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Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 1




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Chapter One: Sacred Tree Elixir 

“This is the next slave.” 
I looked inside of the cage that the slave traders had brought us to. It was another demi-human slave that looked healthy and well taken care of. This one was a child . . . and a female. She was waving at me with a big, fake smile on her face. 
“Uhh . . . no thanks.” 
“What?!” 
Just as I expected, she started complaining. Her response was slightly more childish than the last slave, but she was still way more chipper than she should have been. The slaves I knew all started out with lifeless eyes. They’d given up on everything. Even our fearless Keel had been terrified until she saw Raphtalia. This kid looked like a dreamy-eyed adventurer. There was no way she was a real slave. 
I had the slave traders show me another slave. Once again, the slave complained when I showed no interest. I started to understand what was going on. I squinted my eyes and glared at the slave traders, who both started wiping the nervous sweat from their brows. 
“Seriously?” 
“It’s unfortunate that none of our offerings seem to satisfy your preferences today. Yes sir.” 
I sighed. 
 
“You’ve left me no choice. I didn’t want to do this.” 
I beckoned to the slave that we had been brought to. When she got closer, I slowly reached out and grabbed her by the collar, and then started questioning her using my best threatening tone. 
“Spit it out! Who’s behind this? I’m the Shield Hero, you know. If you don’t tell me, I’ll destroy the country you came from.” 
The slave shrieked. 
“D-d-daddy made me do it! He told me I had to marry the Shield Hero! They say the Shield Hero only associates with slaves, so daddy paid someone to set this up.” 
The slave explained while cowering in fear as I glared at her. She was just a child. This wasn’t her fault. 
“And is that what you want?” I asked. 
“Huh?” 
“Even if it is for your family’s sake, you’re being given as an offering to someone you don’t even have feelings for.” 
Judging by the slave’s appearance, she was probably a bit younger than Raphtalia was when I first saw her. The thought of someone using a small child like this to boost their own status filled me with disgust. 
“Either way, I want you to go home. Tell them I saw through their plan. If that’s not enough for them, tell them that the Shield Hero said he only helps demi-humans that are truly in need.”
 
It was becoming clear that these kinds of slaves were being sent in groups. 
 
“So that settles that. I kindly refuse your offer,” I told the slave. 
Siltvelt—the demi-human country—was obviously trying to set up an arranged marriage. They were disguising children of wealthy and noble families as slaves and sending them here for me to purchase. 
“I’m pretty sure that country considers my word as gospel, right? I’m on the verge of personally notifying them in writing that it’s going to work against them if they keep trying to force slaves onto me like this.” 
“Understood. Yes sir. I believe they will stop if that is what you wish. Yes sir.” 
“The Shield Hero does it again! Of course you would notice the slaves were fake! Such perceptivity sends tingles of excitement down my spine!” 
“There’s no way anyone wouldn’t notice!” 
It was as if they were practically shouting out that they were fakes! They could have tried to make it a little less obvious. Or they could have even sent slaves bought from some human-supremacist country or something. 
“How deplorable . . .” 
Even Raphtalia was losing her patience. 
“There’s no way Mr. Naofumi would be seduced so easily. It would save me a lot of trouble if it were that simple.” 
Huh? What was that supposed to mean? 
“That’s where I come in! Don’t worry, little Naofumi, I’ll cure you of your distrust of women!” 
“Rafu!” 
Sadeena’s excitement rubbed off on Raph-chan, causing her to join in the ruckus. What an annoying woman. It was in my best interest to just ignore her. 
 
“Oh? Your reaction must signify your approval! I won’t let you down, little Naofumi!” 
Huh?! She just interpreted my disregard however it suited her! Just when I thought this woman couldn’t get any more annoying! 
“Look! Boobies!” 
Sadeena embraced me from behind and pressed her breasts up against me. 
“Go to hell!” 
“Mr. Naofumi! Calm down! Sadeena! Behave yourself, please!” 
“Aww . . .” 
Sadeena yielded, backing off when I protested. But she still had a grin on her face that was really getting on my nerves. 
“Fehhh . . .” 
“Can I rub up against Master from the back like Sadeena, toooo?” 
“Permission denied!” 
Filo seemed to think it was all some kind of game and started getting ready to grab me from behind in her filolial queen form. Damn it! If ignoring them didn’t work, just what was I supposed to do?! 
“Sheesh . . . Don’t you have any other slaves? I’m going to be mad if this trip was all for nothing.” 
“We do, indeed! In fact, we’ve been saving the best for last.” 
“Every now and then you try to play tricks on me, don’t you?” 
 
