Chapter 21

The inn was not near the Adventurers' Guild, so we ended up having to return to the area where the slave traders were located.

During this time, Haru kept sniffing the air, on guard for the noble named Oregairu.

We decided to stay at a mid-level inn, as it was more likely that the noble would be staying at a higher-end establishment.

The inn looked like it had been converted from a wooden house, but it was cheap, costing only 50 cents for both of us, including dinner and breakfast. The key cost an additional 10 cents, which would be refunded when we returned it upon leaving. It was a system similar to a coin locker at a public bath, but apparently, this was normal in this world.

The bath was free for one use, but I decided to take two. A single use cost one cent. In the case of a lamp, one candle was free, so I decided to use just one.

I asked for the bath to be brought to the room later. The payment was made in advance. There was a sign in front of the inn that said "No Tipping," so no additional fees were necessary.

I wanted to wipe myself down thoroughly because I smelled like a beast.

I thought about using a bucket of water and a small fire spell to heat it, but I decided against it, thinking it might cause a fire. If I could experiment and successfully heat water in any bucket 100 times out of 100, I wouldn't need to borrow water anymore.

The room we were given was on the second floor, and Haru and I went there together. We had requested a twin-bed room, and indeed, there were two beds.

However, the room was so small that the beds were almost touching, making it no different from a double bed.

Well, this might be more convenient for me.

But Haru's face was dark.

She was probably still worried about that noble.

At that moment, I wanted to ask Haru about the reasons she became a slave and how she caught the eye of that young noble, which I had been putting off until now.

So—

"Haru, I'm going to tell you my story! Will you listen?"

I declared this and sat on the edge of the bed. It was a hard bed with almost no cushioning.

Haru stood and listened, but I encouraged her to sit down, and we sat side by side.

"Haru, I've told you that I'm from another world, Japan. Japan is a country in a world where no one can use magic. There are almost no monsters that attack people, though there are some like brown bears. Instead, we have developed technology that uses the power of fire and electricity to move things. We have iron ships that fly in the sky and can gather information from around the world instantly from the comfort of our homes."

I took out my smartphone from my item bag, which I would never use again, and proudly showed it to her, saying, "With this, I could talk to people all over the world."

The time inside the item bag was stopped, so the clock was still set to when I came to this world, but the battery hadn't drained at all.

I turned on the camera and took a picture of Haru to show her.

While there were magical devices in this world that could store images, Haru was visibly surprised by the smartphone, which didn't use magic.

After using it, I put it back in the item bag, thinking it might come in handy later.

"It's a world where we can even travel to the moon floating in the sky."

"Did you go to the moon, Master?!"

Haru was surprised by the idea of going to the moon.

"No, only a select few have gone to the moon. For someone like me, it's just a dream. I was a regular person. I lost my parents at a young age and lived with my sister, but I couldn't get a job anywhere. Then, I died in an accident and met a goddess. I think I've told you about the divine favor... Haru, can you see my job?"

I wished for Haru to see my status.

"Can you see it?"

"I'll try. Status Open, Ichinojo. Yes, I can see it... What?"

Haru was speechless after seeing my job.

"Haru, what does it say for my job?"

"Nothing is displayed. The job field is blank. Also, your status is very high. You have the title of Skill Maniac, so I can tell you're using Skill Management, but not being able to see a job is unusual, isn't it?"

So, that's how it looks to Haru.

Unemployed... no job.

In other words, it's a job that others can't see.

"My job is Unemployed. Unemployed Level 62."

"Unemployed... meaning you haven't taken on any job since you were born? I thought Unemployed didn't have any status growth and couldn't learn any skills."

"Only up to Level 19. From Level 20, you can learn skills. And they're quite amazing. That's the secret to my strength. According to the goddess, this shouldn't be possible. She told me to keep it a secret from anyone but those I trust."

"Anyone but those you trust..."

"Yes, I care about you, Haru. That's why I wanted to tell you. Keeping things to yourself is hard on both the person keeping the secret and the person being kept in the dark. Of course, there are times when it's better to keep things secret, but I don't think it's always the case."

Just as I said that, there was a knock on the door.

It seemed the inn staff had brought the bath water.

I opened the door and took the two buckets of water.

It was getting dark outside, so I lit the candle in the lamp.

"Haru, can you help me wash my back?"

"Of course, Master."

I took off my clothes and was left in my underwear.

I handed the towel I had bought at Margaret's shop to Haru and sat on the floor, turning my back to her.

I heard the sound of her hand entering the water, the sound of the towel being wrung out, and then the towel was placed on my back.

For a while, Haru scrubbed my back in silence, but then I heard her voice.

"Master... in this world, there was once a war between heroes and demons, or rather, between humans and demons."

"Ah... the Demon King Familiar, right?"

"The Demon King Familius Laritei."

Ah, that was the name.

I had forgotten it.

"The White Wolf Clan is a proud clan that follows the strong. When the war broke out, the clan split into two. One side refused to serve the demons and fought alongside the hero who appeared 13 years ago. The other side... was captivated by the Demon King's strength and served him."

Then, Haru washed the towel again, wrung it out, and continued.

"My father was on the latter side."

That means... I remember Haru saying she served in the palace.

So, she was in the Demon King's castle?

"...My father was executed for serving the Demon King Familius. After a long trial, my mother was sentenced to life in prison, and I was sold into slavery a year ago."

"That's what happened..."

"I was bought by Master Matthias, I heard, out of consideration for the heroes... If I had been sold as a slave to another country, I would have been treated terribly... I met Master Oregairu two months after becoming a slave."

Oregairu was the eldest son of a baron's family and was on a training journey to clear beginner dungeons and gain strength, as ordered by his father.

"I was assigned to guide him to the beginner dungeon. I had just returned from a beginner dungeon with other adventurers."

Haru said nothing much happened after that.

She guarded him as usual, and she and Sebastian led the way through the dungeon, praying at the statue of the goddess.

Incidentally, Oregairu received a scrub brush instead of a skill at that time.

Typical of Master Koshamare, he knows how to read the room.

"Oregairu later said he wanted to buy me. I naturally refused, but he said he would come back in ten months, when my redemption conditions would be met. After that, no adventurer wanted to borrow me, probably thinking something might happen to me. Oregairu's father and Oregairu himself also provided a lot of support to the Adventurers' Guild."

"...I see, that must have been tough."

"Master, what do you think of me?"

"What do I think?"

"I served the Demon King. When I was a child, he was very kind to me. To be honest, after Master, I still respect and love the Demon King... Is it okay for someone like me to serve you?"

...So that was Haru's concern.

"Well, maybe because I haven't been directly harmed by the Demon King... I don't think it's a problem. In fact, I would find it more distasteful if you joined in the badmouthing of someone who was kind to you just because society says they're evil."

The hand scrubbing my back stopped... and I heard a sniffle.

"...Haru?"

"...No, it's nothing... I'm just happy. I'm really happy to be able to serve you, Master."

Feeling Haru's emotions through my back, I felt a bit itchy.

But it felt very good to have Haru scrub my back.

She didn't just scrub my back; she also wiped my chest, stomach, and armpits.

Her eyes were red and swollen, but her face was a beautiful smile.

And then—

"Can I wash your back next?"

"Eh? I can do it myself..."

"Is that okay?"

"If it's what Master wants, I..."

Haru turned her back to me, took off her top, and pulled her hair up.

Her beautiful white skin was illuminated by the lamp.

Then, I'll wash your back.

I'm looking forward to washing your front later.