Man…that did not go as planned.

I still couldn't get over how last night went. Even now that I was on the road—forest, actually—with Hailey and Khana, my mind kept going back to it, instead of focusing on the spell book in my hands. Was I really that much out of practice? I mean, sure, I kept up my work as a hired killer since we had to get out of the city, plus legitimate private investigation, but I guess I didn't do anything that big anymore.

Huh. Yeah, most of the jobs I took really weren't that big. Nothing that required as much legwork as I should have put into killing that noble, time constraints aside. That's what happens when you move to a town as opposed to a city. Sure, someone will always want someone else dead, but I wasn't raiding warehouses or knocking off drug lords anymore.

I did work for one, though. More than half my jobs came from him, in the end. He fancied himself a mafia don—not Italian, but he was catholic, funnily enough—except more willing to work with drugs. Extortion, protection, gambling, he had his hand in a few things. If you wanted something illegal in that town, his was the group to go to. And then I went and crossed him.

Even now, I still didn't know what I did. It was probably someone I killed, since his response was having a bomb planted in my family's home. Part of me still wondered if I should have actually joined his group instead of remaining a freelancer. Maybe then my family would…

Well, no point in worrying about that now. I was working to fix what I broke.

In any case, Rato wasn't pleased to see my condition when I got back to the room. More arrows stuck in me, burns, and a few deep cuts. The Axe of Rage healed me a bit, but it was still only the first level of that curse series. It wasn't exactly easy to improve with most of the power up methods, since it was more costly than the other weapon forms. The ore for Smelting was rarer, too.

I was just thankful I wasn't hit anywhere that would show with my armor on. The healing Rato provided didn't prevent all the wounds from scarring over. That wouldn't have been fun to try and explain to Khana.

The following days came and went without much going on.

I met up with Nelshen the night after I completed my job. She congratulated me on a job well done, though she wasn't thrilled with the manner I did it. It was a bit over the top, I would admit. Still, results were results.

News of the noble's death spread throughout the capital. The city watch was looking into who could have done it, but they didn't have any strong leads. Apparently, the noble hadn't bothered reporting the initial break-in to them, wanting to resolve the situation himself.

With his death, one of his other personal guards told the city watch about it. That put eyes on Nelshen, but she already anticipated that. From when the senate proposal was put forward to right now, all her meetings were looked into and would be verified. The opposition to the vote would look at everything she did since then, but they would find nothing. Nelshen guaranteed that.

Clearly, working with her was the right call.

~The Right Man~

Then, the day came. Khana and I reached Zeltoble, a day ahead of schedule.

"So, we're here." Khana said as we passed through the gate of the city. "You going to tell me what my favor to you is now?"

I told her earlier that her payment for learning all the power up methods would be made once we got here. The only other thing I told her was to bring her coin purse, and to make sure it was filled. She could tell she'd be taking a hit there.

"Yeah." I dismounted Hailey and Khana followed suit. "You're going to pay for a pair of slaves for me."

The look Khana gave me…well, it was actually pretty bland. I didn't know what I was expecting, but I didn't think she knew either.

"Slaves." Khana repeated.

"Yes." I nodded once. "I'm not entirely sure where they'll be, but I know who owns them."

She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Yeah, alright. So, who owns them?"

Khana was taking this pretty well. She knew I wasn't going to mistreat them, so that added to her acceptance of it.

"That's the difficult part." I said. "I don't know his name, just what he looks like. You remember the high priest of the Seven Star Church?"

She let out another long sigh.

"Yeah, it's going to take some doing." I said with a shrug. "I know he's involved in the underground coliseum, but—"

"No, I know who he is." Khana said, walking forward. She gestured for me to follow.

"You do?" I was surprised, but I wasn't going to complain.

"I've fought in that coliseum over a year ago. It pays really well. He got me the spot and helped hide my identity." She explained. "Betting on a hero doesn't pay that well."

Huh. Interesting. It's not like I could say I was all that surprised. Khana struck me as someone who would fight in a coliseum, though probably the more public one. Also, she was a bit more devious than I took her for. She basically did what Naofumi did in the books, minus the reasons, probably.

"He also gives me the creeps. I really don't like how he looks like the high priest." She went on.

"It's the other way around for me." I added my two cents on the matter.

