TN: The author wrote character summaries as of the end of volume one. I haven"t translated the whole thing since it"s largely a rehash of what"s already been covered, but we did get to see everybody"s stats:
Flamm Apricot
Attribute: Inverse
Strength: 0
Magical power: 0
Vitality: 0
Dexterity: 0
Perception: 0
Milkit:
Attribute: Darkness
Strength: 11
Magical power: 8
Vitality: 9
Dexterity: 6
Perception: 15
Jean:
Attribute: Nature
Strength: 994
Magical power: 8809
Vitality: 678
Agility: 1087
Perception: 2886
Eterna:
Attribute: Water
Strength: 668
Magical power: 10005
Vitality: 525
Agility: 564
Perception: 2898
Gadio:
Attribute: Earth
Strength: 7385
Magical power: 821
Vitality: 7261
Dexterity: 2136
Perception: 1341
Linus:
Attribute: Wind
Strength: 3581
Magical power: 1063
Vitality: 3891
Dexterity: 8854
Perception: 2876
Maria:
Attribute: Light
Strength: 1857
Magical power: 6680
Vitality: 2279
Dexterity: 1136
Perception: 4278
Cyrille:
Attribute: Hero
Strength: 6899
Magical power: 6250
Vitality: 6887
Dexterity: 6716
Perception: 6529
Overall, with Flamm"s current gear she is well above an untrained person like Milkit but well below the Hero"s companions on raw stats. Kind of amazing she survived tagging along with them when she was at zeroes all around. Also, Cyrille is more of an all-rounder than a total dominating powerhouse like the Hero can be in other stories.
If you visit you can also see some fan art of Flamm.
◇ ◇ ◇
Flamm and Milkit went shopping in the Central Ward, as they had discussed the previous day. Flamm changed from her shabby clothes into a simple combination of shirt and hot pants. Compared to before, her appearance was much improved. Milkit was standing in a dressing room. The outfit that she had put on was…
“Is this really OK?” Flamm asked.
“I should be the one asking that. Buying such expensive clothes.”
“The money isn"t a problem thanks to the Anzu. It"s just…”
Milkit was wearing black serving clothes decorated with frilly lace around the skirt and chest. While labeled as a maid"s outfit, it seemed difficult to wear it and perform a maid"s duties, so it might instead be something meant for a person with a particular hobby. The overall impression provided quite a contrast with the bandage covering Milkit"s face.
“These were the clothes I saw the most often, so I thought that I wanted to wear them someday.”
When Flamm had asked Milkit if she had clothes she wanted to wear, this was what she chose. Even if it was not a strong desire and more of a vague, thin longing, Flamm still wanted to support Milkit"s choice.
“Well, it certainly looks cute.”
“I think so. It"s a nice design, right?”
“It"s not just that. It suits you and you look cute. Shop clerk!”
Milkit blushed as Flamm said something embarra.s.sing. However, Flamm didn"t notice as she was focused on getting the attention of the pretty female clerk who was standing a little ways away.
The clerk came over. An ugly expression crossed her face as her gaze pa.s.sed over the slave brand, but she immediately schooled her features into a neutral mask. It wasn"t because she was a good person, but because she had already exchanged words with Flamm when they entered the store.
At that time, her reaction was more blatant. Even so, it was far from as bad as the treatment Flamm had received in the guild. Flamm was also growing used to handling such situations. She would have to, as the mark of her slavery would not be going away any time soon.
Flamm finished paying and the two of them left the store. A girl in a maid dress with a bandage covering her face and a slave girl with a b.l.o.o.d.y glove hanging from her waist slipped into the shopping crowds. They made for quite a sight. However, the main street in the Central Ward was crowded with shoppers and tourists from outside. Not as a result of a special holidays or festival, but just as the result of an ordinary day. In such circ.u.mstances, no matter how unusual two people were, they would soon vanish into the crowd. Flamm had to take a firm grasp on Milkit"s hand to make sure that they wouldn"t be separated.
