And then silence fell between us again.
Splash, splash.
The sound of water striking her body and the rasp of my finger bones sliding through her long hair echoed through the bathroom.
“Hmm-hmm~~~ Hmm~~~”
Eileen began humming a song, while I silently looked at the many scars covering her petite body.
“...”
Knife cuts, whip marks, bite marks, and bruises from blunt blows.
They stood out even more after she took off her clothes.
Without thinking, I reached out and touched one.
“Ah...!”
She suddenly cried out in pain.
“I’m sorry!!” I hurriedly pulled my hand back.
“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. I didn’t mind.”
“...Is that so?”
“Mm-hm.”
......
...
“Does it hurt?” I asked softly.
“It’s okay! I’m used to it!”
“I see...”
“Mm-hm!”
The girl seemed completely unbothered.
But I knew
she was only pretending.
People thought she was a half-elf, and the scars covering her body kept reminding me of that.
So of course, this was what happened to her.
This was the price of being branded a harbinger of disaster: no rights, beaten and spat on by others.
What a cruel reality.
I had to find the right moment to tell her about her true bloodline.
......
...
A little while later.
“This...”
The ends of her hair had been forcibly torn off.
There was a wound on her head too, though it had already healed.
This wound...
Had someone hit her on the head with something...?
But it had healed already. It should be fine, right?
“I’m going to pour it now.” I lifted the basin.
“Close your eyes.”
“Okay!”
The water splashed and sloshed.
“Ooooooh~~~ It’s so cold!”
“Can’t help it. The water’s gone cold.”
“Are we done washing?”
“Not yet. We still have to dry your hair, and then we can comb it.”
“I see.”
“Mm-hm.”
......
...
“Hey.” She suddenly spoke up.
“Hm?”
“When you see this scarred-up body of mine, don’t you feel disgusted?”
She said it with a smile.
My heart gave a start.
“Why would you think that...?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m filthy!”
“Huh...?”
Still smiling, she pointed to several shallow scars on her back that ran a long way across her skin.
“A dog did those.”
“This one’s from when someone hit me with a bottle while I was begging.” She pointed to her head.
“And these were from those so-called ‘companions’ of mine kicking me. They said I was lazy because I couldn’t carry something even half my weight.”
The girl stood up and faced me, pointing to her belly, which was covered in bruises.
A pained smile crossed her face.
“After seeing all that, you still don’t feel disgusted? Don’t you think I’m dirty?”
“I...”
To be honest, I’d seen plenty of things like this in my previous life.
Slaves being sold.
Children beaten and cursed at so others could take out their anger on them.
Refugees on the verge of starving to death, too weak even to glare with resentment.
I’d thought I’d seen hell.
But seeing it up close...
This was the first time...
......
I was shaken.
I didn’t know what to say—or, rather, I didn’t know what I could say to comfort her.
“Hey, Eileen.”
“Hm?”
“Weren’t you scared when those people hit you?”
“I was.”
She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Then why didn’t you run away?”
“Because I had nowhere to go. Even if I ran somewhere else, someone else would hit me for some other reason. So running away would’ve been pointless.”
“I see...”
“Yeah.”
......
...
She was still smiling.
A smile I couldn’t understand.
Was she pretending?
.......
No...
Was I hoping she was pretending?
......
...
I was starting to act strangely.
Had she gotten to me?
“Pity” was such an easy feeling to take advantage of.
Was I going to become a hypocrite?
......
...
“You’re really good at this, Big Brother!”
She sat beside me on the bed, wearing a simple dress, while I combed her long, silver-white hair.
“Yeah.”
“Why are you so good at it? Have you done this lots of times before, Big Brother?!”
“...The way you put that makes it sound pretty suspicious, you know. And it wasn’t that many times, just...”
Karina...
“Just?” She tilted her head slightly toward me, looking curious.
I patted her on the head.
“No, never mind. Don’t move around. It’ll hurt if I pull your hair out.”
“Oh, okay.”
......
...
“Hey, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Hm?”
Just as I was almost done combing her hair, she suddenly turned to look at me.
She wore a smile whose meaning I couldn’t read.
“Doesn’t it bother you? This cheap body of mine.”
“...”