Seriously. I really wished I didn’t have to deal with these creeps. 
“What is it that you’re looking for then, Shield Hero?” 
“Right now I could use some slaves that are good with their hands. Other than that, any slave that can fight will do.” 
I already had a few slaves back at the village that were good with their hands, but I needed more. What I really wanted was more slaves that had a natural aptitude for detailed work like Imiya, who I was teaching how to make accessories. 
“I see. This way, then.” 
“You better not show me any more fakes.” 
“Of course not.” 
The slave traders took us to another section and . . . Yeah, I’d seen one of these before. 
“Those are lumos, right?” 
I walked over toward a cage filled with lumo therianthropes. Imiya wasn’t originally from Lurolona, but if any of these lumos knew him already then it would probably make them easier to work with. Kind of like how having Raphtalia had made it easier to work with Keel. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. 
“Do any of you know a boy named Imiya?” 
“That’s a common name. Which Imiya might you be referring to?” 
A lumo that was slightly taller than Imiya responded. It was a . . . male, I think. 

Hmm . . . So Imiya was a common name. This was useless if I couldn’t say his full name. What was it again? I remembered it being abnormally long. Leu . . . Nope, I couldn’t remember it. I gave up. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but whatever.
 
Oh, wait! Rishia was the brains around here, so maybe she would remember. 
“Hey, Rishia. Do you remember that long name of Imiya’s?” 
“Fehhh . . .” 
That meant she didn’t. 
“Oh well. We’ll just have to bring Imiya back with us later.” 
Just when I was about to give up for good, Raphtalia spoke up. 
“Mr. Naofumi, you know Imiya is a girl, right? Her full name is Imiya Leuthurn Reethela Teleti Kuwariz.” 
Raphtalia spouted off Imiya’s full name like it was nothing. Just how good was her memory, anyway? Raphtalia was actually pretty impressive. Or maybe she was just good at remembering names. 
“Just the other day you mentioned some dish with a rather long name, too, Mr. Naofumi.” 
“Oh yeah, I guess I did. Faux filets de sardines au basilic.” 
Sardines with basil, in other words. There were fish similar to sardines in this world, but they weren’t quite the same. They didn’t have basil here, either, so I just made do with some random herbs. Not long ago I’d cooked the dish for the slaves to celebrate their return, since we’d finally gotten the village’s basic infrastructure in place. It was a French dish, by the way. 
“Imiya’s name isn’t much more complicated than that.” 
 
“You think so?” 
The name of the dish wasn’t difficult to remember since each of the words had meaning. Imiya’s name just sounded like some kind of foreign code to me. 
“You mean that Imiya!” 
The lumo male spoke up again. 
“You know her?” 
“She’s my niece. Of course I know her!” 
Oh? I guess we’d found one of Imiya’s family members. It was our lucky day. 
“Are any of these others from the same place as you?” 
“Yes, some of them are from the same village.” 
“They’ll do just fine, then. I’ll reunite you all with Imiya.” 
I let the slave trader know that I would be buying the male lumo and his fellow villagers. 
“Understood. Yes sir.” 
“And . . . might I ask who you are, sir?” the lumo asked me. 
“What? Is it not obvious? I’m a slave driver.” 
I had a feeling slaves would come flocking over if I said the truth out loud while we were in this place. It’d save me a lot of trouble if I just glossed over it for now. 
“There you go again with the lies . . .” interjected Raphtalia. 
“Is Imiya . . . is she doing well?” 
“She’s doing very well. She’s doing her best to help out at our village,” 
 
Raphtalia reassured him. Imiya was obedient. That was for sure. Perhaps a bit too timid, though. “I see. I look forward to seeing her again.” I never would have thought that absurdly long name would turn out to 
be useful, but it sure helped us out today. “Oh my! I have a feeling things are going to get even more exciting 
back at the village!” Sadeena’s mouth was moving again. “Probably. By the way, I’ve been wondering . . . What’s your 
relationship with Raphtalia, anyway?” “I’m just a drifter that came from the same place as little Raphtalia’s 
parents. They took good care of me.” “Oh yeah?” I’d just figured all of them had lived in Lurolona for generations. But I 
guess that made sense. The territory that I was governing now was a region that Eclair’s father had worked to develop, and it’d been designated as a demi-human-friendly area. But once he died, there was no one around with political influence anymore and the region just fell into ruin. 
“Well, I think that should do it for today.” 
My coin purse had been feeling pretty light ever since I’d paid Sadeena’s debts off for her. I probably couldn’t afford to buy any more slaves than this right now. 
“I guess it’s about time we head back,” I said. “Wait just a moment. Yes sir.” 
 
