Chapter 17

"Ruuuuun! I'm so glad, so glad you're safe!"

"Itai, itai... Margaret-san..."

Ruhn, who was hugged by Margaret. I could feel the bones of her body crying out.

But, Margaret-san was really worried, I could tell. She was crying tears of joy.

Margaret, who was overjoyed at the reunion, turned to me.

"Margaret-san, I'm sorry. The sword you gave me broke."

I handed her the sword, which was broken in two.

"No, it protected you and Ruhn. That sword and its wielder were content. And, as Ruhn said, let me also express my gratitude. Thank you so much!"

Saying that, she hugged me! She leaned in! She rubbed her cheek against mine!

Itaiiii, it's going to break! Her chest is so thick! I thought she stuffed something in there, but did she put iron balls in? Her beard, her beard hurts!

After just 10 seconds of hell, I collapsed to the ground on my knees and palms.

What is this? If Margaret-san had been serious, she could have easily taken down the bandits.

She didn't even flinch.

"It's okay, Onii-san. Margaret-san is originally a boxer, so she has a lot of physical enhancement skills."

"Ruhn, don't say unnecessary things. I'm just a seamstress now."

Seamstress? Isn't that a typo for cyborg?

Thinking that, I checked Margaret-san's job.

【Seamstress: Lv38】

Ah, it's true. And, that's a really high level. I think even production jobs increase stats as they level up, and physical enhancement skills... that's amazing.

"Hehehe, you must be Haru. I've heard about you from Ichi-kun. Thank you for helping Ruhn."

"No, I didn't do much..."

"Hmm, you're very cute. I'd like to have you as a little sister."

"Margaret-san, the age difference for a sister is—Itai, itai, Margaret-san!"

Because Ruhn said something unnecessary, she was being strangled by Margaret.

I saw another side of Ruhn. By the way, how old is Margaret-san?

"Haru, come and have a meal with us. I overcooked the meat."

"Go ahead and eat. There's a lot, but it's very delicious... It was just meat, though."

That amount is too much for three people.

"Um, I'm a slave."

"I know."

"Usually, slaves are given special meals. Even at the slave market, that's how it is."

"Is that so? I think Matthias would give you proper meals."

"If you continue to eat good food in the market, a bought slave won't be able to endure bad treatment. So, the sleeping place is usually on stone, the food is vegetable scraps and hard bread, occasionally meat scraps, and only water. The amount is just enough to keep the skin color from getting bad—"

"...Margaret-san, it doesn't matter that Haru is a slave, right?"

"No, it doesn't matter. Let's all eat together."

Margaret said that and winked at me. I got chills.

Then, Margaret and Ruhn went into the shop together.

"That's the thing. If Haru wasn't there, Ruhn would never have been saved. I wouldn't have found that hidden passage alone."

And—right here, I decided to tell her.

"Hey, Haru. What do you think of me? Do you think I'm stronger than you now?"

"Yes, Master defeated the bandits I couldn't. I think you are stronger than me."

"Then... Haru, you said you would submit to someone stronger than you, right?"

I told Haru that and looked into her eyes—her golden eyes—and said,

"I want to buy you out."

Silence fell between us.

In the empty town, I waited for Haru's answer.

Then, tears streamed down Haru's eyes.

Huh? What kind of tears are those?

Then, Haru opened her mouth.

"I'm very happy, Master."

"Huh? So—"

"But, as you know, there is a noble who wants to buy me out. This noble supports the Adventurer's Guild with a large amount of money. If I were bought, it would affect you, Master. So—"

"No, I don't plan to join the Adventurer's Guild. That's why I had you exchange items at the Adventurer's Guild before. Ah... but if that happens, they might say something when you exchange items at the Adventurer's Guild."

"Yes, I don't think there will be overt pressure, but the appraisal value for exchanges will likely decrease, and they will probably try to make you dislike me and get rid of me."

Then, Haru said,

"I don't want to be disliked by you. So, with just this feeling—"

"I'll do something! It's okay, even if the appraisal value of magic stones is halved, I can just collect twice as many. Even if we have no money, we can survive by hunting and living off the land—Ah, but I don't want to make you live like that."

"No, the White Wolf Clan lived by wandering, not in towns. But—Master is a human, and it might be a life you can't endure—"

"Hey, Haru. What I want to know now is what you want. It doesn't matter about the noble's power or my thoughts."

"I—"

Haru hesitated and whispered,

"I want to be with you... Is that okay?"

Large tears streamed down her face.

I—cherished the meaning of those tears and truly didn't want to make her cry again.

"Please, stay with me."