We walked down the streets of Zeltoble. There were plenty of weapon shops on the way. I'd have to come back and copy what I could later. In fact, it didn't even need to be today. I got to level 50 ahead of schedule, too. Killing those guards really helped.

Once we got there, Khana spoke with someone on guard duty while I saved the location with Portal Axe. With a nod, he motioned us in.

"Your filolial." He said, gesturing to Hailey.

"Gweh?" She tilted her head at him.

"She stays with me." I said plainly.

We weren't going to stay long. After everything was taken care of, we'd go right back to Shieldfreeden to prepare for today's Wave. I just wanted this done and out of the way.

We were taken through a hidden door. Some stairs, a few twists and turns, and we came out to an area filled with cages. It was much bigger than the one in Faubrey.

"Welcome, welcome!" The fat man in a ringmaster's outfit called out as we approached. He gave a tip of his top hat. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm looking for a pair of slaves. Hakukos." I told him.

"Ah, I see, I see." He nodded, his spectacles shining in the somewhat dim lighting around us. "I believe I have what you're looking for, yes sir!"

The man twirled his cane and led us further into the place. I didn't like the last slave market and I didn't like this one. It was worse here, since I saw more children than in Faubrey. I shouldn't have been surprised. Khana wasn't doing much better. Even Hailey looked like she'd rather be somewhere else.

Those in the cages looked more and more worse off as we went deeper and deeper. I'd really rather be anywhere else, too, seeing the level of misery here. If I didn't need to be here, I wouldn't be.

On the way, the slave merchant went over my 'prospective products'. They were about as I remembered. Atla was blind and sick with some sort of degenerative illness that kept her from even moving, barely able to even lift her arms or turn on her side. Fohl fought in the coliseum, over and under the table, to purchase medicine for his younger sister. It was expensive and never enough, which is how they ended up in the slave merchant's 'fine establishment'.

"Here we are!" The slave merchant brought us to a cage and gave a little flourish.

Yeah, that was them. I hadn't seen any hakukos yet, but I remembered their features. Demi-humans, tigers with black and white stripes on their ears, hair, and tail. Both were practically in rags, Atla's more like a dress compared to Fohl's shirt and shorts. Atla was on a straw bed on the ground, her face covered in bandages, along with her arms and legs. Fohl had perked up and glared at us the moment we got close, standing in front of his sister. His face had some bruising on it, likely from a recent battle in the coliseum. One arm was extended out, also bruised, as if to cover Atla. He always was pretty protective of his sister in the books…

"You're Fohl?" I asked, pointing at him…

"Yeah? What do you want?" He demanded, one hand clenching into a fist. Although, looking at him, and the sound of his voice…

"You're a girl."

"So what!?"

I didn't have an answer to that. Of all the changes between the books and the world I was in, this was a pretty minor one. The slave merchant didn't actually specify their gender or say their names, just referred to them by their ages relative to one another.

"Good sir, however did you know her name?" The slave merchant asked.

"Not important." I said. I did kind of slip up there, but it shouldn't be an issue. "Anyway, these are the ones. How much are they?"

The slave merchant gave us the price. We haggled a little bit, since he was surely trying to get as much as he could out of the pair. Once we settled on a final price, I looked to Khana to see her reaction. Her face actually paled a little bit.

"Damn, little man…" She muttered. "You're really getting everything you can out of me, huh?"

"Yep." I couldn't help but smirk.

"Alright." With yet another sigh, she went through her coin purse.

"Open the cage." I told the slave merchant.

The man was rubbing his hands together. "Of course, good sir!" His happiness was expected. He just made a lot of gold and was able to offload a slave he wouldn't be able to sell otherwise.

"Get back!" Fohl yelled as I stepped in.

"Easy." I motioned with my hands to ease her down. "My name is Dante MacRory, the Axe Hero. I'll be your owner from now on."

Fohl continued to glare at me, looking like he'd…she'd attack at any moment. Despite what I thought, her being a girl was probably going to mess with my head for a bit.

"What about my sister?" She asked. "She's sick. She can't do anything for you."

"That won't be a problem." I tried to assure her.

That only got Fohl to narrow her eyes at me. "If you try to hurt her…"

"I won't. She'll be taken care of. I have an alchemist who works for me. I'm sure we'll be able to make some good medicine for her." I didn't want to say much more than that. If Khana learned about the Yggdrasil Elixir, she might wonder where I got it. No, she would definitely ask, or piece it together. Khana was really sharp.

