Chapter 3

Rin stood at the entrance of the classroom, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing the secret that his mother had given him.

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

Focusing his mind, he perceived the depths of his body. He felt the circulation of blood and the flow of magic running from his soul to his mind. He became aware of the circulating flow and gradually, but surely, increased it. Faster, larger, but without breaking, smoothly.

As the flow spread throughout his body, Rin's entire body began to emit a faint glow.

"Whoa!"

During a break from the dungeon exploration, Rin clenched his fist tightly after successfully casting a physical enhancement spell. What he had been practicing was the basic close-combat magic, physical enhancement. He had finally seen the results of his efforts after learning the tricks from a senior adventurer. With this, he could finally graduate from being a porter. If he could use close-combat magic, he could stand at the front lines. Although he could only activate it through meditation, it was undeniable progress.

The next step was to develop the courage to face monsters and the skills to fight. Both of these he was working on in parallel with his magic practice.

"Hey, you. You're being noisy."

The one who complained about Rin's triumphant pose was a girl with long blonde hair tied up in a two-sided updo. The girl, with a well-groomed appearance that could belong to a young lady from a good family, glared at Rin with her already narrow eyes. She was the female magician who, on the first day Rin joined the party, had given him a harsh warning: "If you don't have the motivation or talent, why don't you quit?"

Usually, Rin would have been intimidated by her glare, but he was feeling particularly high-spirited today.

"Look, I can use physical enhancement magic now!"

He showed his glowing body to the disgruntled female magician. Hearing Rin's voice, the senior adventurers who were on break gathered around, exclaiming in surprise.

"Wow, you've been practicing, haven't you!"

"You've been working hard. Hehe."

"It's thanks to my advice, Rin! Be grateful!"

Each of them congratulated Rin on his growth. Encouraged by the praise from the party members, Rin looked at the female magician, thinking, "What do you think of this?" Everyone recognized his progress. He was no longer the guy who had scattered his belongings in fear of a monster on the first day. Even the arrogant female magician would have to acknowledge his hard work and results in such a short time.

However, the female magician looked unimpressed.

"Huh? You couldn't use physical enhancement magic until now? ...Wow. Seriously, why did you even want to become an adventurer? The dungeon is a place where you fight for your life. It's scary to think that a country bumpkin with nothing but hero aspirations would even consider it."

Her evaluation had actually dropped. The air froze at her blunt but truthful comments. The female magician, who had been glaring at the frozen Rin, turned her gaze to the party leader.

"Leader, why did you let someone like this join the party? We don't have the luxury to train amateurs from scratch. If we had those resources, we should be putting more effort into exploration—"

"No, I saw potential in him—"

As the two of them talked, Rin's high spirits quickly faded.

"Am I really that bad...?"

After finishing the day's dungeon exploration, Rin consulted a senior adventurer with a dejected tone. He had been a porter for the whole day, but he had completed his tasks without any issues. He was getting used to the party's movements and had become more comfortable with the other members. He could see what he needed to do, and honestly, he was enjoying the daily adventures.

The only drawback was, of course, that female magician.

"Don't worry about it. She has high standards. She's as strict with others as she is with herself."

"Yeah, I can see that she's really good at magic, but—"

The female magician, who had become an adventurer a year before Rin, was a contemporary who always found fault with everything he did. Despite his efforts, she would mock and criticize him, while the leader and other members would encourage him.

"Do you think she hates me...?"

"It's not like that. Cheer up."

Every time she criticized him, she pointed out his shortcomings, and his heart would wither. The senior adventurer patted his shoulder and chuckled.

"She's not looking at the Rin of now, but the Rin of the past."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how should I put it? She apparently had a clear goal of becoming an adventurer from a young age. She's been training since childhood. She even skipped grades to graduate from the academy."

"Wow."

Rin was impressed by the female magician's background, which he had never heard before.

"Skipping grades at the academy is impressive. No wonder she's so strong, even though she's around my age."

"Exactly. To put it bluntly, you and she have different levels of experience. From her perspective, 'How can someone my age be an adventurer and not even know how to use magic or have any knowledge of the dungeon?'"

"That's... But—"

It was understandable that someone who had worked hard for a long time would be frustrated by a newcomer. Still, Rin couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Not everyone can graduate from the academy and become an adventurer...!"

The female magician was excellent. She contributed to the party by using both ranged and close-combat magic. She had many job opportunities even if she didn't become an adventurer.

In contrast, Rin had not spent his life preparing to become an adventurer. It was clear that, despite being the same age, there was a significant difference between them. However, time couldn't be turned back, and his birth couldn't be changed.

"There's nothing I can do about it... I only have the future ahead of me."

"You're right. I was a clueless newbie at your age, too."

For someone like Rin, who came from a rural area with no education, there was no choice but to push forward with determination. Not everyone had the opportunity to learn magic. The idea of attending an academy never even crossed his mind. Growing up in a rural area meant having no information or practical experience to prepare for becoming an adventurer. In the village where Rin was born, there were no adventurers to learn from or places to train.

"I wish I had known more things earlier..."

"You have the future ahead of you, so don't get too down. Besides, I think she needs to be a bit more understanding."

This senior adventurer, who had a background similar to Rin's, nodded in agreement and smiled.

"Well, let's stop the gloomy talk here. How about we go somewhere to relieve some stress!"