The Zeltoble slave trader spoke up. 
“What is it? Is there something else?” 
“We have a pair of slaves that we think you will find most interesting.” 
“If it’s more slaves sent by Siltvelt then I’ll pass.” 
“Oh no, certainly not. These two are . . . today’s main dish, shall we say?” 
“I’m just about all out of money, you know.” 
“A powerful drug can become a dangerous poison in the wrong hands. This is a pair that we believe you will know how to handle best, so we are prepared to offer them to you at a very reasonable price.” 
A powerful drug, huh? That sounded good, but it also meant I’d be dealing with a dangerous poison if I wasn’t careful. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. 
“Let’s have a look.” 
I followed the slave traders out of the room. 
“This way.” 
We seemed to be in some kind of quarantine area for sick slaves. It sure didn’t seem very sanitary. I wasn’t about to start doing charity work, but this was just bad for my mental health. I walked over to a cage, pulled out a vial of medicine, and beckoned to the slave inside. 
“Ugh . . .” 
“Here. This is medicine. Drink it.” 
“Th . . . thank you.” 
 
I couldn’t help myself. It was for my own mental health. The slave was suffering right there in front of me, so I gave it the medicine. I’d made a good portion of my money from selling medicine in this world, so I was confident that my medicine would make a difference. 
“I’m sure you already know this, but—” 
“Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to reimburse you with a portion of the profits later!” the slave traders cut me off. 
“Don’t speak in unison like that! It’s creepy!” 
The Zeltoble slave trader started skipping. Come on! Seriously! He was creeping me out. Anyway . . . after all was said and done, it came time to meet the pair of slaves. 
“Here we are.” 
We were standing in front of a cage with two demi-humans inside. 
“Wh . . . what now?! I’m working like I’m supposed to, right? What do you want?!” 
One of them was a young boy around 12 years old. He looked as healthy as could be. 
“Oh? Is that you, little Fohl?” 
“You’re . . . Nadia!” 
Huh? They knew each other? I pointed at the slave and Sadeena nodded. 
“I saw him fighting in the coliseums every now and then when I first came to Zeltoble. I even saw him fight in the underground coliseums a few times.” 

So he was a slave and a fighter. I’d heard that some people in Zeltoble ended up as slaves and were forced to fight in the coliseums. I guess this Fohl kid was one of those combat slaves. 

“And that one?” 
I pointed at the other slave lying at the back of the cage. 
“No idea,” Sadeena replied. 
It was hard to see since it was so dark, but I could make out someone lying on a bed of straw. Whoever it was didn’t seem to be in very good condition. 
Cough . . . cough . . . 
I looked the Fohl kid over. The first thing that caught my eye was the color of his hair. It was black and white. I could tell from the colors and texture of his hair alone that he was more valuable than the other slaves. His eyes were blue, with pupils that were vertical slits, like those of a cat. Those slits, surrounded by blue irises standing out against the whites of his eyes . . . That alone gave him an air that felt almost intimidating. His face had a wild look to it. There was something in his eyes that said the whole world was his enemy. His ears were also a bit cat-like, but thicker and rounded. What really stuck out was his tail, with its black and white stripes. Could it be? 
“Strange. Something about him reminds me of an opponent that we faced in Kizuna’s world.” 
Raphtalia echoed my thoughts. 
“What a coincidence. I was just thinking the same thing.” 
“Umm . . . the white tigers, riiight?” 
Oh? Even Filo had noticed, apparently. She was right. Something about the slave reminded me of the white tigers that we had fought in Kizuna’s world. It made me think of the half-human, half-beast enemies that Kyo had created. How should I put it? I imagined this slave was what the perfected version of those things would look like. He looked like a human that had been very skillfully combined with a white tiger. I’m sure he was just a demi¬human, of course. But my prior experience with white tigers put me off. 
 