How was I supposed to answer her?
“No, I think you’re pretty cute.” — That would be a total brush-off.
“You’re so soft and squishy. I kind of want to lick you.” — She’d kick me for sure! Besides, I don’t even have a tongue!
“...Can I touch them?” — That was just perverted! It was outright sexual harassment!
What a pain...
“Can’t think of an answer? Or do you just not know what to say without hurting my feelings?”
She lowered her head a little, wearing an expression that said, “Ah, I knew it.”
“You’re a really kind person, Big Brother...”
There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“No, that’s not what you think.”
“Huh?”
I took hold of her arm.
“I was just trying to figure out how to answer you.”
I sighed.
“The thing is, I don’t feel anything at all about these scars...”
......
...
“...Huh?”
She looked at me in disbelief.
“What’s that supposed to mean...?”
I shrugged.
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve seen worse than this, and more than once.”
“Ugh... What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m trying my best to live, you know!”
She pouted in annoyance and turned her puffed-up cheeks away from me.
“Well, that may be true.” I patted her head and smiled.
“But you’re not alone anymore.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and she sat bolt upright.
Her red pupils began to tremble.
How was I supposed to explain what “you’re not alone” meant?
A companion.
A friend.
A lover.
Someone you could laugh and joke with.
Someone you could live with.
......
And someone you could entrust your whole life to.
Family.
“W-what do you mean?” She looked away from me.
“I mean exactly what I said. You’re not alone anymore. I’ll take care of you. I’ll wake you up and make you food.”
I laid a hand on the scars on her back.
“And if something like this happens again, just call out.”
“Call out for Ojer. Call my name.”
I placed her hand against my breastbone.
“I’ll come save you.”
“No matter where you are.”
In the girl’s misty eyes, a skull wreathed in red ghost-flame was reflected.
“I’ll come save you.”
......
...
“Really?” she asked in a tiny voice, as if she couldn’t believe it.
“Yeah. Really.”
“Really, really?”
“Mm-hm.”
“...Then if I’m far away and call for you, will you hear me?”
“Hmm, somewhere far away...”
I rested my chin on my hand and thought for a moment. Then I placed my right hand over my chest, where my heart would be, took her little hand in my left, and bowed my head slightly.
“Then I’ll put on my most dashing outfit, ride in the most magnificent carriage the world has ever seen, descend from the heavens, cut down every villain who tries to defile you, and rescue you, my princess.”
I imitated the way the knights I’d seen on TV swore oaths to princesses, using the same tone you’d use to comfort a young girl after a nightmare.
“So from now on, you don’t have to bear everything alone. I’ll be by your side, sharing your pain, protecting you, and comforting you.”
“Forever.”
......
...
“Pfft.”
She laughed softly, a lovely sound, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
“Hahahaha! What was with all that seriousness? Big Brother, you sounded just like the knight hero in that theater play I saw once!”
“...Did I...?”
I felt a little embarrassed.
“Your face is red too, Eileen.”
“Huh?!”
She clapped both hands over her face in a panic, then quickly turned away so I couldn’t see her.
Kids are so easy to read~~
She secretly wiped her tears, then turned back. She gazed up at me, her eyes as gentle as water, ripples circling through their crimson depths.
“But I’m so happy. At first, I thought you were scary, but you’re different from everyone else. You think about me, and you really listen to what I say. I’m glad I met you...”
She stopped halfway through, looking at me with a gentle, sweet smile.
—“Even if all that stuff you just said was a lie.” That was what she wanted to say.
I could tell.
But it didn’t matter.
I needed her to trust me completely. And the best time to tell her the truth would be after I uncovered the truth about the fairy race.
I didn’t want to lose her because I’d acted carelessly.
Even if that trust was false.
“Ojer!!”
“Hm? What is it?”
Eileen blinked her lovely, adorable eyes and smiled, looking completely satisfied.
“Nothing! I just wanted to call your name!”
“You silly girl.”
“Hehe...”
But as she sat on the bed, she tugged at my sleeve and put on an adorably clueless expression.
“Big Brother! I’m hungry again!”
“...”
I clutched my head and sighed. I was just about to refuse, but her adorable face made it hard to say no.
“...Just how much can you eat...?”
