Progress had been slower than anticipated on Naofumi's end.
He was still in the starting town, even if he had picked up Raphtalia early. He had been trying to make time to speak to Motoyasu about what had happened. He needed Motoyasu to be strong enough to handle the Waves, but he had only seen Motoyasu in a state that he was…uncomfortable commenting on. He also needed to handle another problem.
The problem was that Ren hadn't moved out of the starting town either.
Ren hadn't found anyone trustworthy for his party, and as such, he wasn't ready to save Eclair from the castle dungeon. With no party members, he would need to brute-force his way to higher levels.
Naofumi hadn't anticipated how much of an impact Ren and Motoyasu's lack of parties would slow them down. He had always assumed that they could solo everything with their attack power, but even they took hits and would need to recover.
So with all of this reasoning, now Naofumi was taking Ren to the slaver trader tent.
"I'm still not comfortable with this, Naofumi," Ren told him.
"Think of it like saving someone from an awful parent," Naofumi told him. "You are now a child protective services agent."
Raphtalia was still adjusting to being around Naofumi, so she remained silent as the two heroes spoke to each other. It didn't help her that she was still sick as well. She had been fully equipped the previous day, and Naofumi had been doing his best to keep her fed as she leveled up.
"Maybe I should just…get a pet like Motoyasu? He seems to be getting along well!" Ren suggested.
"Motoyasu picked up a stray, and not a stray dog… You won't be likely to be as lucky," Naofumi assured him.
"So…Motoyasu is still out of it. Should we tell him that his…'puppy' is actually a grizzly bear cub? One that is growing…very fast?" Ren asked.
Naofumi gave Ren a blank stare. "Has he stuck around you long enough to speak to recently?"
"No…he's been avoiding me."
"He's been avoiding me as well. We don't have time to deal with that. He finally has a party member, so just let him enjoy it." Naofumi understood a bit about what was going on in Motoyasu's head. Just like how he hadn't noticed Raphtalia growing before, he assumed Motoyasu wasn't noticing his "puppy" growing up either.
Their conversation was derailed when Slave Trader came out to greet them.
Ah-! Stranger danger! Ren immediately looked creeped out and gave Naofumi a concerned look.
"Welcome back, Shield Hero! I see you brought a guest!" Slave Trader had his normal grin permanently affixed to his face.
"My colleague would like a slave of his own. This is Ren, the Sword Hero," Naofumi stated as he pushed Ren forward.
Ren stumbled a bit but quickly straightened up. "Y-yes. I would," he added with a stutter. He was actually rather timid and awkward without his solo act in place, and as he was wondering if he should put up his cold, solo façade here for his own safety.
Naofumi gave Ren a cold look. "He won't eat you."
Ren cleared his throat. "Where…do I even start?"
Slave Trader nodded and led Ren over to a series of cages. "I'd show you my best first, but something tells me you know very well what I keep here. With that said, what's your budget?"
"Just show him what's cheap and can fight," Naofumi said quickly. "You can work up from there."
The creepy man went to the cages on the end and pulled up the sheets covering them. "Ok then, I just got some new demi-humans in! These ones were apparently guarded by a dragon!"
Naofumi raised an eyebrow. "A dragon?"
"Yes! A mysterious adventurer came in and killed the dragon! It has become quite the tourist spot! Adventurers are gathering there for materials! Quite frankly, I have all my business pieces right here~" Slave Trader tapped the bars to get the attention of the slaves inside.
Naofumi went silent as he was trapped in his thoughts. Only Itsuki intentionally hides his identity… Itsuki killed the dragon? Does this mean he'll cause Ren and Motoyasu's mistakes as well as his own? I guess it makes sense since he's the only one who's ventured out, but…just what have I set in motion?
Ren looked even more disgusted than he had been already, because he had seen that quest go up. He would have taken that dragon-slaying quest if he had a party. This was almost his fault, and he knew it.
Naofumi punched Ren's shoulder. "Ren, make a choice. We don't have all day."
Ren staggered a bit as he got his mind straightened out. He nodded as he knelt down to look in the cages better. He had to, because all of the demi-humans in the cages were all children. He could see the fear on their faces, except for one girl. He waved at her to get her attention. "Are you afraid of me?"
The demi-human girl moved closer to the bars. "No," she said simply. Her cheeks had streaks that showed she had cried out all she had a while ago. She was a dog demi-human, judging by her tail and pointy ears. She had light brown hair that was slightly caked in dry blood. She was still a small kid, but she had the eyes of a fighter at least.
