Before I realized what was happening to me, I was already back at the counter, still being trapped in Ofris strong arms. We waited for Risa to pull out a large, black stone plate, a piece of paper and an ink feather. I felt like cursing out loud.
«Haven't they played around enough already!? That elven bitch even loudly announced that I am having my period.»
「Your period?」 The vixen asked with a mischievous voice. 「You got used to it pretty fast.」
"That's- no!"
"Don't worry," Ofris tried to calm me down. "It won't hurt."
"What are you planning to do to me?"
"We will check your attributes and level for now."
"What for? I'm not stupid!"
"Nobody said you-"
"You totally did!"
"I am sure you are a nice girl."
"I'm a man!"
"If only that was true, it wouldn't be so sad ..."
«He would totally do me, wouldn't he?»
「Do your best, Rika!」 The vixen cheered.
"..."
"Please place your hand on the stone." The girl called Risa directed me. "It won't take long."
"If you say so ..."
Hesitatingly, I reached out for the stone. When I placed my hand down on it, Risa laid her own on mine and closed her eyes. Shortly after, the stone began to change its color, first slowly from black to a dark gray, then suddenly to a pale blue.
"Is she using magic?" I had to ask.
"Aside from two healers, they do not have any magicians working here," Ofris answered my question.
"But the stone changed its color?"
"She is just inserting her mana into it."
"So everybody has mana?"
"Yes," he answered with a weak smile, "even you."
"So I can learn magic, too?!"
"I am sure you will when you work really, really hard."
Even though he tried to sound honest, both of Ofris voice and mimic revealed sympathy and pity. He seemed honestly worried for my future.
«He picked me up in the forest just hours ago! He even put a leash on me as if I were a dog! Why does he try to protect me now!?»
「He seems to be a good guy,」 the vixen decided.
"He really is ..."
「What are you waiting for, then?」
"..."
A movement attracted my attention. Risa's hand reached for the ink feather. Without opening her eyes, she felt for the paper and began writing down several lines of what looked like small runes.
The expression on her face that had still been smiling before slowly changed. It revealed her shock, then even pity.
«Please stop pitying me ...»
Risa's hand finally came to a rest after about half a minute. She placed down the feather and opened her eyes before her sobered voice began repeating what she had written down.
『Level 4
HP: 21, MP: 24
Strength: 6
Vitality: 2
Spirit: 10
Intelligence: 13
Dexterity: 4』
"She is retarded ..." Ofris weak voice resounded in my ears.
"I am not retarded!"
"How can she be so weak?"
"I am not weak! Do not sigh!"
"That cat we tested back then had 14 intelligence ..." Risa added emotionlessly.
"WHAT?! I have less intelligence than a cat!? This can't be true! This must be wrong! I can do math, you know!?"
"Oh, what a biiig~ surprise!" A laughing voice came from behind the counter. "The dog is worth nothing. Who would have thought?"
«THAT ELF? IS IT THAT ELF AGAIN!?»
It really was that elf. A little more than a second after I had heard her annoying voice, she was already standing at the counter. Risa was so startled she didn't even fight back when the paper was stolen from her. The elf began reading with joy and glee showing in her eyes.
"Level 4?! Strenght 6? Hahaha! She is like a child! Intelligence 13?!" She burst into laughter.
"Sahria! Please!" Risa tried to calm her down again. "People are watching!"
"She is weaker than an insect!"
"Stop making fun about me!" I protested, my voice shaking from all the anger and shame she had caused me.
"You better start doing stretching exercises, bitch! Maybe you will find somebody willing to keep you when you are fun in bed!"
"Stop-"
My voice suddenly broke away. Even though I gave my everything to hold the tears back, the two women in front of me already became blurry. It didn't take more than mere seconds before the first of them rolled down my skin. Not even a minute later, I was crying like a small child.
It had been too much for me, all of this. First it was Mira, then the vixen and now even a random elf I had never seen before. Only hours ago I had been the happiest man alive and now my life was as good as over. It was all gone. I was nothing more than an animal in their eyes, a slave you could treat however you wanted.
«I can't do this- I can't handle this any longer!»
"That was totally unnecessary!" Ofris angry voice resounded in my ears. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
Ofris warm arms carried me away. He said something to me, but I was unable to understand as much as a single word. I didn't even see him looking at me anymore, as I hid my face and the endless stream of tears behind both of my hands.
Maybe he looked at me with his pitiful gaze again, maybe there were anger and hate, I would never find out. My tears only stopped when my exhaustion took over. I fell asleep before I could even think about fleeing his arms.
⊱————- ❈ ————-⊰
A beam of light hit my face, it blinded my eyes and urged me to hide under the thin blankets that were protecting my body. Still exhausted, I tried to get back to sleep, but the sound of somebody snoring lightly reached my ears and reminded me that this was neither my room nor my world.
I immediately opened my eyes to find the source of the snore, but what greeted me wasn't a sleeping stranger, but several green screens that were overlaying each other. Each of them contained several lines of white text.
«That vixen again ...»
『Quest completed: A Maiden in Love 4/5
Gained Experience-Points: 600
Accepted Quest 5/5: Embrace me!
Description: Sleep with your crush.』
『Level Up!
Level 5: 100% EXP
+5 HP
+7 MP
+1 Strength
+2 Spirit
+5 Dexterity』
『Level Up!
Level 6: 22% EXP
+4 HP
+6 MP
+2 Strength
+4 Vitality
+1 Spirit
+2 Intelligence
+3 Dexterity』
『Quest-Chain completed: A Maiden in Love
Gained Skill-Set: Beginners Magic (Fox-Edition); Dancing
Gained Skill: Item Box
Title Gained: Maiden in Love』
『Title Gained: Loved Child』
"... 'Inspect'"
『Loved Child
Type: Title
Class: Permanent; Passive
Effect: Increases Intelligence by 15
Description: I'm sorry.』
『This girl ...』
When I closed the last screen, my eyes fell on the sleeping Ofris. His well-built body was leaning against the wall and his head resting on his chest, which was slowly rising and falling under each of his calm breaths. With his armor reflecting the dancing sun rays that found their way through the small windows above the bed, he looked like a hero painted in oil, resting against a tree after defeating his mortal enemy.
«He didn't even grab a blanket for himself ...»
⊱————- Extra ————-⊰
Rika: I slept with him?
Rika: ...
Rika: Vixen? Shouldn't you be turning this into some perverted delusion right now?
Rika: Hey?
Rika: Vixen!
Rika: Wait- when did he kiss me?