Chapter 14

I'm inserting the illustration I received from Mr. Torimaru.

Please be cautious if you are not comfortable with it.

We passed through the grasslands and moved our base to the mountains and forests.

By this time, we had become quite accustomed to the fighting, and Raphatalia's movements had improved.

Gathering was going smoothly, and our bags were bulging with the experience points and byproducts obtained from the monsters.

And then it happened.

Until now, we had mostly been dealing with monsters that seemed inanimate, but we finally encountered a monster that resembled an animal.

A brown rabbit?

Usapil.

What a strange name.

"Pyo!?"

The moment Usapil confirmed our presence, it leaped and attacked us with its large front teeth.

"Watch out!"

It seemed to have judged us as weak and targeted Raphatalia.

So I stepped forward to protect her.

Gain! Gain!

It appeared that my defense was still superior.

"Good! Stab it!"

"A... ah..."

"What's wrong?"

"I, I can't... the blood, it's going to come out..."

I understood what Raphatalia, who was flustered, was trying to convey.

"Hold on, we'll have to fight many more enemies like this."

"But..."

Gain! Gain!

The Usapil kept biting me repeatedly.

"Hold on, otherwise I won't be able to take care of you."

That's right. Although she is a valuable slave, she is useless if she can't fight.

Unfortunately, I'll have to sell her to a slave trader and buy a new, capable slave.

"No!"

Raphatalia, with a determined look that was frightening for a child, repeatedly stabbed the Usapil's back with a knife.

Blood spurted out when she pulled it out.

"Ah..."

The Usapil collapsed and rolled to the ground.

Raphatalia, watching its fall, trembled as she looked at the blood on her knife.

Her face turned pale, making me feel uneasy just by looking at her.

However, I couldn't afford to sympathize.

I would have to make her do this hundreds, thousands of times.

"Pyo!"

Another Usapil emerged from the bushes and leaped to bite Raphatalia.

"Ah—"

I quickly stepped between Raphatalia and the Usapil to block the attack.

Gain!

"...I'm sorry. I should be the one doing this, but I can only protect. So I have to make you do it."

With the Usapil biting my arm, I said to Raphatalia.

"I need to become stronger. I need your help for that."

If I don't, there will be no way for me to survive from here on. The deadline is approaching. In a week and a few days, we will encounter the first wave of disasters.

I have no confidence in surviving as things stand.

"...But..."

"In a week and a few days, a wave that threatens the world will come."

"Eh!?"

"Our immediate goal is to become as strong as possible by then."

Raphatalia, trembling, listened to me.

"Will you fight the disaster?"

"Yes, that's my role. I'm not doing it because I want to, but... in that sense, you and I might be similar. It's not right for me to force you, but..."

"..."

"That's why, if possible, I don't want you to do anything that would make me give you up."

Not only would it be a loss to have to train a new one, but I wouldn't want to put her back in that cage.

However, I don't have the money to buy a new slave.

"...I understand. Master, I... will fight."

Raphatalia's pale face gradually regained some color, and she nodded slowly, stabbing the Usapil's vital point with her blood-stained knife.

Somehow, her frightened attitude had turned into one filled with resolve.

She watched the Usapil roll and then closed her eyes quietly.

Then, she stepped forward to begin dismembering it, switching her knife.

"I'll do it. I can't keep making you do it."

"Understood."

I took out a dissection knife and began to dismember the Usapil.

This is reality, not a game.

I wish I could look away from this reality, but I can't.

It was my first time dissecting a living creature, but this is what it takes to survive in this world.

When I felt the Usapil's blood on my hands, I understood Raphatalia's feelings to some extent.

After dismembering both, I let the shield absorb them.

The conditions for the Usaleather Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Usameat Shield have been unlocked.

Usaleather Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, Agility +3

Usameat Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, Dissection Skill +1

I changed the shield and stood up.

"Master, please don't abandon me."

Raphatalia pleaded with me, her face filled with excitement.