"Why should I trust you, old man?" Fohl crossed her arms. "I don't like the look in your eyes."

"'Old man'?" The words were soft when I repeated them. Well, my beard had really grown in now. Shaking my head, I couldn't help but smile at her second observation. "Good. That means you have good instincts."

Fohl was ready to explode. This was good practice for when I meet Naofumi, even if it wasn't really going that well here. Whatever Fohl was about to say next was cut off by a quiet voice behind her.

"Sister…"

"Atla!" Fohl immediately turned and knelt next to her. "I'm sorry. You should be resting."

Her voice sounded so weak. I almost wished I brought the Yggdrasil Elixir with me.

"Who's here?" Atla asked, her voice raspy.

"He's…" Fohl looked at me again, though it wasn't as fierce as before. "Our new master. He has medicine for you, Atla."

How quickly she changed her tune when her sister entered the conversation.

"Mm…" Atla turned her head to face me. The bandages still concealed her face, though she wouldn't be able to see anyway. "Are you buying me so my sister will do what you say?"

"No. I'm buying you both because I want to." I replied.

Fohl crossed her arms. I couldn't really blame her. There were plenty of reasons to buy these two. They were strong, I knew where to find them, one grew into a hero while the other was a natural at using lifeforce. They would be great allies to have…

Was about half the reason. Initially that was the main thing, plus the gratefulness for helping Atla boosting loyalty from Fohl. But seeing that slaver place in Faubrey…I already knew what kind of world this was. Having it right in front of me was something else.

Yeah, it still bothered me, so what? I was a killer, not a slaver. I didn't have the ability to help any kids there, but I could do at least a little here. Fohl's age might have been mentioned in passing in the books, but she probably wasn't older than 11. Atla looked to be about 10, ignoring how her sickliness made her appear younger. This was no place for kids.

"Hm." I could have been mistaken, but that hum from Atla sounded happy. "I had a good feeling about you."

"Oh?" This might be interesting.

"Your words feel strong and kind." She said.

I laughed a little. "You're half-right. All the blood on my hands is only evidence for one of those things."

"You…" Fohl's tone became dangerous, but a small coughing fit from Atla stopped her from continuing.

"That doesn't mean you can't be kind." Atla said after calming down.

"Agree to disagree, then." I said as I got a little closer.

"I told you to stay back!" Fohl shouted, standing as tall as she could and clenching her fists.

"How am I supposed to get her out of here?" I asked.

"I'll carry Atla myself!" Fohl said.

I raised an eyebrow. "With that leg? And that arm?"

Her wounds weren't terrible, but they were present. It was subtle, but Fohl was favoring her right side over her left, so there was likely another bruise beneath her shorts. I doubted she'd be able to carry Atla safely.

"Grrr." Fohl actually growled at me as I knelt next to her.

"Sister…" Atla whispered, instantly calming Fohl down.

"…Fine." Fohl gave up pretty easily. Her sister was easily her biggest weakness.

Carefully, I scooped Atla up from her straw bedding. She wasn't skin and bones, but she was pretty light. It should have been obvious, but some good meals were definitely needed for her, as well as Fohl. The older of the two looked fit enough, but a hot meal would put most people in a better mood than whatever they were eating up until this point.

Actually, Hailey deserved some good meals as well. She got us here so fast, mostly eating the monster corpses raw. Oh well, good meals for everyone.

"Ah, good to see you're pleased with your purchase, yes sir!" The slave merchant said, jingling the many coins in his purse. "Just follow me and I will finalize the transaction."

"Got it." I nodded, exiting the cage with Fohl right behind me. "When we're done with that, I'll have something else for you to do."

"I'm looking forward to learning more about this mysterious hero I've been introduced to!" The fat man said, spinning his cane as he walked.

"This was really expensive, little man." Khana said, walking next to me.

"Yeah, but you're good for it." I said, smiling. "Besides, you can't tell me you don't feel good about this."

"What? Witnessing a big softie like you helping kids? Yeah, I guess I am happy about that." Khana tapped my shoulder, mindful of what I was carrying.

"Gweh?" Hailey poked her beak around Atla, sniffing her a little.