“I see... Eating a lot of food can speed up your magic recovery. No wonder Eileen ate so much today...”
11:20 a.m., Saileda Adventurers' Guild.
Behind the counter, Aierfu asked me with interest.
“That girl who was hiding from me last time? How much did she eat?”
“Four whole bowls. I still can’t figure out how someone that small could fit so much food inside her.”
I spread my hands to show roughly how big a bowl was. Aierfu stuck out her tongue, rested her cheek on her right hand, and smiled charmingly.
“There aren’t many people these days who treat half-elves as well as you do, Mr. Ojer.”
“You’re a good person.”
“Well...”
I scratched my head.
“By the way, how can you tell half-elves and elves apart?”
It had been on my mind for a while. They both had long, pointed ears, so how could anyone tell at a glance that Eileen was a half-elf?
“Oh, right. This is your first time in this country, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t know.”
As she spoke, Aierfu gave me a service-ready smile and pointed to her beautiful golden hair.
“Hair color. The elves of this country can’t have silver hair, while silver is a fairly common hair color among half-elves. That’s why I said she was a half-elf.”
“Ohhh~~”
I leaned back in a tactical retreat, looking as if I’d just had a sudden realization.
“I see. I’ve learned something new.”
“My pleasure. By the way, would you like to continue your current quest, or claim your reward and end it here?”
She held up five fingers with a smile, indicating that I could claim five gold coins for the quest’s current progress.
But the third floor...
“Keep going. Sorry to trouble you.”
My choice had clearly caught her off guard. Aierfu’s pupils shrank, and her slender fingers froze in midair.
“Ah... All right, I understand. Please be sure to stay safe.”
“Mm. Thanks.”
With that, I swept my black cloak behind me and turned to leave through the gate. I didn’t see Aierfu let out a soft sigh behind me, the corners of her lips curving into a captivating smile.
And in those sky-blue eyes...
A flash of crimson vanished in an instant.
“Phew. There shouldn’t be anyone around here, right?”
Two in the afternoon. A kilometer east of Myriad Bones Wasteland, in some nameless nook of the Monster Forest.
【No humanoid life forms detected within a 200-meter radius. You may begin studying the spellbook.】
“Oh!”
I hurriedly pulled out the three spellbooks I’d snatched from the secret room on the second underground floor. I picked one at random and carefully began flipping through it.
Normally, I wouldn’t need to find somewhere this deserted. It was just...
“Just as I thought—it’s necromancy... Paper-chan, I’m counting on you.”
【Understood.】
The cold, mechanical voice replied, then began using my mental energy to seep into this spellbook I couldn’t let anyone see.
【Importing....】
【Calculating energy release... Success】
【Charging mana... Success】
【Imprinting with mental energy... Success】
【Exporting...】
【Ding-dong】
【You have successfully learned [Bone Synthesis]】
“Huh?!”
I watched an icon of a cross made from a Big Bone shrink down to the bottom of my field of vision. At the same time, I felt something new appear in my mind, and excitement bubbled up inside me.
“What kind of skill is this?! Paper-chan!!”
Bone Synthesis! It sounded like a skill that let you build things out of bones, like Lego bricks!!
【Let’s study the other two books first. Then we can think about how to use them.】
“Oh, yeah! Good point!”
So it helped me learn the second skill the same way.
“Bone Transformation...? Is this like a skeleton version of Optimus Prime?”
【Let’s check out the third one first. This one’s interesting.】
“Huh? How so?”
【Importing....】
【Calculating energy release... Success】
【Charging mana... Success】
【Imprinting with mental energy... Success】
【Exporting...】
【Ding-dong】
【You have successfully learned [Low-Level Undead Control]】
I froze for a moment.
“Low-Level Undead Control...?”
I can control undead now..?
【That’s right. Low-Level Undead Control lets you control undead to a certain extent. In short, it’s】
【Corpse Manipulation】
P.S.: “Wait a second... I’m undead too. Does that mean I can control myself?”
【Why don’t you try it?】
“Forget it... It feels kind of weird...”
【Fair enough. After all...】
【I F U C K M Y S E L F】
【You absolute lunatic. My opinion of your limits has dropped yet again.】
【...】