She must really not want to go back to that place.

She would scream at night, be sickly, and emaciated.

She might even die. That would be a bad ending.

I want to mock her at the moment of her death, but it wouldn't be practical.

"I won't abandon you if you fulfill your role."

I still need her to be alive.

Still... especially for a creature of the same gender as that woman... that woman!

My head started to spin.

I need to stop this line of thinking. It's unhealthy.

Now is the time to explore ways to become stronger together with the slave.

EXP 7 x 2

"I want to be of help to Master."

After that, Raphatalia attacked the monsters with renewed vigor.

Once, she even tried to attack before I could stop her.

It's a good trend, but something... it feels like I'm rubbing her the wrong way.

What I'm doing is not something to be praised.

It's all for my own selfish reasons.

But... I have no choice but to do it.

That night, we decided to camp in a wide area suitable for resting in the forest, starting a fire with the firewood we had gathered.

I made a stew with the edible herbs we had gathered and the meat of the Usapil.

I roasted the leftover meat by the fire.

We planned to return to town by the next evening, but there was no guarantee that the monster meat would sell.

I was unsure if it was edible, but my appraisal skill indicated that it was.

I confirmed that the meat was safe to eat by tasting a piece. I couldn't tell the flavor, but it was a simple dish.

Thanks to my cooking skill, the quality was slightly above average, so it shouldn't be bad.

"Here, eat."

I let Raphatalia eat the stew and the roasted meat.

"It's delicious!"

Raphatalia, who had been waiting with a growling stomach, started eating with a bright smile.

My level had reached 10, and Raphatalia's level had also reached 10.

She finally caught up to me.

Well, it can't be helped.

I started the alchemy work by the light of the fire.

I needed to save as much money as possible and improve our equipment. I would make the most expensive potions I knew.

Grind, grind, grind

I ground the herbs in the mortar, mixed them, and transferred the extract to a beaker.

A healing potion has been created.

A nutrient potion has been created.

I had already tried most of the recipes I knew.

I was reaching the limits of the Simple Alchemy Recipe 1. These two were miraculous creations made by intuition.

Using the shield's power for makeshift alchemy also had its limits.

The quality was generally slightly poor.

"...Cough"

The effect of the potion must have worn off.

I silently handed her a healing potion, and Raphatalia drank it with a grimace.

In any case, we need to become stronger to find new ways to make money.

"We'll take turns watching the fire. You go to sleep first, and I'll wake you up after a while."

"Understood."

She's unusually obedient. It feels like a world of difference from when we first met.

"Good night."

"Good night. By the way, since we'll be selling it tomorrow, it's better to use the fur as a blanket to sleep."

I gave Raphatalia the fur I had smoked during cooking to drive away mites and fleas.

It was a bit small, but if we layered it, it should be somewhat warm.

"Okay."

Raphatalia sniffed the fur and made a slightly grim face.

"Does it smell smoky?"

"Yes, very smoky."

"Of course."

"But it seems warm."

Raphatalia closed her eyes, leaning against my back.

Well, that's fine.

I continued the alchemy work, adding firewood to the fire until the time when Raphatalia would usually scream.

...Sigh.

I don't know how long I'll have to continue this life.

At least for another week and a few days.

I don't want to think about the possibility of dying, but I need to be prepared.

...It's about time. By the third day, I know when she starts to get restless.

"Mm..."

Raphatalia slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you awake?"

She didn't scream.

Oh, right. She was sleeping with her back to me for warmth.

Even with trauma, it seems to be okay if she sleeps with someone's warmth.

Gurgle...

"...I'm hungry."

She's already hungry after eating so much.

"Okay, okay."

I gave her the leftover roasted meat I had saved for the next morning.

Raphatalia started eating the meat with a satisfied look.

"Then I'll go to sleep now. Wake me up if anything happens."

"Okay!"

She nodded while chewing the meat.

Well, it's good that she's feeling better, but she seems to be turning into a glutton.