"Hey!" Fohl quickly got between us. "Leave Atla alone!"

"Gweh? Gweh!" Some more prodding and investigating from Hailey, this time on Fohl. Then, she ducked under her and lifted her over her neck, settling Fohl on her back like a saddlebag. "Gweh!" Hailey then gave me a winning smile as only a filolial could.

"Looks like she's copying you~." Khana teased, watching Fohl flail about on Hailey's back.

"Who wouldn't want to be me?" I joked right back. "Hm?"

I didn't notice right away, but Atla had raised her hand up and placed it against my face, her fingers lightly tracing through my beard.

"Master…" She whispered. Moving around probably wasn't that good for her. We needed to finish up here and get back so I could treat her.

"What is it?" I leaned my head down so I could hear her better.

Her hand settled on my armor as she spoke, her voice even quieter. "Please watch over my sister when I'm gone."

Damn. This girl…she's more concerned about her sister than herself. I'd forgotten that. With the way she would act with Fohl from the books, you'd think she just didn't want him (now her) hovering around her all the time. That was true, but Atla also wanted Fohl to live her own life, not having to care for a dying sister.

"Don't worry. You're going to be fine." I told her just as softly.

"Hey! Why is your face so close to Atla's?!" Fohl demanded, still perched on Hailey.

"Don't worry about it." I said, bringing myself back up.

We entered a larger area, a few of the slave merchant's workers waiting for us. I spotted a vial of the ink used for slaves in one of their hands.

"Now then, let's complete the sale, yes sir." The slave merchant gestured to one of his men.

I took that as my cue and brought Atla over to him and set her down on the nearby table. Fohl was next to me a moment later, holding Atla's hand.

The procedure of transferring ownership was pretty simple. Just like that, Atla was transferred over to me. The information provided painted a better picture of her condition. Needless to say, it wasn't good.

"And now for the other one." The slave merchant said, his worker bringing Fohl to the center of the open area, Fohl watching Atla the whole time.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"The older sister has a high-grade slave seal." The slave merchant said. "It was useful in keeping me and my employees safe, yes sir."

Fair enough, I suppose. Better control aside, a hakuko slave was probably worth a lot more.

Speaking of, I was curious and asked what the difference in slave seals were back in Faubrey. Standard ones are for slaves that would act as, well, slaves. Menial labor, cleaning, cooking, and…explicit activities. It still irked me that happens. A high-grade or advanced slave seal was for slaves that would become strong. A general rule-of-thumb, if the slave was going to go through a class up, they would need a high-grade seal. High-grade ones also had longer-ranged tracking and remote orders, as well as allowing multiple owners.

"Whoa!" After the ceremony was finished, Fohl held out her arms as she looked herself over. "My stats just went up!"

"They what?" I looked over the new addition to my status magic. Both hers and Atla's information was displayed. Come to think of it, I didn't really look through Atla's combat stats, just her HP and basic condition. When I opened up that menu, I saw her stats were also pretty high. In fact, they were higher than what I was at level 1.

How could this be? Shouldn't the two weapon forms just increase growth? I pulled up the weapons in question.

Slave User Axe
(abilities unlocked) equip bonus: slave maturation adjustment (small)

Slave User Axe II
(abilities unlocked) equip bonus: slave stat augmentation (small)

Hm. Well, the maturation adjustment was probably related to growth. Stat augmentation must have been it. I just assumed that referred to a slave's stat growth, which is what the bonuses should have been improving. Rato's stats were increasing pretty well, as were Hailey's with similar Monster User Axes, so I figured all was right. Something to look into.

With the two ceremonies done, the slave merchant turned to me with that smile his family was surely known for.

"How else might I be of service to the Axe Hero?" He then asked.

Time for my second and third reasons for coming here. "I need you to send a message to your nephew in Melromarc."

There were a few ways to send messages quickly. The Adventurers Guild had a device set up to do just that between guilds. There was something similar with a crystal ball, but that was only one way, and I doubted the slave merchant or Beloukas had something like that on hand. Far too expensive.

The second method was probably how the queen would make contact with me through her shadows.

"How knowledgeable you are, yes sir." The slave merchant glanced at Khana behind his tiny spectacles. "I don't believe I ever told the Hammer Hero about him."

Khana didn't give him a response.

