Chapter 1: The Village of Melte
On that day, Luna Maria was summoned to Sora’s room for a magic lesson.
There are different types of magic, and Sora wanted to learn offensive magic involving earth, water, fire, and wind. These were techniques practiced by “mages” like Miroslav.
After leaving the academy of sages, Luna Maria became highly skilled in magic and, as a sage, was qualified to teach it to others.
However, Luna Maria didn’t use offensive magic herself. Offensive magic and spiritual magic were extremely incompatible.
When casting a magical attack, mana, the magical power consumed, was drawn from the natural power that fills the world. Mana and spirits were closely related.
For instance, the Salamander Luna Maria often used to heat the bath was a concentration of mana with a heart and form. Offensive magic that consumed such mana would be incompatible, making it practically impossible to balance offensive magic and spiritual magic.
In this sense, teaching magic to Sora, with the dragon feared by the spirits within him, was not feasible.
But there was another issue: Sora didn’t use mana but his own magical power called Od. Luna Maria explained this to him.
“Generally, the magic you use with Od is much less powerful than magic used with mana. Moreover, since you use your own magical power directly, it depletes more quickly. Therefore, unless you have a substantial amount of it, mages don’t use Od. The only advantage is that the incantation is less difficult.”
One of the essential abilities of mages was the quick and large-scale gathering of mana. Skilled mages excelled in this ability, like Miroslav.
With a bitter smile, Luna Maria continued.
“That’s why the spirits I have a contract with hate Miro.”
“Is that so? Hm? In that case, what do they think of me?”
“Well… it feels like you’re surrounded by an elusive atmosphere with a fearsome shadow watching.”
Luna Maria added, illustrating with an image of frightened children.
Initially, the spirits had a stronger aversion, but now their interaction with Sora had become somewhat smoother.
Perhaps it was due to a change in the contractor’s emotions, Luna Maria thought internally, unaware of her own state. Sora continued speaking.
“Hmm. Well, it’s only natural to treat amateurs as amateurs. Don’t worry, I won’t use the collar for something like this.”
Saying that, Sora glanced at Luna Maria’s slave collar. If he were to activate the collar that contained the magic of “Asphyxiation” and “Paralysis,” he could harm her.
However, Sora had no intention of doing so.
On the one hand, he simply agreed with Luna Maria.
But not only that, he also had the purpose of showing a positive attitude and gaining the slave’s sympathy.
The efficiency of devouring souls also depended on the emotions of the provider. Sora learned this from his experience with Miroslav. Opponents who displayed a fighting spirit were easier to devour, but the opposite was true as well. The more resistance or increasing rejection the opponent showed, the less efficient it became to devour their soul.
Devouring the soul itself was not impossible, but the more one pressed, the more energy was consumed. Regardless of a one-time opponent, considering opponents whose souls were devoured continuously, the number of consumed souls increased.
Indeed, when Miroslav was taken prisoner, there was a clear difference in the number of consumed souls between the first and second halves. In the second half—meaning the quantity increased when Miroslav stopped her resistance.
Compared to Miroslav in the second half, I found Luna Maria’s soul much more efficient to devour. In Luna Maria’s case, this may have been the result of her determination to follow Sora from the beginning. Rebelling against an opponent like Sora would be foolish.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the room.
When Sora gave his consent, a beast girl and a Kijin calmly entered. It had been a few days since they moved into the spacious mansion provided by the slave association. Apparently, the two of them were still not accustomed to living there.
They politely bowed to Sora. Seal’s appearance remained the same, but Suzume’s appearance had changed significantly. Instead of the leaf clothes she used to wear, she now wore a black one-piece dress. This change was due to Seal.
https://i.postimg.cc/8N8bfPyg/5.jpg
When Sora returned to Ishka with Suzume, Seal expressed her indignation at the leaf clothes, saying, “It’s unforgivable for such a cute girl to wear something like that!” So she quickly prepared the dress, shoes, and hat. Luna Maria said it was because Seal understood Suzume, having siblings herself.
Since then, Seal had been quietly supporting Suzume, who was not accustomed to city life. There was no hatred or wariness toward the Kijin.
300 years ago, beastmen had fought against the Kijin and humans. But for Seal, that was like a fairy tale. She held no resentment, and even if she did, there would be no reason to direct it toward Suzume.
If we talk about past races, humans and beastmen are at odds with each other. Some people disliked beastmen, saying, “They’re just a mix of humans and beasts.” In some countries and territories, there was discrimination and suppression against beastmen and other sub-species.
If asked who they should be more cautious of between the Kijin and humans, most beastmen would choose the latter.
Speaking of which, I think she was also distrustful at as her master at first.
——————————————————————
Suddenly, Seal recalled the past. Although it had only been three months since she was purchased by Sora, the memories that came to her mind seemed distant.
Seal was born on the western border of the Adastera Empire in a village near the border with the Kingdom of Canaria.
She was 15 years old and the eldest daughter among six siblings, living peaceful and quiet days with her parents.
Her family life completely changed when her father, a hunter, was attacked by monsters in the mountains. Her father, who lost a leg in the attack, could no longer work, and the family quickly fell into distress. The second daughter was 10 years old, and the eldest son was 8 years old. There was a younger brother who was still a baby. It didn’t take long for Seal to consider selling herself.
The empire granted demi human rights to its citizens to prevent discrimination, but some people still hated and disliked beastmen.
