“That’s precisely why you should focus on finding something. If you live, eventually someone will appear who needs you. I’m sure of it.”
“…But because of this blessing, I might end up… hurting someone again.”
“You mean… killing them? Well, is that really such a big deal?”
“That’s… not what I meant.”
The girl tried to protest against the armored man’s words.
“That’s exactly what you meant, right? If you hurt someone, you just need to heal the same amount. It’s as simple as that.”
“Eh…?”
The girl opened her eyes wide, dumbfounded. She hadn’t even considered such a possibility.
“Fortunately for you, you have a strong affinity for ‘healing magic.’ So, you have no choice but to do it.”
“Healing… magic.”
The girl repeated the words faintly. It was the magic that had caused her to end up killing her sister.
“But…”
“But is not an answer. Don’t give up before trying. Don’t make excuses without even attempting it. And even if your blessing is too strong for ‘healing magic’ to fully cure, there are still many ways to handle it. Suppress the blessing with a ‘spirit contract’ or revive with the ‘blessing of the World Tree.’ Well, the latter might be a dubious magic, I’m not sure.”
“—! Is that… even possible?”
Surprised, she asked, and the armored man said, “Well, I don’t know all the details, but…”
He provided a brief explanation.
The content she heard was filled with hope for her.
She hadn’t even considered the possibility of suppressing her blessing. She didn’t know such methods existed.
It could be a lie that this man was saying. But if what he said was true…
“—A ‘spirit contract’ requires a sacrifice. The amount of sacrifice depends on the contractee’s magic power, aptitude, and blessing. So, it’s better to raise your magic power as much as possible before the contract and learn multiple ‘healing magic’ spells. In your case… ‘water spirits’ or ‘light spirits’? Both have good compatibility with ‘healing magic.'”
“A sacrifice…”
“A ‘spirit contract’ is not something simple. In the worst-case scenario, you might die without being able to form a contract. It’s pointless to form a contract with mediocre spirits like ‘water spirits’ or ‘light spirits.’ You need to form a contract with a spirit strong enough to suppress your blessing. If you have insufficient magic power, you might not even be able to form a contract… But, do you intend to do it?”
The armored man continued.
“If you’re going to do it, I’ll teach you how to increase your magic power and multiple ‘healing magic’ spells. As for the spirits… you’ll have to make connections with those who are studying ‘water spirits’ or ‘light spirits.’ That’s something you have to do on your own… What do you think?”
The armored man asked with a serious tone.
From his serious tone, she understood that it was a difficult and challenging task. Maybe, it was something that would make her want to run away. But, still…
“…?”
Silently, she nodded. If there was even a slight possibility of getting rid of this blessing, she wanted to try. That’s what she thought.
In her determined eyes, there was a light of hope that was different from before… It was no longer dark and murky.
“Alright, then starting tomorrow, we’ll go at it full-fledged. I’ll make you drink that disgustingly bitter magic power enhancer every day.”
The armored man muttered cheerfully. The girl watched his behavior and felt that the image she had imagined of the armored man was completely different.
After all, the girls were supposed to be slaves who would eventually be sold. However, although this man’s attitude was cold and dismissive, he seemed to see her as an individual. At least, he didn’t treat her as a slave.
“Are you… trying to sell us?”
With that question in mind, the girl asked. The armored man responded with a puzzled voice, “Huh? I never said anything like that.”
“Because you said ‘what I’m doing for you’…”
The response the armored man gave when one of the slaves asked, “Are you helping us?” Indeed, he had said those words. So…
“I did say that, but… I have no intention of selling you or anything like that. Besides, you’re no longer slaves, so there’s nothing to sell.”
The words the armored man spoke were completely opposite to what she expected.
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“But, what about these collars?”
“Oh, right. Well… how should I put it…”
The armored man spoke hesitantly, his voice filled with awkwardness. After a moment, he let out a sigh.
“…Well, I wouldn’t want to release you all suddenly, right? If I did that, it would make you feel uncomfortable and you might end up unable to survive… So, after teaching you the basics of living and education, I planned to remove the collars. The people here seem to be young and lacking in education, so I couldn’t just give them money and let them go.”