“He seems expensive. Even for a kid.” 
“Factoring price in from the very first impression . . . My hat’s off to your financial prudence, hero!” 
Even Raphtalia seemed stunned by my verdict. 
“Your focus on the bottom line is impressive, little Naofumi!” 
Just ignore them all! 
But actually, they did have a point. Maybe thinking about money before anything else wasn’t such a good thing, after all. 
“I mean, compared to the other demi-human slaves, something seems different about him,” I said. 
“You have good intuition. This slave is a hakuko. It’s a type of demi-human with quite the reputation,” the slave trader responded. 
“Hakuko . . .” 
“It’s said that the very first holy heroes named the race in ancient times.” 
In Japanese, the character for “white” could be pronounced “haku” and “ko” was one of the pronunciations of the character for “tiger.” When the two were combined to refer to the legendary white tiger they were actually pronounced “byakko,” but if you didn’t know that I guess you might mistakenly pronounce them “hakuko.” 
 
That meant it was a type of demi-human that had been around since ancient times. In that case, it might have been a good investment, but . . . what if he turned into some kind of monster like the Spirit Tortoise when he grew up and then ended up going on a rampage or something? That was not something I wanted to deal with. 
And anyway, what was up with that name? Why did all of the past heroes seem to have such bad taste in these things? It was the same with the legends at the Cal Mira islands. Then again, I did name my filolial “Filo,” so I guess I couldn’t really talk. 
“I see. And what are you planning to do with this one?” 
“We would like to present him to you.” 
“He does seem rather strong, but certainly not what I’d call a ‘powerful drug.’” 
Even the White Tiger guardian beast in Kizuna’s world hadn’t been impossible to defeat. The shields that I had unlocked using materials from the beast had left an impression on me because they had some really annoying equip effects like support nullification. The same went for Raphtalia’s katana, too. The equipment was really difficult to use well. 
“Do you know his level and stats?” 
“His level is written here.” 
I looked over the papers that the slave trader handed me. I’d had a hunch, but apparently the two slaves were siblings. Level 32? He sure looked young for a level that high. The slaves back at the village were all pretty grown by the time they hit level 30. 
 
“That’s higher than I expected. Does the fact that he still looks like this have something to do with his race? Or just individual differences?” 
“He’s still a child at this level. One special characteristic of this type of demi-human is that they cannot class up until level 50. They can reach level 60 without classing up, as well. Yes sir. Consequently, they can reach a maximum level of 120 after classing up.” 
“In other words, he’ll be even stronger when he becomes an adult.” 
“Exactly.” 
Impressive. So this was some kind of special type of demi-human. Even Filo had to class up at level 40, so I could only imagine what kind of development these siblings might exhibit if I leveled them up. My interest had definitely been piqued. The boy’s sister was level 1, by the way. 
“The hakuko demi-humans are known for having used their exceptional combat prowess to repeatedly thwart the plans of Melromarc’s legendary figure known as ‘His Excellency, the Wise.’ Yes sir.” 
Using Trash as an example wasn’t going to help anything. Nothing about him impressed me. And that meant he’d used his influence to bring his tyranny all the way here. 
“Using ‘His Excellency, the Wise’ as a point of reference isn’t saying much . . .” 
“If it weren’t for that man, the name ‘Melromarc’ would likely mean nothing to other countries.” 
“You sure are talking him up.” 
 
“Regardless, the hakuko is one of this world’s most prestigious races, not counting the heroes. Yes sir.” 
“I see.” 
Ignoring whether or not Trash was any more impressive during his prime, I guess it was safe to assume that hakuko demi-humans had exceptional combat skills. The ability to thwart an enemy’s strategy using physical force was probably something I could use, considering that I was generally limited to defensive measures. Of course, that was assuming that these slaves truly had such potential. 
The slave trader whispered in my ear, as if to avoid being heard by the siblings. 
“By the way, even the supposedly unrivaled hakuko is no match for an orca in the water. Yes sir.” 
“Who are you talking about now?” 
The slave traders both looked over at Sadeena. 
“Oh?” 
What?! Now they were telling me that Sadeena was a superior type of demi-human?! Then again, the Japanese character for “killer whale” was a combination of “fish” and “tiger,” so I guess it made sense that they would be powerful animals. But anyway, we were supposed to be focusing on the slave siblings right now. 
“As for these siblings, the brother is in perfect health, but the younger sister has a genetic disorder. She is blind, cannot walk, and does not have much longer to live. However, her brother cares for her more than anything else in the world.” 
 