Even with citizenship, there was no way to know how one would be treated as a slave. Nevertheless, Seal visited the slave trader’s shop. She sold all her rights and gave all her money to her family, and a collar was placed around her neck. There was no other way to help her brothers and sisters.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
After being purchased by the slave trader, Seal heard various stories from other slaves.
There was a rabbit beast girl who was stripped naked by a cruel noble and forced to parade like a pet through the city.
There was a lion beast girl who was whipped all over her body for discipline and forced to prostrate.
There were many stories that would make one want to cover their ears. The naive Seal became aware that all her preparations might be in vain.
For that reason, when Sora first introduced her, Seal was so nervous that she couldn’t speak.
Later on, she arrived in the city of Ishka, from the empire to the Kingdom of Canaria, but the fear still lingered. When she arrived in Ishka, her ears, tail, and body were stroked incessantly, preventing her from sleeping peacefully. When she was told that Sora got excited at the sight of a girl with a distorted face, she held her head, thinking that a fearsome person had bought her.
…Now Seal murmured internally, knowing it was just a joke.
However, she felt a profound despair at that moment. She wished he would choose the right place and time for jokes, and she still thought about it.
The turning point for Seal was when Luna Maria joined as a slave. Since then, Sora’s attitude toward Seal changed significantly. Not only his attitude but he also offered to free her from slavery.
To say it didn’t touch her heart would be a lie.
However, it was evident that even if she were liberated from slavery and returned home, she would soon have to sell herself again. The large sum of money Seal obtained from selling herself would only last less than two years, considering the cost of living and taxes for the remaining seven. If Seal were to return, the burden would increase, and the savings would diminish much faster.
That’s a family without a breadwinner.
Therefore, Seal needed to make a fortune. Until her 8-year-old brother reaches adulthood, the family needs to earn enough money to survive.
Of course, working for a year or two wouldn’t earn that much money. It wouldn’t be enough even if Seal were to sell herself again. To earn that much money, she needed to find deceptive methods.
For example.
Like how her just like the wealthy and generous master, frequently tipping (!) with silver coins to the innkeeper’s daughter.
Therefore, Seal changed her passive attitude. She also willingly participated in nighttime activities.
First of all, Seal was a complete slave who had sold all her rights. It was a position where even her private property might not be recognized depending on the master’s intentions. She should have been quicker in that regard. With a sense of regret, Seal began working hard for Sora, and when Sora saw her dedication, he naturally relaxed his attitude toward her. Their relationship was established as it is now before they realized it.
Seal acquired knowledge and combat skills from Luna Maria and managed to complete various requests as an adventurer. After Sora founded “Bloody Sword,” she was able to receive payment for her work there.
She sent her salary to her homeland through the slave association, an amount sufficient to survive. If she continues to send money, her brothers and sisters won’t go hungry, and her younger sister won’t have to sell herself.
She had to keep working hard for her master. Thinking that, she took a big leap, and that’s when Suzume arrived.
Suzume’s anxious gaze reminded her of herself when she became a slave.
Seal was so excited that she took charge of many things. She hadn’t realized that her own behavior had become the glue that held the clan together.
So far, the “Bloody Sword” clan had been surprisingly successful.
————————————————————————————————————————————
“…Lars. Are you seriously saying you won’t go back home?”
“Yes, I won’t return to the village. More importantly, I need to become stronger!”
Looking at his childhood friend affirming with a serious face, Iria unintentionally raised her voice.
“More important than that!? Are you saying that the village where we grew up is ‘not important’!? It’s the place where our families live!”
Lars flinched as if being pressed by Iria’s conscience. His slightly lowered gaze might be evidence of guilt for his actions.
After seeing that, Iria tried to repeat her words so that Lars would retract his earlier statement. At that moment, a red figure stood between them.
It was Miroslav.
“Iria, try to calm down. The cause of the illness has already been identified as poison, and an antidote is being produced. Lars is saying that he knows, so there’s no need to return home right now.”
“Just because there’s an antidote doesn’t mean there won’t be any damage!”
Iria looked at Miroslav with a sharp gaze.
Lately, Iria had been somewhat dissatisfied with Miroslav. The cause was her attitude toward Lars. After losing in a duel against Sora, with Luna Maria at stake, Lars clearly showed a lack of performance.
For Lars, who had never experienced any setbacks, losing had a heavy impact on him.
The cold looks and ridicule in the guild were increasing. Seeing that Lars was clearly overindulging in alcohol, Iria tried to criticize and motivate him repeatedly, but Miroslav always stood in the way.
Miroslav didn’t blame Lars for his weakness; she comforted and indulged him as much as he wanted.
To Iria, it felt like giving candy to a child without restraint. The child would be happy, but it wasn’t good for them. Sometimes, as an adult, you have to behave like an ogre and take the candy away from the child, but Miroslav always gave it to him.
Even though Iria was aware of that, Miro would only smile and say, “Lars is also suffering.” Therefore, recently, Iria and Miroslav hadn’t been on good terms.
Meanwhile, at that moment, a plague broke out in the Kingdom of Canaria.
TLNote : After finishing Volume 2, I might pause translating this novel. BUT! If “Revenge of Soul Eater” wins the poll, I’ll continue with Volume 3. Your votes will decide. Thanks for your support!
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 3-10+ additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
👍🏻
Thanks for the Translation
You made some small errors here and there like:
Mistake: Miroslav didn’t blame Lars for his weakness; he comforted and indulged him as much as he wanted.
here you addressed Miroslav with ‘he’. Which should have been she
Fix: she comforted and indulged him as much as he wanted
You also made the same mistake with pronouns quite a few times
I hope this helped you find the translation errors