"The dragon…was important to you, right?" Ren asked, as he kept up eye contact.
"He was my father."
"Do you want revenge?"
"No." She still had fire in her eyes though, showing she hadn't given up entirely.
"That's a brave answer. Why would you say no?"
"Because father wouldn't want me to."
Naofumi felt the corner of his mouth twitching. I have a history with the Wrath Shield that says otherwise, but believe as you wish...
Ren nodded as he stood up. "I don't need to see the rest. She's the one."
"What is your judgement there?" Naofumi had no idea what Ren's standards even were.
"…I'd say I see the fighter in her, but do you really think I am the golden boy of creating good party criteria?" Ren was now the one giving Naofumi an annoyed look.
Naofumi could agree with that much at least. "Then it's time for the Slave Seal."
"Good choice, sir! She's a healthy one though, so I'm afraid her price won't be the lowest," Slave Trader told Ren as he unlocked the cage.
"Now then, what is your name?" Ren asked the demi-human.
"Wyndia." She just looked up at him, like she was already waiting to be ordered around. She didn't even know what kind of expectations to have. She hadn't been there for very long at all.
Naofumi turned to leave, gesturing for Raphtalia to follow him. "You got it from here, solo-player."
"But I don't know what to do as a slave owner-!" Ren called after him.
"You'll figure it out!" Naofumi called back. "I have work to do!"
"Of course…" Ren sighed as he just watched Naofumi go.
Ren was now dealing with a complete lack of knowledge on what to do. He had Wyndia in his party and under the slave seal now, but where did he go from here? He had hoped Naofumi would explain some of this to him, but that didn't happen. He also thought at least one anime he had watched in the past would have prepared him to have a slave girl, but thinking about things like that just made him feel…creepy. "Wyndia, are you hungry? We'll be heading out of the city to fight monsters today."
"Yes," Wyndia answered simply.
Ren was sure he needed to start a conversation here, mainly to start bonding with his new slave, but he wasn't a good conversationalist. He was timid and awkward, which was why he acted like the quiet loner when he played games. He needed to figure out just what to say to start a conversation, so he looked back at all of his social knowledge for this. He had one friend in his previous life…who always started the conversations. FUCK! He swore in his head, knowing he shouldn't be swearing out loud in front of Wyndia who was too young for that kind of language.
Wyndia was looking at Ren, watching the strange look on Ren's face as he started having a mental breakdown.
Do I act like a father like what Naofumi does with Raphtalia? Is that what I do here? How do I act like a father!? Ren crossed his arms and closed his eyes, looking like he was in deep thought. He kept this up until he ran into a pole.
"You should watch where you are going," Wyndia told him.
"Yes… I am rather clumsy…" Ren grumbled, hoping this would be enough to start a conversation.
Wyndia didn't continue the conversation though, trapping Ren again.
Ren was starting to sweat nervously now. He then remembered the most interaction he got with others outside of online games and his time with his one friend…was with dating sims. That was when his mind started shorting out. Ren Amaki! Stop that thought train right there! SHE IS TEN!
Wyndia started laughing when Ren ran into another pole. "Are you doing that on purpose, master?"
"I-I'm not! And also, just call me Ren! 'Master' makes me feel old!" Ren rubbed his face to ease the pain.
"Ok, you should stop running into things, Ren," Wyndia told him like it was obvious, mainly because it was.
"I know…" Ren opened the door to the restaurant pretty much every adventurer looking to save money ate at. Maybe we can talk over lunch…
Motoyasu looked up from where he was eating with Buddy. "…finish up, Bud. We're leaving." He stood up quickly.
Buddy let out a disappointed grunt and ran his tongue over his plate to finish his fish. He was bigger now, tall enough to reach Motoyasu's hip when standing up on his hind legs. Considering he was absolutely a bear cub and not a puppy, he was standing up on his hind legs more often than expected. He was definitely growing quickly because of Motoyasu's Beast User Spear.
Motoyasu went to leave, brushing past Ren as he did.
"You can stay, Motoyasu. In fact, I'd like to talk with-" Ren started, but he wasn't allowed to finish.
Motoyasu just flipped Ren off as he passed. "Talk to this bird. It tells you 'chirp chirp, motherfucker'."
Wyndia tilted her head curiously. "What's a motherfu-?"
"-not important, Wyndia," Ren told her quickly.
Wyndia nodded, petting Buddy as he went by after Motoyasu.
Ren was silent again as he led them to a table. He then decided to talk about her one interaction with Motoyasu's pet. "Do you like animals?"