So he was still trying to protect his dying sister even after they had become slaves. It sounded like the hero of some clichéd story. If this were some kind of manga or something, he wouldn’t even need to be the hero. With that kind of conviction, he would be a popular character even if he were the villain or something. And he had the strength to actually stand by that conviction because of his race. He fit the stereotype perfectly. 
“Oh yeah?” 
“Perhaps you could separate the two. Put the brother to work. Tell him that his sister will be hospitalized, and then go leave her in a field somewhere. Of course, you would make the brother believe she was still alive. You have monsters that are good at imitating voices, right? Just let the brother hear her voice from time to time.” 
Did I have monsters that were good at imitating voices? There were only four things that my monsters did: dig up dirt, run around peddling, eat weeds, or fight. Did he mean Filo? I looked over at Filo. 
“Whaaat?” 
“Can you imitate voices, Filo? Can you do an imitation of Melty?” 
“Yuuup! Filo-chan, you’re so charming!” 
Filo went straight into an impression of Melty. It was perfect. You would have thought Melty was standing right here with us. But what the hell? What kind of line was that?! Charming?! I’d have to have a talk with Melty next time I saw her. I motioned for the slave trader to continue.
 
“If you did that, the brother would continue fighting to the very end, all for the sake of his precious little sister, who would have actually already departed this world. All that would be left is for you to reap the benefits.” 

His plan was pure evil. It made me cringe. There were just too many ways it could backfire. I could just imagine someone like Itsuki showing up, rescuing the brother, and then teaming up with him to try to defeat me. That wouldn’t even be funny. I’d win the fight, of course, but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to create my own enemies. 
“That’s why you’re useless at handling all but the simplest slaves. I’ll show you how to do it the right way.” 
I told the slave trader to unlock the cage. 
“Wh . . . what are you going to do?!” 
“Just shut up for a second, you little brat.” 
“What?! I’m not a brat!” 
“You sure look like one to me.” 
The brother was surprisingly aggressive, but I just ignored him. I went inside of the cage and approached his younger sister at the back. 
“Stop! Don’t touch Atla!” 
The brother tried to stop me. I pulled some medicine out of my pocket and showed it to him. 
“I’m just going to give her some medicine.” 
I’d made the medicine using my shield, by the way. I still couldn’t pull it off on my own. That’s how difficult it was to make. I’d learned how to make it from an equip bonus on the Spirit Tortoise Sacred Tree Shield. The bonus was called . . . miracle drug recipe. 
 
Spirit Tortoise Sacred Tree Shield 0/40 C <abilities unlocked> equip bonus: miracle drug recipe equip effects: protection of the ancient flora, blessing of the sacred tree mastery level: 0 

I had no idea what the shield’s effects did, although it was clear that they had something to do with plants. The miracle drug recipe had only taught me how to make one medicine. Even worse, it required a bunch of other medicines and potions to make: regular medicine, superior medicine, a healing salve, magic water, and soul-healing water. On top of that, you had to mix an extremely precise amount of poisonous materials, filter the mixture, and skim the top layer off to use along with . . . sacred tree sap, wherever that came from. 
Just recently, I’d tried to compound the medicine without using my shield, but I failed. I went and asked the apothecary to try to figure out what had gone wrong, but he just scolded me and told me I was in over my head. That’s how difficult it was to make. It was a priceless medicine that was practically impossible to get your hands on unless you just happened to have a legendary shield. 

Its name: Elixir of Yggdrasil. It was the same medicine that the lively old Hengen Muso lady had used, so it went without saying that it was effective. Any gamer would know that something with “elixir” in the name was bound to be powerful. The name may have been my shield’s translation, but it still included the name of the world tree, nonetheless. 

