“Damn, I actually got shot in the head…”

An arrow had blown out my left eye, taking half my vision with it.

This was bad.

I’m a skeleton, for crying out loud! I can’t regenerate! Even if it doesn’t affect how I move, losing half my vision is still a pain!

“Hngh! (straining)”

“Tch, I can’t move…!”

I tried to twist my head around, but I couldn’t muster any strength at all. Looks like my head was completely immobile in this state.

Even so, I could still control my body and smash that damn skeleton archer from before. In fact, I was probably smashing it right now.

“Clatter, clatter.”

Smack!

A sharp crack came from behind me. I couldn’t see it, but judging by how it felt, I’d slapped its head clean off. A moment later, the skeleton archer’s body hit the ground.

“Paper-chan, was that arrow serious?”

【It’s dangerous, but not serious.】

A cold, mechanical voice sounded in my mind, and a simple 3D model appeared in my field of vision.

【The arrow didn’t pierce all the way through your head. It’s lodged inside. You can pull it out.】

“I see. That’s a relief…”

After my body picked up my head and set it back on my neck, I checked that it was properly attached, then struggled to pull the arrow from my eye socket.

“Ngh…! It’s stuck in really deep! My skull hasn’t cracked, has it?”

【There are no visible cracks, but it has sustained some damage. It can’t be repaired in your current condition.】

“Tch, damn it…”

So I really couldn’t let my guard down. My skeleton body might be immune to most direct damage, but the trade-off was that it couldn’t heal itself…

It was like having a fixed amount of HP: every hit took some away, and healing potions and the like were completely useless.

I couldn’t afford to take so many risks from now on.

“Still, we got something out of this. Have you finished drawing the map of the second basement level?”

【Done. Projecting it into your field of vision now.】

I looked at the new map in my vision and found myself smiling. One bold idea after another began to take shape in my mind.

“Let’s head back and turn in the quest! Then we’ll find somewhere private and learn the skills in those three magic grimoires!”

【Sounds good. One of them might have a skill that can repair the damage to your body.】

Back on the surface, I looked up at the sun, already risen halfway into the sky. It was broad daylight now, and the red and blue moons had vanished completely. Day had reclaimed the world from night.

At 6:32 a.m., I returned to the inn with the longbow and three old magic grimoires I’d brought up from underground.

“Almost a week already…”

That’s right. It had been almost seven days since I’d been reincarnated into this strange world. Things had gone pretty smoothly so far. I’d taken care of money and a place to stay for the time being. Now I needed to gather information on a larger scale and learn more about my abilities.

A skeleton soldier’s body, and the Life-and-Death Spirit…

There were still so many secrets about my body that I didn’t know.

“Oh, right. Is Eileen awake yet?”

I quietly opened the inner room door a crack and looked for the silver-haired girl on the big bed.

Ummmm…

Just like before, she was curled up in a ball, asleep beside the wall.

Like a little cat someone had abandoned.

“And then there’s the matter of Eileen…”

Eileen… She looked so much like Karina. Whenever I was with her, I kept getting the illusion that Karina was still by my side.

Was it fate…?

“Sigh… It feels a little strange, taking care of an underage girl.”

【So you hadn’t thought about what to do with this girl?】

I gave a bitter smile.

“What to do with her…? She’s not garbage. That’s a pretty harsh way to put it…”

【But she is a slave. More importantly, most people consider it perfectly reasonable that she’s a slave.】

“Well…”

I was at a loss for words.

It was true. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Eileen about her status right now, but I also didn’t want her to think of herself as a slave.

After that bastard Necromancer had beaten and abused her, though, the despair in her eyes had been so suffocating that even I could hardly stand it. Like a night without a single star.

There wasn’t a glimmer of hope.

“Eileen… She really does look like Karina. I…”

That’s right. I just wanted to atone…

“I know it’s strange to keep a girl I’ve only known for a few days by my side, but… I still want to take care of her.”

To do what I could never do again.

【You’re just treating her as a replacement.】Paper-chan mercilessly saw right through me.

“That’s not it! I—”

【Do as you like. Just don’t let it interfere with the mission.】

“…I understand. I’ll be careful.”

That’s right. Completing the mission was what mattered most.

I was going to become a god.

Then I could go back to that time, save Karina, and fulfill the promise we made to each other.

“Mmm…”

“Oh, Eileen.”

As I was thinking about all this, Eileen walked out of the room, bleary-eyed, her bedhead sticking up in every direction. She wore a loose-fitting pair of pajamas.

“Ah! Good morning, Mr. Ojer!”

The moment she saw me, she happily hugged me, as if she were always afraid I’d leave.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well, Eileen?”

“Mm-hm! I slept great!”

She broke into a happy smile.

“It’s been so long since I’ve slept this peacefully!”

“Is that so? Good.”

A false smile.

She felt like a completely different person from the Eileen who’d been like a kid with a new toy yesterday…

Like she was putting on an act.

Was it just my imagination…?

“Go wash your face. I’ll order you something to eat. What would you like?”

After thinking it over for a moment, I said with a smile.

