Chapter 18

Flam stood at the classroom door, her mouth agape, frozen in place. Milkit fidgeted, alternately looking at the suspicious intruder who had taken up residence in the room and her master's face. Eterna, on the other hand, stood up, approached Flam, placed her hand on Flam's cheek, and drew her face close.

"What is this?"

Eterna was looking at the slave mark etched on Flam's cheek. In her memory, Flam had never had such a mark.

"It's strange that Flam, who was supposed to have returned home, is here. But this is even stranger. What is this?"

Her voice carried a hint of anger. Though it wasn't directed at Flam, the freezing, sharp gaze made Flam's stomach tighten. What she really wanted to ask first was, "Why is Eterna here?" but she couldn't bring herself to do so.

"Who did this? How did it come to this?"

"Eterna, no, I think everyone except Eterna knows."

"Knows what?"

"That I was so useless that I was sold to Jean... and became a slave."

When Flam spoke, Eterna fell silent for a moment, then dropped her shoulders and sighed deeply.

"That prideful, pint-sized, amateur magician...!"

Words of abuse, which Flam rarely heard, spilled from her mouth. Whether or not he was really a virgin, Flam had a vague idea of who she was talking about.

"Did you not know?"

"There was no way to know. If I had known, everyone would have stopped it."

When Eterna stated this, Flam felt the dark fog that had been lingering in her chest dissipate. Her heart felt light, as if she had been saved.

"Gadio was disappointed, and Kiril was so down that he couldn't focus on the battle."

"Gadio and Kiril..."

Gadio, who had always taken care of her, was one thing, but even Kiril, whom she thought disliked her. Still, the fact that she had been useless didn't change. It wasn't that, but—she hadn't lost all her places to belong. There was no explosive change in her emotions, but a single tear traced her cheek, unnoticed by her. When she touched it and realized it was her own, Flam smiled.

"Sorry, Flam. I should have been more suspicious when Jean said you were going back home. Being treated as a slave every day must have been tough."

Eterna, who was usually so self-centered, looked unusually gloomy and apologetic. Flam, trying to ease the tension, pulled Milkit's hand and stood her next to her.

"Thanks to this, I met Milkit, so it wasn't all bad."

Milkit was secretly relieved. Their relationship had been formed because they both lacked a place to belong. She had been worried that if Flam found a place in the hero party, her own space would disappear. But now, she realized, "Ah, that's the kind of person my master is." There was a certain confidence growing in Milkit that this person would never abandon her.

"Does this child's face look like mustard poison?"

"Sure enough, Eterna, you can tell even through the bandages."

"It's a type of poison that's easy to identify. Still, it's in bad taste to use a poison that can only be cured with medicine on a girl."

"Right! Speaking of which, there's something I want to ask Eterna. I'll go get something from the first floor!"

Flam hurriedly went down to the first floor where her belongings were. Eterna and Milkit were left alone for a moment.

"Flam is a good kid, isn't she?"

"...Eh? Ah, yes, a very nice master."

"I really want to go punch Jean right now, but unfortunately, I don't know where he is. Besides, I'm not in a position to just barge into the castle where his room is."

Eterna's truly regretful expression made Milkit feel happy. Her master was someone even a hero admired.

"That child has a power to attract people. I think Jean was jealous because he didn't have it. As a genius, he couldn't tolerate it."

"The person who made my master a slave, right?"

"Yes. If you follow Flam, I'm sure it won't be a mistake."

"That's my intention. At least until my master decides to let me go."

"If that's the case, you'll be fine for life. Flam will never abandon you."

"Really?"

"Yes, definitely. Because—"

Just as Eterna was about to say something, the sound of Flam running up the stairs was heard. It seemed she found it hard to say in front of Flam, and the conversation was cut off.

"Here it is!"

Flam handed Eterna two bundles of herbs.

"Ingredients for the antidote?"

"Master, when did you get these!?"

"I found them while gathering Kiara. The herbs themselves aren't that rare, so I hoped I might find them."

The biggest problem was finding a pharmacist. In Leach's case, it seemed he had found one through an underground route, but it was awkward to ask, "While you're at it, can you make this too?" Flam had even considered finding the method herself, but meeting Eterna solved all the problems.

"Got it, I'll start the preparation right away. I need about three hours."

"Is that enough?"

"Because it's me."