“. . .” 
How did that old lady get her hands on such a priceless medicine? She must have been filthy rich. I wondered if maybe she had used the Hengen Muso style to rake in money while traveling the world. How did her son end up being so plain? The poor guy wasn’t even worth mentioning. 
Anyway, the elixir was a miracle drug that could cure any ailment in one go. 
“You belong to me now. This is medicine that will cure your sister. You can pay for it by dedicating your life to serving me.” 
The apothecary mentioned that it had a ridiculously high market value. Selling it wouldn’t have made enough to buy up all of the Lurolona slaves, though, and my stocks were really limited. Very few cases were dire enough to actually require this medicine to save someone’s life. Still, lots of people wanted it since it was so effective. Some said that it could even bring back the dead. 
My funds were running low lately, so I’d brought it planning to rob someone blind, but this was the perfect chance to use it. Considering the coming battles with the waves, I needed power more than I needed money. I would use it to secure a powerful ally via an enormous debt that ensured allegiance. 
“You better not be lying . . .” he said. 
“Maybe you know the smell.” 
 
The brother sniffed at the medicine. Of course, if he’d smelled this medicine before, he probably wouldn’t be here in this situation. He took a couple of really big sniffs before looking up suddenly and shouting. 
“That’s the Elixir of Yggdrasil!” 
“So you do know it . . .” 
What was he? A dog? Maybe being a superior race meant having a good nose, too. 
“But . . . but . . . it could have poison in it!” 
“Are you always this suspicious of medicines? Do you distrust every medicine your sister takes?” 
“Uhh . . .” 
“If you refuse to believe me then I don’t have to give it to her. But will that save your sister? I’m buying you, either way. Whether your sister is suffering or not won’t change that.” 
“Ugh . . .” 
The brother let out a humiliated moan. 
“Is somebody there?” 
The girl coughed as she turned her head in our direction. She was blind, right? I guess she was relying on the sound of our voices as a guide. 
“I sense the presence of someone who is incredibly strong, yet kind. Am I right, Brother?” 
“Wh . . . who knows . . .” 
“However . . . I feel great power . . . However . . .” 
The girl slowly turned her head toward me. The brother hesitantly motioned for me to approach her. I moved toward this girl that he’d called Atla. She was in terrible condition. She was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. You couldn’t even see her face. But I could still tell she was covered in sores. Judging from her appearance, it was surprising she was still alive. Her ears and tail were the only signs left that she was even the same race as her brother. 
 
“However . . . what?” 
She seemed to be referring to me, so I tried speaking to her. The first impression is always the most important, so I decided to go with my usual bigheaded attitude. 
“I feel a deep sadness hidden within that great strength and kindness.” 
Deep sadness, huh? Memories of being consumed by rage after Bitch betrayed me came flooding back for a split second, but then faded almost immediately, being replaced by memories of my time with Raphtalia. 
If I’d only just recently arrived in this world, I probably would have been drawn to this girl’s act. Characters that spout off seemingly profound lines like this were common in manga and games. Not to mention, this was a young girl on her deathbed. It was all a bit too perfect. 
“Umm . . . May I ask why you are here?” 
“You know what kind of place this is, right?” 
“Yes. I am being held hostage here in order to force my brother to work.” 

She understood completely, and yet . . . No, there was a sense of resignation in her voice. 
 
“Man with the kind voice . . . Might you be so kind as to tell me your name?” 
“Naofumi.” 
“Mr. . . . Naofumi.” 
Her pronunciation was impressive. Apart from the other heroes, this was the first time anyone had pronounced my name correctly here. Even in the other world, Kizuna had been the only one who could pronounce it properly. L’Arc and Glass could never say it quite right. 
“Mr. . . . Naofumi. Please, take good care of my brother for me.” 
“Atla! What are you saying?!” 
Wasn’t it obvious? She knew she didn’t have much time left, so she was asking me to watch over her brother. 
“Sorry, but that’s not a promise I’m ready to make.” 
“Oh . . . I see . . .” 
“Because I plan to take care of you, too. Here. Take this medicine.” 
Atla started to say something in reply, but then simply nodded. I held the Elixir of Yggdrasil up to the young girl’s lips. Unable to defy his younger sister, the brother stood aside with clenched fists and said nothing. 
Gulp . 
Atla drank the medicine without hesitation. Huh? In addition to the glow from my skill that increased the efficacy of medicine, there was another strange light radiating out. It was no small glimmer, either. I had unlocked the complete Spirit Tortoise series of shields thanks to Ost, so I did have a bunch of new skills. Maybe it had something to do with one of those. 
 