The two of them had many things to buy. They were two people who had nothing starting their lives from scratch. Even if they brought home armfuls of luggage, they wouldn"t be able to get everything they needed for daily life in one trip. For the moment, they focused on buying the things they needed immediately.
The most urgent thing was to get clothes, which they did first. After that they went to purchase shoes, toothbrushes, and bathing supplies. Flamm also wanted a backpack she could use as an adventurer and needed to save enough to purchase the evening meal.
She had enough money for that much, at least. While they had a financial margin, they had no time to spare. Over and over, they entered a shop, quickly picked up the item they needed, and bought it. It was a busy day, but it was a valuable experience for Milkit who had never been shopping before.
“Thank you!”
The two of them were sent off with a rare polite farewell from a slave working in the shop. They split their purchases between them and held hands as they walked on to the main street.
“Buying things is fun, isn"t it?” Flamm asked.
“Yes. Although I made some big mistakes with things I hadn"t seen before,” Milkit said.
“When I saw you wanted to buy such high-cla.s.s tableware that it would clear out all of our savings, I was worried.”
“Ah, sorry, I did not read the price.”
Milkit looked embarra.s.sed. Seeing such a thing, Flamm brought the two of them to a stop. Looking up, she saw a sign she had been searching for hanging over a nearby store.
“Master?”
“Can I take a break?”
“Yes, of course.”
Flamm had found the largest bookstore in the capital. As they pa.s.sed through the entrance of the shop, they saw a copy of Origin"s scripture on display.
In the history of the kingdom it was the church that always possessed the greatest number of books. In addition, education for children was often conducted in the church. Thus, printing technology developed in connection with the church"s needs. Even now, the church had a close relationship with the printing companies and book stores in the kingdom.
Even this shop had a sign that included a symbol of the G.o.d Origin. However, this was not because the store was connected to the church, but rather because the scripture was a top selling item.
Flamm and Milkit were not part of any religion. Flamm led them past the scriptures and toward a bookshelf on the far wall, relying on a guide map posted on a nearby pillar.
“Master reads books?”
“Oh, it"s not for me,” Flamm said.
She pulled a book out from the bookshelf and checked its cover while Milkit looked on in confusion.
“Then who is it for?”
“I said I would teach you how to read and write. Since I got enough money for it earlier than I expected,” Flamm said, “I thought we should start as soon as possible.”
“You were serious?”
“Did you think I was joking?”
“I never thought that an unlucky slave like me would ever learn how to read.”
Flamm had gotten used to Milkit"s att.i.tude. Rather than confront her directly, she intended to work around the edges. She wanted to grow Milkit"s confidence so that she would naturally stop using such words.
“Does Master want me to be independent?”
“I have not thought so far ahead,” Flamm admitted.
“But you have the ability to live alone, with your knowledge and experience.”
Milkit sounded uneasy. Flamm, understanding her feelings, adopted a self-deprecating tone.
“Even if I seem confident, I"m not sure at all that I could live by myself.”
“You said something like that before.”
“Don"t you trust me?”
“I don"t know what trust is, really, but I think that I will be with Master as long as possible.”
Flamm laughed. “Well, you might say about a trustworthy person, since I trust them, I want to stay by their side.”
“This is trust…”
Milkit patted her chest as she tried to feel out the shape of her emotions. Sometimes when talking to Flamm, she would feel her chest tighten. Just knowing that the name of that feeling was “trust” didn"t mean that her fear of betrayal and loss just disappeared. However, she did feel a burden lift from her shoulders.
Flamm finished picking out the book she wanted and bought it. It was a reference book for children that seemed just right for teaching Milkit. The book itself was not cheap. Milkit was surprised at the cost, but Flamm paid for it before she could protest.
◇ ◇ ◇
By the end of the day, the two of them had bought so many things that their hands were completely full carrying their purchases. Thus, it wasn"t possible for them to hold hands. Fortunately, as they got closer to the West Ward the crowds began to thin out so they didn"t have to worry about being separated.
“You spent a lot of money on me,” Milkit said. She seemed to feel bad that more money was spent on her behalf than on Flamm"s.
“Don"t worry about it. Your happiness is my happiness.”