"I'm sure you'll find my request interesting, too." I said. "There was a Wave at the village of Lurolona in Melromarc. The surviving villagers were sold into slavery. I want him to start collecting them. He'll be compensated for holding them for me, plus the difference between what he buys them for and sells to me. I assume, of course, he'll give a fair price to a hero."

The slave merchant continued to grin as he rubbed his hands together. This was going to be a bit more costly, but well worth it.

"There are three in particular I know of that I want him to find. Raphtalia, Rifana, and Keel, a raccoon, weasel, and dog demi-human, respectively. All girls and about 10 years old."

While getting every child sold off would be great, those three were ones I had names and descriptions for. Part of it was me wanting to help people whose names I knew. Funny how that was all it took.

"Quite the business venture, yes sir!" He said. "And quite interesting indeed!"

"Some of them might make their way here in the meantime, so keep your ear to the ground. Your payment will be the same." I added.

Given the time it would take to get to Melromarc, the possibility of that happening wasn't completely out there. I was pretty sure they were only sold here once the queen returned and tried to free them herself, but I wasn't about to ignore the country that probably had the largest number of slaves being sold in it.

"Lastly, there's someone I want you to look for here." And here came the third reason, which also partially influenced the second. "An orca demi-human by the name of Sadeena, though she'll probably go by Nadia. When she makes an appearance in the coliseum, above or below ground, tell her what I'm doing and send a message to your nephew. I'll be back as soon as I get the message."

Sadeena was one of the strongest non-heroes that Naofumi recruited, if not the strongest. That old martial artist woman was a contender. If I had some village kids with me, I could get her help that much earlier.

Some of this depended on when things actually happened. When were the heroes summoned after the Wave? The same day? The next day? Later? When did Sadeena go to Zeltoble? When did she return from her fishing quest for Lord Seaetto—really, for Aultcray for some celebration for Malty, but that wasn't relevant.

I haven't heard from Mirellia yet, so maybe the heroes weren't already summoned. That, or she didn't have shadows in Shieldfreeden, or a way to quickly communicate with them there. The timeline of things before the heroes were summoned was shoddy at best, so that's why I cared about what was basically the 'start' of the story.

Some of it might not even matter. If Rifana and Raphtalia were already sold to Idol Rabier…well, Rifana would be dead. Maybe getting Raphtalia earlier would prevent that. The only thing I could really remember was that Naofumi got Raphtalia after three weeks or something like that. Two weeks were spent brooding about what happened to him. Understandable to an extent, not how I would have handled it, and also irrelevant.

"So much work to be done, yes sir." The slave merchant nodded. "The time and resources this will take…"

"Yes, yes." I went through my own coin purse now. This was just how these things worked. Two stacks of silver coins, right on his desk. "Twenty silver to start."

"I'm glad you understand such things. Hm…" He picked up a coin and examined it. "Faubrey silver. To use that in Zeltoble, however…"

I smirked. "Nice try. If we were in any other country, I'd worry about exchange rates and differing currencies. But here? Please."

The slave merchant smiled widely once more. "Ah. Very knowledgeable, yes sir."

My own experiences and knowledge of this world aside, I got confirmation from Khana. Zeltoble was basically a huge trade hub. Anything anyone wanted could likely be found here, legal or especially illegal. Even on my own, I could be pretty successful here. That was especially true with the Vassal Axe, making me more than enough muscle for any group. Eddy would be running this city in a couple years at most, no doubt.

But then, he, Gloria, and Mary were why I was here in the first place. I still had a job to do.

"I'll begin right away, yes sir." The slave merchant said.

"Good. I'm looking forward to your family's results."

With that, I returned to the hakuko sisters. Fohl's mouth was hanging open slightly, her eyes a bit stern. It was a bit hard to piece out, but she looked a mix between angry and awed, a strange combination.

"What?" I asked her.

She closed her mouth and chose anger over the two. "Why are you buying so many slaves? And how do you know about that?"

I smiled. "Aw, now where's the fun of me saying that? Keep a little wonder in your heart!"

Really, I just wasn't going to tell the slave merchant—whose name I couldn't care to learn—how I knew all this, since he was standing right there. Seeing as I wasn't going to say anything, he went about his business.

"Little man here is a philanthropist." Khana said, though her voice was a little strained. I was planning on spending a huge sum of money, so it was no wonder.

