Chapter 2

After being kicked out of Ellis's clinic and becoming unemployed, I was at a loss.

Ellis's resolve was quite firm, and no matter how much I whined and complained at the entrance of the clinic, her mind didn't change.

"What should I do from now on..."

My current worry is the cost of living.

The amount of money I have in the bank is three months' salary from Ellis's clinic.

In total, it's 60,000 zennies.

Considering the prices in this world, it's probably around 600,000 yen in Japanese currency.

By the way, this is quite cheap compared to the market rate.

Usually, if you want to hire a healer at a clinic, you need to pay at least 50,000 zennies a month.

Moreover, I must say, my healing magic skills are outstanding in this world.

I realized after coming here that I could use healing magic even on Earth, where magic power barely exists.

That's why I was raised to the status of the founder of a new religion.

When someone with the potential to use healing magic, even without much magic power, comes to a world overflowing with magic power, what happens?

My magic-starved body greedily absorbed magic power from the surroundings, and as a result, it accumulated an enormous amount of magic power that no human should have.

The knowledge of the human body from modern times made it possible to use healing magic efficiently, and as the founder of a new religion in Japan, I was revered like a living god in some circles. This made me very compatible with the healing magic in this world, which draws power from faith.

Well, that doesn't matter now.

I need to think about how to make a living.

A cheap inn without a bath—Ellis's clinic didn't have a bath either—costs about 500 zennies per night.

A hearty meal costs about 100 zennies.

In other words, it costs about 800 zennies a day to live with a roof over my head and three meals.

With my current savings, I'll be penniless in 75 days.

That's very bad.

Even if I try to work at another clinic, it's not easy to find a place that will hire a suspicious person like me, who is from another world and hasn't trained at a church.

Ellis, despite being a newcomer from another world, was a kind and generous person who accepted me.

Maybe she saw the potential in my healing magic and smelled money.

If I show off my healing magic skills, someone might pick me up, but I don't want to stand out too much.

As a healer with unparalleled skills, I might end up being forcibly taken in and confined by a health-obsessed noble.

I don't have the strength to resist such power, and it's terrifying.

I want to avoid it as much as possible.

Since I'm in another world, I'd like to create a harem if possible.

"Ah, it's Shiki. What are you doing at this hour?"

While having an early lunch at a regular tavern in the center of town, the red-haired, boyish girl from earlier called out to me.

"Is it okay if I sit next to you?" she asked, sitting down and placing an order.

"I got fired from the clinic and am binge eating."

I glared at her with a deadpan expression.

Come to think of it, she never let me grope her chest even though she gave me a discount.

Actually, I never even paid her.

Let me grope it.

But I can't say that in a place like this.

Since it's a public tavern, there are a lot of thugs around.

If I start groping a cute girl's chest in a place like this, it's rare for a thug not to cause trouble.

I don't have any combat skills.

I can only heal.

So I don't want to cause trouble in a place like this.

"Ah, ahaha. I'm sorry to hear that."

The boyish girl looked awkward and averted her eyes.

She must feel partly responsible for me getting fired.

Well, from the way Ellis prepared everything, the main reason was probably that I pushed her to her limits by peeping at her bathing and doing various things yesterday.

"By the way, what's your name again?"

We've met many times at the clinic over the past three months, but I don't remember introducing myself.

I don't even know why she knows my name.

"N-no, w-what! You didn't even remember my name after all that! After three months of being together! Is it really true you don't remember!?"

"Don't say things that will cause misunderstandings. If I get involved in something troublesome, what will I do? Besides, we were only acquaintances who met at the clinic a few times a month."

"......That's true, but...... I'm Luluka. Remember that, okay?"

She seems quite upset that I didn't remember her name, pouting.

"Ah, I won't forget."

As the person who played a part in making me unemployed.

What should I do from now on?

No matter how much cheap alcohol I drink, no good ideas come to mind.

Sigh.

"What's wrong? Sighing like that?"

"I got fired from the clinic and I'm wondering what to do from now on."

"Hmm, how about becoming an adventurer?"

"An adventurer? I can only use healing magic, you know?"

"I think it would be tough on your own, but if you join a party, it might work out. I think there's a demand for healers. I'd like to go with you if I didn't have my own party."

"Can I join your party?"

"Ahaha, there's a girl in my party who's a bit of a clean freak."

So it's a girls-only party.

I'd like to join, but...

Luluka often comes to the clinic, so there probably isn't a healer in her party.

It's no good.

If I were Luluka, I wouldn't introduce a habitual pervert like me to the girls.

"Hmm, isn't it difficult for a beginner adventurer to find companions? I don't have many friends or acquaintances, you know?"

After all, I've only been in this world for three months.

There aren't many people I can trust.

"Wow, that looks delicious! Well, it'll work out, good luck!"

She's being quite dismissive.

It seems her attention has shifted to the food that was just delivered.

She's no help at all.

Sigh, what should I do?

After finishing my meal and wandering aimlessly, I found a crowd gathered on a side street off the main road.

Among them were men and women lined up in thin loincloths.