Despite the lack of persuasiveness, Flam had no choice but to agree with the most persuasive words. To let Eterna concentrate, the two decided to leave the room, but Flam stopped when she realized she hadn't asked something important.

"By the way, Eterna, why are you here? What happened with the demon king?"

"I got bored without Flam and left."

"Eh... You could just leave so easily!?"

"If Flam could leave by saying she wanted to go home, there was no reason I couldn't. Besides, I found this empty house and decided to rent it."

Flam smiled wryly. Even for Eterna, using an empty house like that was a stretch.

"Eterna, that's called trespassing, you know?"

"So I'm working to pay the rent."

"You were aware of that..."

"Yes, but I liked it here. If you really insist, I'll leave."

"That's not my intention. From today, I'm the owner of this house, so feel free to use the room."

"I'll remember that."

"You're welcome."

After finishing the conversation with Eterna, Flam left the room with Milkit. Once the sound of them going down the stairs confirmed no one was left on the second floor, Eterna muttered softly.

"Sentimental... not like me. But the memories that linger here are not bad."

She stared at the old wooden wall for a while, then exhaled and began her work.

◇◇◇

Flam and Milkit, having gone down to the first floor, opened their belongings to prepare for living in the house. Thanks to Eterna, the house was already reasonably clean, so the amount of work was minimal. Moreover, the amount of belongings they brought was so small that they finished quickly. With nothing to do, the two sat across from each other at the table. There were four chairs at the dining table. It was enough for Sera to come, but considering guests, they might need two more.

"Really, this house will belong to my master..."

Milkit looked around the room, feeling sentimental. Flam immediately corrected herself.

"To me and Milkit, right?"

"That's a bit..."

"I intend it to be. If you want any furniture, just let me know. We can discuss the budget, but I'll do my best."

"...Okay."

Realizing it was futile to argue, Milkit nodded. Repeating it enough times, she understood that giving up was the only option. Flam seemed determined to respect Milkit's will, no matter what. As a slave, she had wanted to avoid asserting her own opinions, but if it was her master's wish—she accepted it, even as she realized she was gradually changing.

Unexpectedly, one more resident had been added, but a new life was about to begin here. Even though there was no rent, the maintenance costs would be higher than a hotel. They could get by for a while with the reward from Leach, but such a good job wouldn't come every time. As an adventurer, Flam would have to earn money while clashing with Dain and his group. It was a lot of pressure, but compared to the comfort of having a place to return to, it was a minor issue. Secretly renewing her resolve, Flam was called by Milkit.

"Um, Master?"

"What is it?"

"Maybe it's a bit late to ask, but... can my face be cured?"

Her voice was slightly anxious.

"It can be cured. In your case, it might take about a week for the poison to completely disappear. Normally, it would heal in a day, but since you've been in this state for a long time, it will take a bit longer."

"Just a week..."

Milkit touched the bandages covering her face. The rough, ugly face beneath. When she first became this way, she was quite depressed, but now she had accepted it as something inevitable. However, the thought of it disappearing—honestly, it was scary. It wasn't that she didn't want to be cured. She didn't want to change. If she changed, the people around her would change. She might gain something new, but she might lose something in return. If that something was Flam...

If she returned to her original face and Flam didn't care for her as much as now...

The thought was unbearable.

"By the way, I never asked, but why were you given such poison?"

At Flam's question, Milkit snapped back to reality and answered, recalling the past.

"I don't remember when I was given the poison. I just woke up one day like this."

"In that case, it was probably ingested orally. It must have been mixed into your food. What a terrible person."

Even though it was a past event unrelated to her, Flam was angry on Milkit's behalf. For no one else, but for Milkit alone.

"Was your master male or female?"

"Female."

"Ah... Hmm... I see, that makes sense..."

"Really?"

Why would the gender matter when giving poison to a slave? Milkit tilted her head in confusion.

"If the master was male, there would be no point in making a girl's face rot. Well, there are incomprehensible perverts who might enjoy seeing someone in such a state, but even then—"

Flam looked Milkit straight in the eye and smiled.

"Whether it was a man's taste or a woman's jealousy, I think the reason you were targeted is because you were beautiful."

"That's not true."

She said it firmly. Because she had never been told she was beautiful. She was ugly and dirty. She had come to realize that.

"Really? I think your eyes are incredibly beautiful, and of course, your heart too. If that's the case, I think your face must be beautiful too."

"Please don't say such things. I don't want to disappoint you, Master."