I went over to Atla and gently picked her up again. "Alright, we're done here. Khana, if you would?"

There would be plenty of time to copy axes and upgrade armor later, like after the Wave.

"Sure thing. Portal Hammer!"

With that, we teleported out of the slave merchant's business and appeared in a somewhat remote part of Shieldfreeden's capital, just like always. Fun fact about the Portal skills: they can take us out of buildings, but not into them. It was just as well. Didn't want to appear right next to someone suddenly, right?

"Whoa!" Fohl swiveled her head around to look at our surroundings.

"Yeah, it can be a little disorienting the first time." Khana said, returning her hammer to her back.

From there, we made our way back to the inn. Fohl stayed at my side just in front of me the whole time. Even with her injuries, she was ready to fight anyone who presented a danger to her sister. Atla being around so many people had her on edge, it seemed. Adventurers being out and about to make last-minute preparations for the Wave certainly didn't help.

We got to the busy inn, where we found our parties relaxing at one of the tables.

"Rato." I called out to her, then nodded toward the stairs. She nodded in return and stood up from the table.

"You need anything else, little man?" Khana asked as she neared her party.

"I think we're good. I'll be back down in a little bit to discuss the Wave. Rato, heal Fohl once we're up there."

Rato and I went up to our room with the sisters. Once inside, I placed Atla down on the bed. Rato cast her healing spell on Fohl, the girl letting out a breath of relief. It seemed like such a simple thing to provide Fohl with. Since she was earning money for Atla's medicine, something that only cost MP should have been fine to use, but what did I know?

With the door closed and me sure no one from Khana's party followed us up, I turned to Rato.

"Okay, Rato, how does she look?" I wanted her opinion on Atla's condition before giving her the medicine.

"Very well." Rato moved to the other side of the bed, Fohl taking a place on this side next to me. "But as I've told you, Sir Axe, what you have will be more than enough to make my examination pointless."

I shrugged. "Humor me, please."

"Hm. Well, it would be informative. I've read about the regenerative powers of Yggdrasil Elixir, but I've never seen—"

"You have Ygg—" I quickly clamped my hand over Fohl's mouth before she could shout that out for everyone to hear.

"Yes, I do." I told her, my eyes conveying to her to keep quiet. Just to add to the effect, I removed my hand from her mouth and brought my finger to my lips. "This will be our little secret. Now then…"

I brought Fohl's attention back to her sister, who Rato had eased into a sitting position. Fohl took the hint and kept her up, allowing Rato to begin unbandaging Atla's face.

"You can bring someone back from the brink of death with that." Fohl said as Rato continued to work. "You're really going to use that…for Atla?"

"That's the plan." I said.

From the side, I could see Fohl's expression go through a few phases. Confusion, disbelief, a moment of anger, then back to confusion. Her face turned to look at me from an angle. "…Why?"

"You heard Khana. I'm a philanthropist." I gave her a smile. She didn't believe that for a second. "And having a hakuko work under me, who is completely loyal and indebted to me, is a huge perk."

"Hmph!" Fohl turned back. "Well, if you cure my sister, you can use me however you want. Just keep your hands off Atla."

"Hm." I felt my eye twitch. "Since you are her older sister and have been caring for her for some time, I'll give you a pass. Don't suggest I'd do something like you're implying to a child again."

She took my threat for what it was and flinched. "I-I meant when she grows! You know demi-humans age with levels!"

I took in a breath to ease back on the anger that just bubbled up. "Yeah, okay."

Fohl really was just looking out for her sister, after all. I'll admit, I had been a little paranoid after Mary was born, so I could understand. I did chop up that one known pedophile, though I killed him before chopping him up, so I couldn't even say Fohl was overreacting. They were slaves. It was a reasonable assumption.

"That's what you were hiding?" Atla murmured.

"Hm?" My gazed shifted to her.

"The medicine. I knew you were hiding something, but…" She trailed off.

"Heh. Yeah. You noticed that, huh?" I had to admit, she was a sharp little thing.

"I thought you were trying to ease my sister's worries about my health."

Was that why she said to watch over Fohl? Unbelievable. She knew the hand she was dealt and assumed any words from me were just comfort. Making sure Fohl was taken care of after her death was her biggest concern.