It's a slave market.

In this world, there are slaves.

They become slaves for various reasons, such as committing crimes, owing debts, or wanting to survive in exchange for their freedom.

The basic treatment is the same.

The owner guarantees the slave's minimum clothing and food.

The slave must obey the owner's orders absolutely.

If they disobey, the slave mark, a magical seal, activates and forces them to comply.

What if I add a slave to my party and become an adventurer?

With a slave, I don't have to worry about betrayal in the dungeon, and I can keep all the earnings.

For a healer with almost no combat skills, it's very important to trust the people I work with.

This might be a good idea.

Looking around, there were various races.

They were all generally dirty and wearing loincloths, but there were dog ears, elf ears, and ages ranging from about ten to about forty.

However, they were all expensive.

Even the cheapest human woman, around forty years old, cost 200,000 zennies.

A beautiful elf slave with magic skills and combat experience cost over 4,000,000 zennies.

It's enough to buy a house.

I have a little over 60,000 zennies.

There's no way I can afford any of them.

I have some attachment, but I have to give up.

There's nothing I can do without money.

I was about to turn around and look for a place to stay for the night when I noticed a 50,000 zenny price tag.

There was a girl, about twelve years old.

The first thing that caught my eye was her face.

It looked like she had been attacked by a monster, with a large scar and most of her face crushed, except for her mouth.

It seems she can't see at all.

Her skin was a light brown, as if she had been sunburned.

Her hair was a dull gray, and from the side, an elf ear peeked out.

Only one.

She looked malnourished and frail.

She gave the impression that she would die if left alone.

A dark elf girl.

At first glance, she was missing both eyes, her nose, and one ear.

It would take a considerable amount of money to heal her.

To heal a missing part, especially an eyeball, would require a high-level healing spell, such as a bishop or archbishop in the church.

Even if I didn't heal the scars, a blind slave wouldn't be very useful, and no one would want her as a pet with a crushed face.

I wonder why they even bought her.

When I activated the appraisal skill, I found something interesting in her status.

Name: Yuel

Race: Dark Elf

Skills: Dagger Mastery

She has the Dagger Mastery skill.

A skill user.

While skill users can vary widely in strength, even the weakest can handle multiple low-level monsters, which is what skills in this world guarantee.

She's still a child, so she's not very strong, but dark elves are a nimble race.

A combat style that can outmaneuver opponents with quick movements might work.

"Hey, old man, I want that dark elf girl."

"That dark elf? Ah, Yuel, right. She's completely blind, but is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Really! I'm glad she's selling. I was thinking of disposing of her. It's 50,000 zennies. How will you pay?"

"With a bank card."

I overlapped my bank card with the slave trader's.

By focusing, I transferred 50,000 zennies.

Bank cards are magical items that allow the owner to move money by focusing, and most people have them.

They can be used for deposits and withdrawals, and can be used for transactions with just the card, like electronic money.

"Okay, confirmed."

The slave trader brought Yuel over.

Her unsteady steps were probably due to her blindness or poor nutrition, or both.

The slave trader applied a drop of my blood to the slave seal and lightly touched Yuel's shoulder.

"This completes the slave contract. No returns or exchanges, understood?"

The slave trader left quickly, leaving Yuel behind.

He probably wanted to get rid of her before he changed his mind, as she was a useless eater with no prospects of selling.

"My name is Yuel. Nice to meet you."

Yuel greeted me in the wrong direction.

She's definitely blind.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Shiki. Let's go to an inn first."

After buying a set of used clothes and cheap shoes for 2,000 zennies, we entered a high-end inn with a private bath.

The front desk lady gave me a look of shock.

Inns with private baths are often used for that purpose.

For couples, it's usually the main reason.

And I'm here with a young girl with a crushed face.

No matter how you look at it, I must seem like someone with a special and extreme fetish.

It's a misunderstanding.

Enduring the lady's gaze, I paid 2,000 zennies for a night with two meals and entered the room.

It was a single room, of course, as I couldn't afford a double or twin.

First, I needed to clean off the grime and dirt.

"Let's get you in the bath. Okay?"

"Yes, thank you for buying me. I have no experience, but I will do my best to satisfy you, Master."

This was her first statement since the initial introduction.

She was completely silent on the way to the inn.

She probably couldn't see the situation or what I was doing.

Still, her words were dangerous.

I prefer large breasts and am not a lolicon, but her words sent a shiver down my spine.

Is this what they call a sense of sin?

I almost smiled like a corrupt noble.

Be cool, be calm.

Even my small and convenient conscience felt guilty about a child this age.

Besides, her face was badly scarred and not appealing.

I'm not into lolis anyway.

"No, no, let's heal you first."

"Heal, Master?"

She looked surprised or confused, but I couldn't read her expression.

Or rather, she doesn't have one.

I should heal her quickly.

"Yeah, don't open your eyes yet, Ex-Heal."

I felt my magic power drain.

Ex-Heal is the highest-level single-target healing spell.

At this level, I can feel the magic power decrease.

Then, Yuel's eyes, nose, and ear rapidly regenerated.