Whatever it was, it was obvious that it was increasing the efficacy of the medicine even further. 

Pant . . . Pant . . . 
The medicine was starting to work. She began to breathe more easily. 
“What’s . . . this? My body . . . suddenly feels lighter.” 
“Atla?” 
“My skin . . . is tingling and . . . I can feel a warmth deep within my body.” 
“Well, it will probably take some time to feel the full effects of the medicine. I’ll give you several doses over a period of time, so just rest for now.” 
“Understood. I’m afraid I will be useless to you, but I thank you for your kindness.” 
I stood up and stepped out of the cage. 
“And your name was Fohl, right?” 
The brother had been glaring at me but looked away when I spoke to him. 
“I get it. You don’t want to talk. I didn’t want to wake Atla up, but I guess . . .” 
“Yes! That’s right! My name is Fohl!” 
“And your last name?” 
“. . .” 
He suddenly fell silent. Considering their race, they probably came from a good family. Maybe they had been disowned or something and could no longer use the family name. It didn’t matter, anyway. 
 
“That’s fine. Either way, you’re my slave now. Understood?” 
“Yeah. Fine. That medicine seems to be the real deal, so I’ll work until it’s paid for. You want me to fight in the coliseums?” 
Hmm . . . That wasn’t a bad idea. But having this little brat fight in the coliseums in his current state would be a waste of time. I wanted to toughen him up a bit before anything else. 
“I haven’t decided if we’ll do that yet, but I have different plans in mind for you, regardless. You don’t need to worry about fighting in the coliseums for now.” 
“Then how am I supposed to make money?” 
“I’ll take care of the details, so you just do as I say. Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m going to short-change you.” 
I threw in an evil laugh there at the end and Fohl shot me an icy glare. This was how the relationship between owner and slave was supposed to be, right? 
“That medicine is expensive, you know. It’s on a whole different level than any Elixir of Yggdrasil you’ll find on the market.” 
I threw in a bit of extra condescension for good measure. If I talked the price up enough, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to say he’d worked enough to pay for the medicine and running off. Although, it wasn’t like I’d actually let him get away. 
“I know! That’s obvious from how peacefully Atla is sleeping now!” 
Fohl was clearly unhappy, but his reply was an honest one. He seemed to have a pretty serious sister complex. Maybe it had just been the two of them for so long now that he viewed everyone else as an enemy. I could kind of understand where he was coming from. I saw pretty much everyone around me as an enemy for a while after being falsely accused by Bitch. 
 
“But . . . there’s no way I’ll let you have my sister!” 
“What’s this kid going on about? Anyone?” 
“You’re ruthless, little Naofumi. You really are great!” 
“Sadeena . . . If you think calling me great is going to make me happy, you’re in for a rude awakening.” 
I wasn’t Motoyasu, after all. I wasn’t the kind of idiot who got excited over flattery. I preferred someone who would complain when I stirred up trouble, like Raphtalia did. 
“Aww . . .” 
I was busy trying to ignore Sadeena’s sulky response when Raphtalia spoke up. 
“He’s just jealous because his little sister seems to like you,” she said. 
“Rafu!” 
Raph-chan clearly agreed with Raphtalia. Hmm . . . So the kid was jealous. In that case, he definitely had the wrong impression. 
“No! That’s not it! What’s that girl’s problem?! You too, Nadia! Stop being so rude!” 
Fohl pointed at Raphtalia and Sadeena while shouting. So this was what people meant when they talked about someone not knowing their place. I was going to push this brat harder than a Spartan soldier when we got back to the village. He supposedly had a lot of potential, after all. I was starting to look forward to his training. I’d given his sister the same medicine that cured the old lady, so I had a feeling she would get better, too. When she did . . . I was sure I could find something for her to do at the village. 
 
“Don’t worry. Mr. Naofumi is not that kind of person.” 
Raphtalia remained calm and smiled at Fohl. 
“And little Fohl . . . my name isn’t Nadia. You know my real name now, so use it, okay?” 
I couldn’t help but feel like things were getting a bit too lighthearted. 
“We will perform the slave registration shortly. Yes sir.” 
“Sounds good.” 
And that was how I ended up taking the siblings off the slave trader’s hands. 
 





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