"You love your sister so much. Such a brave girl." I couldn't help myself. With the top half of her head unbandaged, I softly placed my hand on her head.

"Hey!" Despite Fohl's clear objection, she had the sense to not try removing my hand.

"You, too." I placed my other hand on Fohl's head, getting a restrained growl from her. Slave or not, pain or not, there was no doubt Fohl would fight me to her last breath if I meant Atla any harm. Both of them were so strong.

I stepped back and let them continue. With Atla's face exposed, I got something of an idea of what she's had to deal with. Sunken in eyes, sores and cancerous-looking wounds, a thin face, pale, dry, and almost leathery skin. It probably hurt to eat, compounded by their lack resources and living conditions, to say nothing of their food quality. A hot meal from the restaurant downstairs would have to do until I could make something myself. My cooking skill was nothing to scoff at.

The minutes passed by as Rato looked her over. Atla was able to lie back for the most part. A few spots on her arms and legs were checked, as well as her back. When it came to her chest, Fohl glared at me, but I already had my head turned away. That didn't stop the older sister from trying to burn holes in the side of my head.

"I'm finished." Rato stood up straight from the bed.

"Well?" I asked.

"It will certainly work. The only question is how fast. How high is your medicine skill?"

I smiled and gave her the particulars. Of all the stats I could increase with Job Level, my medicine use skill was one I made sure to improve. I did so precisely for this purpose. An additional increase from an equip bonus or two didn't hurt any.

"Hm." Rato cupped her chin in thought. "I'll need more data."

"Then it looks like it's time." I turned to the sisters. "You ready?"

"Yes!" Fohl practically shouted.

Rato went for one of her pouches and undid the flap, pulling out the vial of Yggdrasil Elixir. She was the best one to hold it, considering her support role in combat, and how I was more likely to run into something that would knock me around.

"A small amount." She said, handing it to me. "About one-third of the vial."

I stepped around Fohl and gently pushed Atla up. "Here you are." Slowly, I poured a bit of the medicine into her mouth. Her body glowed a pleasing green.

When I was done, I set her back down. The effect was instantaneous. The sores and cancer-like abrasions shrank to about half their size. Her face gained a bit of color, bringing her a little closer to Fohl's complexion. She also stopped looking like she hadn't slept in days, now closer to an hour of rest.

"Atla…" Just by the tone of Fohl's voice, I could tell there were tears in her eyes.

I didn't think the medicine would work this fast. Sure, Rato implied something would happen, but I was sure it took longer in the books. Maybe I remembered wrong, or the elixir was just that much stronger.

"How do you feel?" I asked her.

"Much better, Master." She said, breathing much more easily now.

"Just 'Dante'."

She hummed happily, a soft smile on her face. "You really are a kind man, Mister Dante." I had a feeling she'd address me like that. "You're using such an important medicine for me and you're helping people hurt by the Waves. A true hero."

"Heh." That was nice of her to say, but quite wrong. "No, I'm not a true hero. I'm only doing that to help myself."

She smiled just a little bit wider, turning her face slightly as if she was looking at me. "Hm. That's a lie."

"A-Atla!" Fohl quickly spoke up. "Don't talk back to him! He might not help you now!"

Atla shook her head. "Sister, he's doing all this because he's kind, not because it'll help him."

She was wrong, but kind of right. Pretty insightful of her.

"Still agree to disagree." I decided it wasn't worth correcting her. Instead, I turned to Rato. "You're estimate?"

She looked at the younger sister approvingly, a smile on her face and hands on her hips. "If she gets some good food and plenty of rest, and another dose tomorrow morning, she might be able to hold her own weight by tomorrow night."

I nodded. "Then I'll go take care of the first thing. Be right back."

This was a huge step forward. The Wave happening today wasn't much of a concern, despite how the last one went. We were far more prepared this time. Melromarc was our next destination, so I'd have to see how things go then.

I might get lucky with Sadeena. If memory served, she was in Melromarc long enough for Naofumi to meet her on one of Motoyasu's time loops, around the time he would have gotten Raphtalia. If I leave a note in Lurolona, I might get lucky and meet her sooner than expected.

Author's Notes:

Oh yeah, much easier to write this chapter. We're chugging right along.

I thought I'd get a little further along than this, but I'm pleased where this chapter is leaving off at.