"Huh? Ah, huh? Wow!"

"Ah, ah, I told you not to open your eyes. You won't be able to see for a while, so keep them closed. I'll get you some food."

I left Yuel alone and went to the first-floor cafeteria to get a sandwich.

It was free.

High-end inns are like that.

The price here is high enough to buy dozens of sandwiches.

When I returned to the room, Yuel was gone.

What, no way, did she run away?

No, that's not it. I heard a sobbing sound from the changing room.

She didn't run away.

That's a relief.

If the front desk lady had seen a young girl running away, I don't know what kind of look she would give me the next time we met.

In the changing room, Yuel was standing in front of a mirror, touching her face while sobbing.

" Eyes, I have eyes, a nose, an ear, waaah!"

"Hey, you can see now? I got some food, come here."

"That voice, are you Master?"

"Yeah, I'm handsome, right?"

Without hesitation, Yuel hugged me.

"Yes, you're very, very handsome. The most handsome ever."

Oh, oh.

I don't know how to react to that.

Is this what being a slave is like?

"Thank you. For healing my face. I thought I was going to die there, and then..."

Her face, looking up at me, was a mess of tears.

In this world, there's no safety net like welfare in Japan.

In a way, the slave system might be a safety net, but a blind slave could starve to death at any time.

Thinking about a girl like this, even I, who am relatively heartless, felt sympathy.

"There, there. Here, have a sandwich. There's water too."

"Sniff, yes, thank you. Thank you so much."

Yuel started eating the sandwich greedily.

Maybe the slave trader hadn't fed her.

I probably bought her from a corner where she was left to die.

It's a harsh treatment, but that's how slaves are treated.

The country officially prohibits the arbitrary killing of slaves, but as long as they don't die, it's not a problem.

If it's your own slave, it's usually ignored unless you kill them in public.

The law is more about not showing blood in public or being barbaric.

If a slave dies of malnutrition, it's unlikely to be investigated.

"Let's take a bath after you eat."

"Yes, Master, you are my savior. I will serve you with all my heart and soul."

No, that's not it.

That's not what I meant.

Yuel's face, now healed, is beautiful enough to be called a beauty.

I was just a bit surprised.

But at least three, no, four years is too early.

"Ah, Yuel. I didn't buy you for that. I want you to come with me to the dungeon."

"The dungeon? Are you an adventurer? I thought you were a high-ranking priest."

"Ah, I can use healing magic, but I'm not a priest. I got fired from the clinic I was working at today and became unemployed. I was thinking of becoming an adventurer, and then I found Yuel. Can you use a dagger?"

"Is that so? Yes, I have the dagger skill, but why do you ask?"

"From the way your muscles are built."

Actually, it's thanks to the appraisal skill, and it's not related at all. Yuel is so thin that she doesn't have much muscle to begin with—

"To be able to tell just by looking, you're amazing, Master!"

Yuel looked at me with innocent admiration.

It feels good to be praised by a girl.

"I want to start going to the dungeon tomorrow, so let's work together."

I only have about 5,900 zennies left.

At this inn, it will be gone in three days.

Yuel is thin, but if I feed her and use healing magic, she should be able to move normally by tomorrow.

I don't want to push her too hard, but exercise is important to build muscle.

"Yes, I'll take care of the combat. I'll protect you with my life, Master!"

She's quite enthusiastic.

"Let's take a bath now."

"Yes, it's my first time, so please be gentle, Master."

No, that's not what I meant.

I washed Yuel and had her change into the clothes I bought.

When we were leaving the bath, I heard her ask, "Really not going to do anything? I'm not that unattractive, right?"

I couldn't follow up on that.

I'm not a lolicon.

Then it was time for dinner, and Yuel ate voraciously.

She easily ate as much as two or three adults.

I had to go to the first-floor cafeteria multiple times to get more food, and the inn staff eventually told me to stop.

My Engel's coefficient is skyrocketing, but I couldn't stop Yuel from eating while she said, "Delicious, delicious," with tears in her eyes.

Still, she seemed unsatisfied, so I took her to the tavern where I had lunch to get more food.

I had about 5,700 zennies left.

After leaving the tavern, we went to a weapon shop to buy Yuel's weapon.

Yuel was very serious about choosing, but in the end, she decided on two iron knives, each about 20 centimeters long.

They cost 5,000 zennies for the pair.

I had about 700 zennies left.

This is bad.

We returned to the inn, ate again, and went to bed.

Yuel slept on the floor.

"No, no, you can sleep in the bed. You're small, and there's plenty of room."

I felt guilty about sleeping in the bed while making a girl sleep on the floor.

"Is that really okay? I'm not very attractive, you know."

She looked down and lowered her gaze.

Did I need to reassure her about not touching her?

Just because she's a child, but she doesn't seem to understand that.

What should I do?

Option A: "Yuel, you're an attractive woman."

It's strange not to touch an attractive slave.

Rejected.

Option B: "I think of Yuel as family."

Family after just one day?

It's a bit awkward for someone in her situation.

She might be happy, but it could also