“I could make something for you, too. It shouldn’t be hard to borrow Fei’er’s kitchen.”

“Huh?! I can have something as delicious as what you made last time?” Eileen asked, much louder than I expected. Her red eyes widened, sparkling with anticipation.

“Y-Yeah… Of course.”

I was a little startled. She really had raised her voice.

“Then I want grilled fish! And those meatballs you made last time, Master! Oh, right!! That! I want to try cake!”

“Hey, hey, that’s a lot you’re ordering.” I gave a wry smile.

“Ah…!!”

She suddenly shrank back, her expression turning sad.

“I’m sorry… I was being too greedy. Once a month is enough…”

Her eyes were dull and lifeless.

“I…”

I froze for three seconds. A strange ache welled up inside me, but I forced a faint smile and crouched down to pat her head.

“Grilled fish, meatballs, and cake, right? I’ll remember.”

“Huh…?”

I gently pinched her little nose.

“Like I told you before, as long as you behave, I can make you something delicious every day.”

“Really?!”

“Of course. I’m going out for a bit, so don’t go wandering off.”

“Okay! Be careful on the way!”

I acted like everything was normal, closed the door, and stood there for a long time.

……

…

Come to think of it…

I really knew nothing about Eileen…

Her family, her past, what she’d been through.

I knew nothing about any of it.

I’d brought her back on a whim, back then.

Did I really have the right to take care of her…?

Or was this responsibility more than I could handle?

Lost in those thoughts, I felt hollow inside. But when I saw Fei’er busy downstairs, I put on a natural air and greeted her.

“Morning, Fei’er.”

“Oh! Good morning, Mr. Ojer. What would you like for breakfast?”

When she saw me, she flashed a sunny smile, her little canine peeking out.

“Uh, well…” I scratched my cheek through my helmet.

“Do you know anywhere around here that sells strawberry cake?”

“I… I really can eat this?!”

Eileen stared at the tempting food on the table with her big, captivating eyes. She was practically drooling, and she still asked if she was allowed to eat.

“Of course. I made it for you.”

I paused and thought for half a second.

“You helped me a lot yesterday, and you fell asleep without even having dinner. Think of this meal as a reward.”

“Then I-I won’t hold back!!”

“Mm.”

With that, Eileen awkwardly picked up her knife and fork, clearly not used to them, and clumsily tackled the grilled fish. She started out eating like a proper young lady, but soon she was wolfing it down.

Hey, hey… Slow down. Anyone who saw you like this would think I abused you every day and never gave you anything to eat! “All right, slow down, Eileen. No one’s going to steal it.” I gave a wry smile.

“Aren’t you eating, Master?”

Why was she calling me Master again…? Oh, well…

“I…”

“Oh, right! Master’s a skeleton, so you don’t need to eat!”

“…I hate to admit it, but that’s true.”

“It must be hard for you, too, Master!”

She blinked at me, then bent her head and got back to devouring the food.

“Ah…”

So I quietly watched the girl take ages to finish a meal that had even me stunned by how much there was. Then she patted her slightly rounded belly and let out a loud burp.

“Buuuurp~~~”

“Pfft.” I couldn’t help laughing.

“Ngh… I… I was really full… It couldn’t be helped!”

“Sure, sure. Couldn’t be helped. Pfft…”

When she saw me snicker again, Eileen puffed out her cheeks and waved her little fists, looking indignant.

That was when I noticed the cowlick sticking up from her head.

Come to think of it, she’d gone straight to sleep last night without even washing up.

“Eileen, go take a bath.”

“Huh?!”

She cried out, then sniffed herself, her face on the verge of tears.

“Um, do I smell bad…? Did I bring the smell of the garbage heap here with me after all…?”

“Uh… No. You just forgot to wash last night… You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You already smell nice.”

I scratched my head. Looks like what I’d said had given her the wrong idea.

“Mmm, I’ll go wash anyway. I don’t want Big Brother to think I stink.”

With that, the girl hopped down from her chair and ran into the bathroom.

Water splashed and gurgled.

“Um…”

Water droplets fell from the girl’s silver hair onto her fragrant shoulders, trickled down her fair, scar-covered back, slid over her alluring hips, and finally dripped to the floor.

“I’d really prefer you to wash your own hair…”

“Awww—”

The girl complained, kicking her legs beneath the bathwater before turning to look at me.

“My hair’s so long, it reaches my knees! I can’t wash it properly by myself. Bleh, bleh, bleh~~”

She stuck out her little pink tongue and made a face at me, her soft, scar-covered body fully exposed before my eyes.

“Hey! You!”

I hurriedly turned my skull away, but my hands didn’t stop moving.

“Your boobs! I saw them! At least cover them up!! Weren’t you so shy last time?!”

“Back then, I hadn’t realized my big brother was a man! But now that I’m looking at this skeleton, I don’t really feel anything.”

“You little...”

“Mm, but don’t keep staring at me. I know I’m cute, but I’ll get embarrassed if you keep looking~~”

“You know how to get embarrassed, huh...”

“Hehe.”

......

...