"I like monsters. I spent a lot of time with them," Wyndia answered him.
Ren felt a bit relieved that he had finally managed to start a conversation. "Because your father…is a dragon?"
"Yes. Sometimes he would show me how to hunt monsters, and sometimes he'd show me how to befriend them."
"It's good to hear that you can hunt. I'll need the help." Ren waved down a waiter. "Can I have my order taken?"
"We don't serve demi-humans, sir," the nearby waiter said firmly.
"So you don't serve heroes either?" Ren asked blankly.
The waiter was silent as he put up with that mental dilemma. He eventually came over to take their orders.
"Just…" Ren counted his silver. He hadn't lost most of his money like Naofumi and Motoyasu, so he was doing pretty good on cash. Still though, he had seen just how much money Naofumi had been spending to keep feeding Raphtalia. He still didn't know how a demi-human child could eat so much, and he had to be ready for if Wyndia also ate a lot. He also didn't have a good source of income lined up, not until he advanced to the next town and was able to go mining like Naofumi had recommended to him. "…get me the cheapest meal you have, and get her whatever she wants."
"I'll just have the same." Wyndia was glaring at the waiter because he was glaring at her. She was going to stare him into submission if she had to.
The waiter eventually broke off eye-contact with Wyndia. "I'll get that right out for you."
Wyndia got a cocky grin when she won the little stare-down.
Ren actually chuckled a bit at how the small victory pleased Wyndia. "You're fierce at least. I guess that will help you in battle."
"You're the sword hero. Are you not fierce?" Wyndia tilted her head curiously at him.
"No… I can't say I am. I wasn't even much of a fighter before I became the Sword Hero," Ren admitted. All of his sword experience came from his VRMMOs that he had played religiously. Other than that, he was mostly a NEET who had to be dragged outside by his more excitable friend. And considering he died the last time his friend had dragged him out, he wasn't comfortable commenting on his ferocity.
"Oh… Then are you scared to fight?" Wyndia started swinging her legs under her seat, not knowing what to do while she was waiting.
"…I didn't used to be. Admittedly now I am, but lingering on it won't get us anywhere. I am the Sword Hero. I need to fight the Waves. And having someone to help will make me a lot more comfortable." Ren bowed his head politely in thanks when the waiter brought them their food. He then switched their plates around, smelling Wyndia's food suspiciously. He remembered Naofumi telling him to be careful around people if demi-humans were involved, so he wanted to be sure no one was crazy enough to poison her. Thankfully, he found no sign of poison, which made him feel silly for how paranoid he had gotten.
Wyndia started grabbing handfuls of food and shoving it all into her mouth. She didn't have good table manners at all, which was no doubt because of the whole "being raised by a giant, deadly reptile" part of her life.
"We'll…work on your table manners eventually." Ren just started eating normally. He wasn't the shining example of table manners, but Wyndia certainly made him look much better.
Wyndia finished her entire meal within one minute before chugging down her entire drink. She was just in time to stare at Ren who still had food left.
Ren slowed down his own eating as Wyndia's stare made him uncomfortable. He had barely started, but now he had the equivalent of a dog begging for food. Now he wondered if it was racist to have even made that comparison.
Wyndia kept staring at Ren with her adorable eyes, pulling off powers of manipulation that Ren could only assume existed in anime.
Ren sighed when he only had a slab of meat left. He just scooped it up in his hand and reached out to put it on Wyndia's plate.
Wyndia didn't wait that long, biting both the food and Ren's hand. Since she hadn't meant to hurt him, her slave seal didn't hurt her for this.
Ren went silent as he processed this. Huh. This hurts. This REALLY hurts. Like…I guess it might be her demi-human side, but MAN THIS HURTS.
Wyndia eventually pulled away when she wasn't able to bite through Ren's hand.
Ren gave her a smile as he dropped what was left of the meat onto her plate. "Finish up. I'll be right back."
Wyndia nodded as she got to eating Ren's leftovers.
Ren got up and went to the waiter. "Excuse me, but do you have an empty room I could step into for a bit?"
The waiter nodded and pointed at a door.
Ren went into the room and closed the door behind him. He then grabbed his throbbing hand. "FUUUUUUUUU-!"
Naofumi blinked as he looked up from his cooking. He had just stopped for lunch on his way to Lute Village, but he could hear Ren screaming profanities for some reason.
"Mr. Naofumi, do you hear that?" Raphtalia asked worriedly. She was just sitting around and waiting for her lunch.
"How could I not?" Naofumi just decided to ignore it and get back to cooking.