"No way, that's impossible. By the way, you don't seem very happy. Are you worried I'll be disappointed when I see your face?"

"...Yes, that's it."

Milkit admitted it straightforwardly. In response, Flam stood up and moved behind her, not to ease her anxiety but to make her recognize the current situation. She was too sweet, almost naive.

"Milkit—"

Calling her name, Flam hugged her from behind.

"Do you really think my feelings are that shallow?"

The gentle voice in her ear made Milkit's chest warm.

"No way, even though we haven't spent much time together, I thought you understood."

The warmth spread from her chest to her neck, cheeks, and even her ears. Though her face was covered in bandages, her exposed ears were bright red, which Flam noticed and pinched with her fingers.

"Ah!?"

The sudden sweet sensation made Milkit let out a cute sound.

"They're red. Maybe you did understand."

"I understand that you're the kind of person who would say such things. But the fear of losing you is stopping me from fully embracing it."

"Ultimately, it's your decision, so there's not much I can do. But I'll say it anyway."

Flam tightened her arms, pressing their bodies closer. As she transmitted her warmth more deeply, she declared:

"No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side."

The words seeped into the core of her heart, melting the hard, frozen part that had always rejected others. It was a weakness. It would probably be easier to live without it. But deep down, Milkit's heart was screaming, "I don't want to resist." Her instincts accelerated, her emotions deepened, and her desires expanded. Recently, her body had been moving on its own, driven by impulses that defied reason. This was one of those impulses. Unconsciously, Milkit's hand rested on top of Flam's, which was holding her.

◇◇◇

Milkit's daily routine of taking the antidote began. The medicine was extremely bitter, making Flam wrinkle her nose just by the smell, but Milkit took it without a single complaint. It would take a week for the rot on her face to heal, and a bit longer for the redness to completely fade, but by then, the detoxification would be almost complete.

Eterna checked Milkit's progress every day by removing the bandages. However, this was done in Eterna's room on the second floor, and Flam was not allowed to be present. She could faintly hear their voices from the first floor and sense that they were talking about things other than her face, but the crucial parts were inaudible. Additionally, Eterna seemed to be learning about Flam's past and her ability to reverse things through Milkit. Flam protested, "Why don't you just ask me directly?" but nothing changed. Perhaps Eterna was trying to reduce the chances of accidentally revealing something by minimizing her conversations with Flam. Still—

"Why can't I see it..."

—Flam felt lonely. While the two were in the room, she sat on the floor, hugging her knees. However, when Milkit said,

"I want you to see my face when it's fully healed, not halfway through."

Flam immediately brightened up with a smile, "Then I guess I can't, can I?" She was easily swayed.

While the detoxification was progressing, Flam wasn't idle. She and Milkit bought furniture and daily necessities, making the house feel more lived-in. She also completed F-rank quests to earn income and improve her adventurer rank. The receptionist Ira was still unpleasant, and Dain and his group glared at Flam every time they saw her, but so far, they hadn't interfered directly.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and the day finally came for Flam to remove Milkit's bandages.

◇◇◇

Flam and Milkit stood facing each other in the room they used as a bedroom, their expressions tense. Eterna, considerately, waited downstairs. The knot of Milkit's bandages had already been undone, and all that was left was to remove them. Flam reached out to the edge of the bandages and, with trembling fingers, pinched them.

"Here I go?"

"Yes..."

Milkit folded her hands in front of her, completely entrusting herself. However, her body was tense, clearly showing her nervousness. Flam took a deep breath and began to remove the white cloth from her face. The skin that appeared was still slightly red but smooth and fine. Next, soft, slightly trembling pink lips appeared. Flam's heart skipped a beat, and her hand paused for a moment.

"Master?"

Hearing Milkit's anxious voice, Flam hurriedly resumed her movements. The nose that appeared was small and slightly red, looking cute. The cheeks, though slender, were soft, and like Flam's, bore the red slave mark. Flam couldn't help but touch it with her fingertips.

"Ah..."

"Sorry!"

"No... It's the same as yours."

Hearing this, Flam felt as if her heart had been pierced. She wanted to poke it repeatedly, but she forced herself to stop and continued removing the bandages. Her eyes were beautiful, there was no doubt about it. Clear, slightly dark emerald green eyes reflected Flam's image. The eyes were filled with both hope and anxiety. When the bandages were completely removed from her forehead, they