The armored man sighed deeply, sounding genuinely tired.
“But well, maybe it’s about time. Okay, tomorrow, I’ll remove all the other collars… and I’ll use ‘healing magic’ to fix any damaged parts. You’re free to leave from here or stay. If you’re tired of training and want to leave, I’ll give you as much money as you need. Do as you please.”
“Why… would you do something like that?”
I don’t understand why he’s not selling us as slaves or providing us with a place to live and giving us money. What benefit does he get from doing all of this?
“Well, there’s a reason. It’s not just because I didn’t like it… it’s because I might become a hero. In other words, it’s my own satisfaction. I can increase the chances of becoming a hero by using you, and you can use me. It’s a win-win situation, you see?”
“Win-win?” The girl tilted her head in confusion. She couldn’t grasp the meaning behind his words.
There shouldn’t be anything they could provide to the armored man. Yet, he claimed to be equal to them, despite being their slave. It didn’t make sense.
“Then… why are you always wearing that? And you won’t even tell us your name, referring to us as ‘you’ or ‘hey’…” she asked, pointing at his cumbersome armor.
The armored man, uncomfortable, shrunk his body and spoke with an unsettled tone. “Um… well, there’s someone I don’t want to be found by. It’s a situation I can’t avoid…”
“You’re running away from being wanted by the authorities?” she guessed.
“Huh? No way, what do you take me for?” He replied in a displeased tone to her question.
He didn’t seem to be lying oddly enough. Somehow, she had an instinctual feeling about it.
“In that case, your name…”
“Ugh… well, that’s…” he mumbled hesitantly, seeming awkward. Then, a little later, unable to bear her gaze, he spoke softly.
“…it’s ….rei.”
“Ray?” The girl repeated the name she heard. She vaguely felt that there was something said before the name, but it was too faint to hear.
“Well, my name doesn’t really matter. What about you? When asking someone’s name, it’s common courtesy to introduce yourself,” Ray said, questioning the girl rapidly. His mannerisms seemed like he was trying to divert attention.
The girl tried to recall her own name, but…
“I… don’t have one,” she replied quietly. No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t remember.
“Oh… you don’t? That’s a problem,” Ray contemplated, crossing his arms and appearing lost in thought. “…How about coming up with a name you like for yourself?”
“…Iv?” she repeated the proposed name. For some reason, it felt like it fit perfectly as if it had been her name all along.
“Why Eve?” she asked, curious about the origin.
“Just because… it has a nice ring to it. It’s a common name,” he replied casually.
“What’s with that? That’s not very creative,” she protested, glaring at him with a disapproving look. She thought he could have put more thought into it.
“If you don’t like it, come up with a name yourself… Anyway, it’s getting late. You’ve wasted enough of my precious lazy time. Go back to your room and get some sleep. From tomorrow, I’ll train you in various things, so make sure to get enough rest,” he said, pushing her to go to sleep.
“Get to sleep already,” she was ushered out, pushed haphazardly out of the room.
“I am Eve…” she muttered, returning to her assigned room. Wrapped in a blanket, she repeated the given name.
Every time she said the name, a faint warmth filled her chest. Somehow… it felt comforting.
From then on, as promised, Ray removed the collars and used “Heal Magic” to cleanly treat their burns and injuries. Afterward, he said, “Do as you please” and set them free.
At first, the children were dumbfounded, their faces showing disbelief, as if it were a dream. But after a while, they seemed to understand and cried tears of joy upon seeing their healed limbs and faces they thought would never recover.
Given the choice to leave or stay, all the children chose to stay at the house and grew closer to Ray. Though Ray seemed very reluctant about it.
And I… under his guidance, I began learning more “Heal Magic” to be able to perform the “Spirit Contract.” At the current stage, I didn’t have enough magical power to activate it, so I had to drink a bitter magical power-enhancing potion after every meal. It made me want to cry.
Ray’s guidance was not easy; it was strict.
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