(038) Confiding secret
Translator: Tseirp
There weren’t any inns near the Adventurers Guild so we ended up returning to the neighbourhood around the slave dealership.
During that time, Haru remained vigilant to make sure the aristocrat Oregeru wasn’t around with her nose perked up.
There was a high chance that n.o.ble would stay in a high-cla.s.s inn so we looked for a regular inn and stayed there.
It was an inn that looked like it was remodelled from a wooden private house but it was cheap, it only cost us 50 sense for 2 people inclusive of dinner and breakfast. I paid an extra charge of 10 sense for the holding fee. It will be returned to us when we return the key. It’s similar to the coin locker system in public baths but it is apparently a common practice in this world.
A single tub of hot water is free of charge but I’ll have to pay for the second tub. A tub of hot water cost 1 sense. For light, it seemed that a single candle was free of charge so I made do with one candle.
I had them deliver it to the room later. I paid for it in advance. There was a tip-free label in front of the shop so there weren’t any other costs for the time being.
Won’t I be able to make hot water by pouring water into a bucket and casting 「Pet.i.te Fire」 into it? I thought for a bit but it would be a disaster if I caused a fire. If I experiment and find that I can accurately aim into the bucket a 100 times out of a 100 and that any type of bucket could be used to make hot water that way, then I would no longer need to borrow hot water anymore.
The room prepared for us was on the second floor so Haru and I headed toward it. It’s good that I requested for a room with twin beds. It certainly had 2 beds.
However, because the room was narrow, the beds were completely stuck together so it was no different from a double bed.
Well, it’s more convenient for me this way.
However, Haru’s complexion was dark.
I guess she was still thinking about that n.o.ble after all.
At this time, after postponing the question until now, I felt like asking Haru the reason why she became a slave as well as the circ.u.mstances that made that young master interested in her.
That’s why …
“Haru, I’m going to speak! Please listen!”
I declared.
Then, I sat on the edge of the bed. It was a stiff bed, practically lacking any kind of cushioning.
Haru wanted to listen while standing but I urged her to sit beside me so we sat side by side.
“Haru, I believe I’ve said that I’m from the otherworld, a j.a.panese. j.a.pan is a country in a world where n.o.body can use magic. In j.a.pan, there are practically no monsters that will attack people. Well, there are animals similar to brown bears. Because of that, technologies based on science and technology like moving equipment using power from combustion or from harnessing lightning were developed. Without using magic, we had iron ships that flew in the skies, we were able to obtain information from around the world instantaneously at home, … ”
I took out the smartphone that most likely no longer work from my item bag.
“This could allow me to talk to anybody from around the world.” I proudly showed it to her.
Time is apparently paused within the item bag so the clock showed the exact time I came to this world but in exchange, the battery wasn’t reduced in the slightest.
I launched the camera app and tried taking Haru’s photo.
There seems to be a magic tool that stores images in this world as well but Haru could be said to be exaggeratedly shocked by the existence of the smartphone that could do so without magic.
After I finished using it, I kept it back in the magic bag. There’s a chance I might need to use it again for something else.
“It’s a world where a person can float in the sky or go to the moon.”
“They’ve been to the moon!? Master as well!?”
Haru was shocked by my claim that we could reach the moon.
“No, only chosen individuals can go to the moon, it’s a dream within a dream for a regular person like me. Yeah, I was a regular person. My parents pa.s.sed away at a young age and I lived with my younger sister but I could not get hired for a job anywhere. Then, I died in an accident and met the G.o.ddess. I’ve told Haru about my blessing but … Haru, please look at my job.”
I wished for Haru to see my status. (TL: Remember, you need to be a party member and the person have to allow the other person to view their status.)
“Could you see it like that?”
“I’ll try. Status open‧Ichinojo. Yes, I can see … eh?”
Haru saw my job and was lost for words.
“Haru, can you see what is in my job field?”
” … No, there’s nothing displayed. The job column is blank. Moreover, your status is extremely high. There’s the 「Skill Maniac」 t.i.tle so I understand that you have organized your skills but is it capable of hiding your job as well?”
I see … so Haru sees it like that.
Jobless … without a job.
In other words, a job that can never be seen by others huh.
“My job is Jobless. Jobless Lv62.”
“Jobless … the state when a person is just born and do not have any job? But if I’m not mistaken, Jobless should not give any status growth and you won’t be able to acquire any skills.”
“That’s only until Lv19. You’re able to learn skills from Lv20 onward. Furthermore, they are pretty amazing skills. This is the secret to my strength. According to the G.o.ddess-sama, originally, this shouldn’t be possible. She asked me to keep quiet about it except to those precious to me.”