"Relieve stress?"

"Yeah, getting comforted by a barmaid or working up a sweat at a training facility are good options. And, oh, there used to be something called a 'punching service.'"

"Punching service?"

"Yeah, a business where you can punch someone for ten minutes without resistance."

"No, that's a bit... too much."

Rin was hesitant about the violent business idea. Relieving stress by hitting someone seemed counterproductive and might just add more stress.

"Haha, the punching service is a thing of the past. It was shut down after someone died, you know."

"Wow..."

Indeed, the dark side of stress in society runs deep. After being taken aback, a scene from the square a few days ago came to mind. The all-affirming slave girl. Was she standing there to accept the dark side of modern society?

"You're right..."

Thinking of the all-affirming slave girl's gentle smile and her overwhelming energy in conversation, Rin sighed.

"There are all kinds of jobs out there. Like the all-affirming slave girl, for example."

"There's no such thing."

The senior adventurer immediately responded with a serious face. Rin blinked in surprise.

"Huh? No, there is, the all-affirming slave girl."

"There isn't. There's no way such a thing exists. The slave system was abolished almost a hundred years ago. It would be scary if it existed. Are you okay, man?"

The senior adventurer looked at Rin with concern.

"Are you tired? Don't push yourself too hard. Talking about an all-affirming slave girl... Don't say such weird things. Are you that stressed to be imagining such things?"

"Huh? Huh?"

Confused by the senior adventurer's exasperated tone, Rin was at a loss. No way. The all-affirming slave girl must exist. If not, who was the person he saw that day? Was it a hallucination? A dream?

Doubting his own memory, he shook his head. No, it must have been his poor choice of words. He had made it sound like the slave system still existed, which was a reasonable misunderstanding.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. It's not a real slave, but a girl dressed like one who listens to your complaints as a service."

"Hmm?"

The senior adventurer, who had been in the town for a long time and knew a lot, scratched his head.

"I've never heard of such a thing. This town has strict regulations on the sex industry. The Carvel Family, a mafia known as 'the necessary evil more strict than the knights,' controls this area, so there shouldn't be any strange individual businesses. You know that, right?"

"No, no! I saw her!"

Rin insisted, though he didn't know much about the Carvel Family or the strict regulations. He had definitely seen the slave girl with his own eyes. Her gentle smile and the way she washed away the muck in people's hearts couldn't be a hallucination.

"A short-haired silver-haired girl! Wearing a white贯头衣 and a leather collar!"

"Such a thing doesn't exist—oh, I see."

The senior adventurer laughed lecherously and patted Rin's shoulder.

"I get it, I get it. You're young, aren't you? You like that kind of thing? Come on, be more open! Let's have a drink and talk all night!"

"No, that's not what I meant!!"

After that, the conversation turned into a crude joke session, and Rin walked away with a wobbly gait. Determined to prove the existence of the all-affirming slave girl, he headed to the square.

No matter how many times he tried to explain, the senior adventurer wouldn't believe him. "There's no such thing," was his final word. On the first day of his adventure, when he was feeling down, had he been seeing things? No, that couldn't be. With that thought, Rin made his way to the square where he had seen the all-affirming slave girl.

When he arrived at the center of the square, there she was, wearing a white贯头衣 and a leather collar, her mouth hidden by a placard.

"Thank you today, slave girl!"

It seemed a nun had just finished complaining. Rin felt relieved to see her there and a bit uncomfortable seeing the nun wave goodbye to the slave girl with a big smile. Was she a regular?

Given the lack of privacy in their conversations, she must be a regular. The slave girl would stop talking and cover her mouth with the placard after ten minutes, but there was a familiar atmosphere.

How much stress must she be under to visit the slave girl regularly? Is the job at the temple that stressful?

"..."

The slave girl noticed Rin and smiled. Her smile made him pause. He had only come to confirm her existence, but what should he do now?

He had a lot of pent-up frustration. Specifically, the blonde female magician who had joined the party a year earlier, who was only a year or two older but constantly pointed out his flaws and criticized him in a sticky, condescending manner. Thinking about it made his chest feel heavy.

Alright, he decided, he would use her service. It would feel great to vent about that female magician. Just as he made up his mind, a shadow approached the slave girl.

"Excuse me..."

A young man in his late twenties, who looked like an alchemist, approached the slave girl before Rin could. His slender build suggested he was more of a researcher than a combatant. Rin thought, "Oh, an alchemist."

Alchemists, who needed many materials for their research, often commissioned quests to adventurers. However, they were known to be picky and critical, making them difficult clients. Rin had a slight aversion to them. The young alchemist, who claimed to be one of them, looked like he had given up on life.

"I heard that you listen to any complaints... here..."

"..."

The young man's mumbled words were hard to hear, but the slave girl, with her mouth hidden by the placard, nodded gently.

"Please, then..."

The young alchemist handed over a thousand rin with a slow, lifeless movement. The slave girl gently removed the placard from her mouth, revealing a breathtaking beauty. While some people look better with part of their face hidden, this girl's beauty was completed by revealing her mouth. The moment she removed the placard, it felt like a full moon rising from the horizon.

With her beauty revealed, the slave girl opened her mouth wide.

"Y-Yes!!!! I was asked to!!!! Shout out all your complaints!!!! Hehe!"

Her clear, husky voice and dazzling, sly smile were released.