone with such a fresh blue color that it could be confused for a gem. Itâs cracked.
I gave it to her as a charm, but I think she might have noticed something else was up. In reality, this has a magic barrier effect attached to it. Thatâs why itâs broken.
I thought I made it well, but Mia was injured. Is it not like skills? Does it activate when certain conditions are met? Or did I just not make it right? I need to look into that.
âThen this is an order. Mister Sora, and that sort of weird formal speech in general is prohibited. I liked you better the way you were before. You were easier to talk to.â
âB-but⊠Understood.â
Mia looks down with her face bright red. I donât think it will happen right away, but I hope she can slowly go back to normal.
Thatâs one problem down. I hope!
Next, Sera. I think she has a lot to ask. Her tail wonât stop fidgeting.
âOur next destination is the Magic State of Efa. More specifically, the town of Majolica, where the Magius magic academy is.â
Hikariâs eyes are shining. But that doesnât necessarily mean sheâs attending that academy. Does she know that?
âWhy Majolica you ask? That has to do with Sera. Ah⊠And I guess I want to go to a dungeon too.â
I want high quality magic stones, so I can live a comfortable life with alchemy.
âWell then. It looks like you have a lot of questions.â
I cast Silence to soundproof the room.
âLetâs go from the start. But first, I want to give an order. You are not allowed to talk about this with anyone else. It doesnât leave this room, unless I allow it. All right? And save all your questions to the end.â
The three girls nod, and I start.
First, I talk about how Iâm one of the heroes summoned into the Kingdom of Elesya. But I had no fighting power, so the ones who summoned me threw me out.
I tell them how I became an adventurer and decided to make a life for myself in this world. How I met two girls named Rurika and Chris, who taught me the ins and outs of being an adventurer, and eventually they told me their goal.
Then I talk about meeting Hikari, and a demon right after.
From there I tell them about meeting Leila and her party, fighting an orclord alongside them, and my explanation cleanly ends with me meeting Mia and Sera in the holy city.
âThatâs honestly unbelievable. Iâve never heard of an otherworlder before.â
Mia is shocked.
âIâve heard from grandma about people wandering into this world from other worlds. But to think youâre one of themâŠâ
Says Sera.
âMaster is an otherworlder, that much is certain.â
âAnd you were a spy, Hikari? That sounds tough.â
âI donât really remember that. And I met master, so itâs fine.â
It feels like Hikari lost a good chunk of her memory, probably because of the slave mask.
âSo youâve really met Rurika and Chris? Are they doing well?â
Seraâs words feel⊠Age appropriate I guess? Like the thorns were removed from them. Like they lack that distant attitude. Weâre kind of taken aback by this sudden change, especially me.
âTheyâre both well. Itâs like Rurika has energy to spare, and Chris is getting dragged along. But theyâve become adventurers and are going over different countries to look for you and Eris. In a way, theyâre the ones who taught me how to walk in this world.â
âI see⊠I see.â
She nods, looking relieved. I guess she was also worried about her friends.
âBy the way, do you have a charm? Something that tells a person is alive somehow if theyâre holding it?â
ââŠI donât have that anymore. It was in the dark forest, when I suffered wounds severe enough to be fatal. And I think you need magic energy to check that. Iâm a beast person, so my magic energy is weak, and I donât know if I would be able to check even if I still had that. And I never even knew you could use it like that in the first place.â
I see. She doesnât have it, so she doesnât know if theyâre safe or not. And she doesnât even know how to use it.
Then how come Rurika and Chris know? And why did they think Sera was alive if Sera lost her charm? Iâm so confused.
âSora, hum, if you defeat the demon king, do you go back to your world?â
âNo. To be more precise, I canât harm the demon king.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âMy heart is bound with a restrictive curse. Remember how I said I met a demon? I formed a contract so heâd let me live. Basically, Iâm not allowed to harm the demon king.â
âWas that demon really that strong?â
âStrong enough that I wouldnât be able to do a thing to it.â
Hikariâs body is shaking. I guess she remembers it somewhat.
âBut he didnât really come across to me like a bad guy, from our short conversation. We just talked normally. But it felt like he would stop at nothing to accomplish his goals.â
Miaâs face contorts. I mean, she was almost killed without question.
âItâs like with people. There are good and bad people. Iâm sure demons are all different from one another too.â
âYes. Thatâs it.â
âAnd well, that means I wonât be fighting the demon king, and I have no means to go back home for now. Thatâs why my goal is to live safely and comfortably in this world.â
Their faces look strange. Itâs not like I said anything weird, is it?