“Other than people precious to you …”
“Yeah, I consider Haru as someone precious to me. Which is why I only plan to tell it to Haru. It’s tough for the person who shoulders the worry alone as well as the person who is kept in the dark right? Of course, I do believe that there are some things that are better kept as secrets so I’m not saying that we should unconditionally tell each other everything.”
Just as I was talking, there was a knock on the door.
Seems like the inn employee brought the hot water.
I opened the door and received the 2 tubs of hot water.
It was getting dark outside so I lighted the candle in the lamp as well.
“Haru, could you wipe my back?”
“Yes, master.”
I took off my shirt and remained naked from waist up.
Then, I pa.s.sed Haru the towel I purchased from Margaret-san’s shop and sat on the floor with my back facing her.
I heard the sound of her soaking her hand in the hot water and the sound of a towel getting wrung before I felt the towel on my back.
Haru wiped my back in silence for awhile before she began to speak.
“Master … in this world, once, heroes fought with demon lords, no, hume fought with demons.”
“Yeah … Demon Lord Familia was it?”
“Demon Lord Familis‧Raritei.”
Oh yeah, that was the name.
I had totally forgotten.
“The white wolf race takes pride in obeying the strong. In the past, during that war, the white wolf race was split into 2 factions. One side felt that, instead of serving the demons, it was better to follow the hero that appeared 13 years ago and they fought against the demons. Whereas, the other side … idolised the demon lord’s strength and served the demon lord.”
Then, Haru once again washed the towel, wrung it and spoke.
“My father was the latter.”
That means … now that I think about it, Haru mentioned that her parents served the court in the royal palace.
In other words, the place Haru was at was the demon lord’s castle?
” … For the sin of serving under the Demon Lord Familis-sama, my father was executed. Then, 1 year ago, after an extended trial, it was decided that my mother was to be sentenced to life imprisonment and I was to be converted into a slave.”
“I see …”
“I heard that I was purchased by Matthias-sama out of the consideration of the heroes … I would have been treated poorly if I was sold to another country as a slave … Then, I met Oregeru-sama 2 months after I became a slave.”
Oregeru is the eldest son of a baron house in this country and under his father’s command, he was in the midst of a journey to clear the beginner’s labyrinth across the land as training to raise his strength.
“I was rented by them to act as their guide for the beginner’s labyrinth. Because I had coincidentally just travelled to the beginner’s labyrinth together with other adventurers previously.”
Haru mentioned that nothing significant happened after that.
Escorting them as usual, Haru and Sebastan led the capture of the labyrinth and they presented a prayer to the G.o.ddess statue.
Incidentally, the item bestowed upon Oregeru at that time was not a skill but a sponge.
As expected of Koshmar-sama, she can read the atmosphere.
“Oregeru-sama only announced that he wanted to redeem me after that. I declined then but he left saying that he would come again 10 months later when my freedom to choose ends. From then on, the adventurers found out that Oregeru-sama wishes to redeem me so none of them tried to rent me. They most likely feared that he would do something if something happened to me. Since Oregeru-sama’s father and Oregeru himself provides a lot of support to the Adventurers Guild.”
” … I see, that sounds very tough.”
“Erm, what does master think of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I served the demon lord-sama. Although it was when I was a child, I still served with all my heart. To be honest, it is second to master but I still revere demon lord-sama even now … is master sure that you want a person like me to serve you?”
… So that was what was troubling Haru huh.
“Hmm, I may say this because I’ve never experienced any harm from the demon lord but … it doesn’t really matter? Rather, I would hate those who badmouth their benefactor solely because the public hate their benefactor.”
The hand wiping my back stopped … and I heard sniffling.
” … Haru?”
” … No, it’s nothing … but, I feel blessed. I’m really happy to be able to serve master.”
My back felt slightly tingly from Haru’s feelings that were transmitted through my back.
Which was why, having Haru rub my back felt really good.
Then, not only my back, Haru also wiped my chest, abdomen, and armpit.
At that time, her eyes were red and swollen but an extremely charming smile was on her face.
Then …
“Well then, shall I wipe Haru’s back next?”
“Eh? Um, I can do it myself …”
“I can’t?”
“If it’s alright with master then …”
Haru turned her back toward me, took off her top and held her hair up.
Extremely beautiful fair skin was illuminated by the candle light.
Well then, I shall enjoy wiping her back.
I wonder if she will let me wipe her front later. I’ll look forward to that for now.