Wyndia had paled a bit, still waiting for Ren. Of course she heard him, but she also knew not to comment about it.
Ren eventually stepped out of the room and went back to the table. "Are you ready to go, Wyndia?"
"Yes…" Wyndia hopped out of her seat to follow him. "Um…sorry."
"I'm fine," Ren assured her, though the way he cradled his hand said otherwise.
The two were silent for most of the way over to the weapon shop, because now they were both awkward.
Is it possible she gave me rabies? Is it racist to ask if a dog demi-human gave me rabies? It is definitely racist to even be thinking this… Ren eventually opened the door for her after they made it to the weapon shop.
Old Guy blinked in surprise at Ren's slave. "You know, I'm not prepared to arm an entire slave army if you and your friend keep bringing in slaves."
"That was never the intention… Thanks anyway, Erhard. I just need to get equipment for Wyndia here. My budget isn't as tight as Naofumi's," Ren told him.
Old Guy nodded and opened a back door. "I'll talk with Sword here about your equipment. You should wash the blood out of your hair at least. I just brought in a bucket of water for cooling metal. You should be able to clean up with that."
Wyndia bowed her head politely at the offer. "Thank you. It is my father's blood."
"Um…just saying 'thank you' would have sufficed," Ren told her.
"It really is my father's though-"
"Just get cleaned up, Wyndia."
Wyndia nodded and went into the back.
Old Guy then picked up a crate from under the counter. "Your Shield buddy told me to have equipment ready for kids. Now I know why at least."
"Yes… What do you think she can use?" Ren asked as the crate was cracked open.
"I have simple armor she can use, though I'm guessing she could do with something other than a sword," Old Guy said as he dug through the crate.
"Yes… I wouldn't want a party of all sword-wielders." Ren thought for a bit. "Do you have anything with more range than a sword?"
"It's old, but it should still hold up." He pulled out a whip and put it on the counter. "It's already got blood-clean coating."
"We'll let her test it first."
Wyndia eventually came out, looking much better without the blood on her.
"Great! You're looking a lot less like you're out of a horror movie!" Ren said as he gestured for her to come over.
"What is a horror movie?" Wyndia asked.
Ren was silent for a moment. Right… Being myself means an occasional reference or two. I should probably not talk about Bofuri around Naofumi… He gave Wyndia the whip. "Can you use this?"
Wyndia curiously flicked it a few times. "Maybe?" She then moved away and lashed it out once, yelping when she got it to hit and snap loudly…right on Ren's butt.
Huh. New pain. Like…wow, that hurt. It still hurts! I was not ready for today. Ren went completely silent as he processed the ungodly level of excruciating pain on his rear, somehow keeping a stone-cold poker face. "Mind if I use your back room for a second, Erhard?"
Old Guy nodded slowly and opened the door for him. "Take your time."
Ren went into the back before taking a deep breath. "FUUUUU-!"
Naofumi looked up from absorbing the two-headed Cerberus into his shield, hearing Ren's swearing echoing from down there. "…wow, that sounds like it hurt." He had made it to this cave a lot faster thanks to his previous knowledge.
Raphtalia nodded shakily, still scared after having to kill the Cerberus. "Do…you think he's ok?"
"I'm sure he's fine." Naofumi shrugged it off.
Ren eventually came out after swearing his lungs half to death. "I think you can handle it."
Wyndia nodded awkwardly. "Um… Should I never talk about this to another living soul?"
"Let's see… You quite-literally took a whip to my ass. I would prefer you never bring it up again," Ren said as he gave her the most patient smile he could muster.
"Then…I'll get changed real quick." Wyndia took the armor set aside for her and went to the changing room.
Ren went ahead to pay while he waited for her.
"Looks like you've got your hands full," Old Guy told him with a chuckle.
"I'm sure it won't be so bad. What's the worst that could happen?"
"She could level up, raising her attack stat. Then she could whip you again."
Ren felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he tried to keep his patient smile. "What are the chances of that happening?"
Wyndia came out in her new armor, which was about in the same style as Raphtalia's. "Ren, I'm ready to go."
"Just make sure to hit the enemy this time." Ren pat her head a few times as he walked by towards the exit. "Then we'll grab more food."
"Ok!" Wyndia ran after him.
This chapter is brought to you by Wikipedia! Because if you're like me and can't afford all the light novels, the second best thing is a website anyone can tamper with!
Yeah...Wyndia's Wiki page said next to nothing about her personality, and the only image of her was in black and white. Not that anyone has made it farther than the anime anyway! I should at least get points for effort...