“I don"t understand.”
“When I think that I"ve made somebody happy, I can be happy too.
“I still don"t understand.”
Milkit had never experienced the idea of becoming happy by helping others. Her earlier masters sometimes treated her gently. However, it was never with good intentions. Instead, it was only to build her up so that she could be torn down. That sort of thing was much more painful than simple violent abuse, and often drove slaves to suicide while their owners laughed.
After Milkit experienced such things over and over again, her emotions gradually grew numb. It was a matter of self-defense. Perhaps Flamm wouldn"t betray her. Still, it was hard for Milkit to accept that Flamm solely wished for her to be happy.
“Well, you should get used to it little by little, then I think you will understand,” Flamm said.
“Can you wait until I get used to it?”
“Eh, no.”
Flamm gave her a full smile. Milkit felt her chest tighten again. But, Milkit still had not noticed why Flamm did not want to wait. She would only realize later.
The two of them were distracted from their conversation when a man shouted out behind them.
“Stop, thief!”
There was a tinge of desperation in his voice. As he yelled, two men raced past Milkit and Flamm.
“Those two?”
Flamm recognized them. They were adventurers who had been drinking with Dain when she first visited the guild.
“Master, the bag they have – isn"t it a luxury item?”
“Certainly, it"s not something those two would buy,” Flamm said. “I guess I"ll be away for a bit. Milkit, watch our things.”
“Yes.”
Flamm set down the bags she had in her hands and lowered her posture before taking off running after the two men. As she ran, she took the glove hanging from her waist and pulled it on. It didn"t do anything to make her faster, but it wouldn"t hurt to increase her strength.
Judging from the speed of the two men, they were D rank adventurers. They weren"t fast enough to escape from Flamm with her stats raised from the Soul Eating Zwei Hander. One of the men looked over his shoulder before cursing.
“d.a.m.n, it"s that slave woman!”
Realizing that they were too slow to get away cleanly, the two of them split up from each other. Flamm had no choice but to give up on one. After a brief moment of hesitation, she went after the one with the bag.
She caught up with him in second. After rushing by, she planted herself in front of him and raised her fists. The man pulled out a dagger at the same that he prepared a spell.
“Fireball!”
The spell was low level. It traveled slowly and its power was low. Flamm avoided it by tilting her body. The man rushed in with his dagger, likely intending to use the fireball as a decoy.
It was no use against Flamm. The dagger seemed to be stabbing forward in slow motion. Flamm simply grabbed his wrist and held it tightly. She felt a dull crack through her gauntlet.
“Aaaaah!”
The man screamed in pain as his wrist bent in the wrong direction. When Flamm let go he dropped the dagger and fell to the ground. It seemed the effect of increasing her strength was greater than she expected.
“Oh, oh, it hurts … help me!”
“Do you really expect sympathy?”
Flamm barely spared a glance for the man cradling his broken wrist in agony before reclaiming the stolen bag. She turned to head back to the rightful owner, but stopped in her tracks when she heard a crash from the direction the other man had fled. At the same time, she heard a voice cry out.
“Animals!”
Flamm had thought that she was alone in chasing the thieves. Now, peering in the direction of the noise that she heard, she saw a figure come into view, dragging the other thief behind her by his neck.
Surprisingly, the figure was a little girl who looked about ten years old. Her golden blonde hair falling down over her clean white robe was the picture of innocence, contrasting strongly with the enormous mace carried over her shoulder. The girl was short, and gave the impression of a small child playing with her toys. However, the man she was dragging behind her had clearly been beaten into submission with a blunt instrument.
Undeniably, her power was for real.
“Origin nun…”
There were no other women in the kingdom quite like them. Maria, a member of the Hero"s party, had dressed in a similar fashion, and had also been surprisingly effective in melee fights. Most people who pictured Origin nuns thought of gentle women who healed with recovery magic, but the church also taught them fighting techniques so they could destroy demons.
This girl had a sleepy expression on her face as she approached Flamm.
“Mm, this guy"s been captured too?” she said, before giggling. “Thank you very much.”