* * *
Right as Hiroki managed to defeat this monster, which was similar to a moose, he finally found a chance to communicate with one of this world's humans.
From what he could see, she was a young girl who had participated in hunting monsters with a group of other guys.
Hiroki was surprised to see that, despite having a small body, she was able to defend herself from weaker monsters.
Right now, this girl was still on the ground, looking at Hiroki without any sort of expression on her face. While her terror from the events that happened some moments ago was gone, her eyes had widened, not in fear but rather in curiosity.
'I'm sure that she's probably confused about me right now; that's why I'm hoping that she won't freak. Many girls her age back in my world would probably scream their lungs out if they saw me.'
Hiroki looked back at the curious girl in front of him.
"W-what are you?"
The girl asked as she was trying to understand what Hiroki was.
Hiroki had thought very carefully about how to approach someone else while in that form. But after he managed to save this girl from a dangerous situation, he was sure that he had earned a bit of her trust.
"I guess I should introduce myself to you."
"...."
"My name is Hiroki. I was wandering around the forest before I happened to see you here."
Despite the polite way Hiroki introduced himself, the girl in front of him wasn't budging her eyes away from him.
"....A-are you… a demon?" She worriedly asked, afraid to know the answer behind that question.
"If you're worried about my appearance, then rest assured because, as far as I'm aware, I am not a demon. Believe it or not, I was once a human being just like you. And because of a curse, I ended up like this. So please treat me like anyone else."
However, Hiroki could still see doubt in her eyes, which is why he tried giving her a bit of space to sort out her thoughts.
"Do you know what a demon looks like?"
Hiroki asked as a way to both get information and warm her up to him.
The girl, however, simply shook her head left and right.
"No, I've never seen one…"
'She mistook me for a demon, so I was wondering whether she knew something about demons in this world.' Hiroki thought to himself.
"—I have h-heard that they have white hair and red eyes…. T-that's why…" She added, her voice stuttering while looking at Hiroki.
She was aware of the similarities between a demon and Hiroki, but at the same time, she didn't want to offend him in any way, which is why she tried to be as considerate as possible when talking.
Since Hiroki was mistaken for a demon, he tried to see his own reflection in a puddle, but he didn't have a reflection. He was aware that his appearance must have changed, which is why he tried to figure out something about his actual characteristics.
"So that's why you called me a demon..." Hiroki muttered to himself.
"I didn't m-mean to call you that! I-im sorry if I offended you." The girl gave a small gasp before trying to apologize to Hiroki.
"No, I don't mind. I'm rather thankful that you mentioned what I look like."
The moment Hiroki responded back, the girl in front of him gave a bit of a confused look, trying to process what he could mean by such words.
Hiroki understood that humans in this world either feared or hated demons, but since he didn't know what they looked like, it was rather helpful.
"Anyway, you still haven't told me your name."
"Ah, y-yes."
The slender brown-haired girl stood up, and after taking a small breath, she said.
"My name is Aya. I am an F-ranked adventurer."
"F-ranked? Is that the reason why you are trying to get stronger?"
Hiroki knew that her ranking was rather low compared to what he knew of alphabetic rankings.
".....yes…." The girl looked to her side with dejected eyes.
'Then if she's coming to this dangerous part of the forest, that either means her group was coming for the dungeon or they got too greedy after using this girl as bait.' Hiroki tried guessing.
This girl was completely hopeless, and none of the previous guys who were at her party seemed to care about her. That was another reason why Hiroki solely chose to help her.
"I understand. Then, as per our agreement, I can make you stronger. However, as I mentioned before, I need you to give me your body."
Hiroki tried to give her an explanation that would make sense to her. He didn't want this to sound like a death threat.
"As you can see, I might be mistaken for a demon. And I would rather avoid that; that's why I need your help by cooperating with me."
"Can you… really make me stronger?" She looked at Hiroki with worried and slightly hopeful eyes.
"Yes, I can promise you that. But in order to do that, I will need your help."
There was a moment of silence as Aya thought to herself. But after a couple of seconds, she was quick to finally come up with an answer.
"If this will make me stronger, t-then please take my body."
She assertively stated, clenching her own fist against her tattered leather armor, her cheeks also slightly blushing. Hiroki's eyes slightly widened at her determination before a slight smirk appeared on his face.
"Let's get along from now on." Hiroki said to the girl as he slowly approached her.
He could tell that she was worried after accepting a deal with him. That's why Hiroki tried to be very careful and slow when getting closer to her.
And after he was about a few centimeters away from the girl, she closed her eyes with her clenched fists, waiting for what Hiroki was about to do to her. Her body was already trembling from being both nervous and scared of what was about to happen.
Once he was in range of his possession skill, Hiroki quickly possessed the girl and used the skill that he had been waiting to use.
< Curse >
While he was possessing Aya, Hiroki could feel and sense anything that was going on around her body.
Her chest felt like there was something pressing against it, and the moment he used the skill, a chill went down her whole spine like a current shock.
"Ah…"
She quickly opened her eyes and looked at her own hands to see the weird way her body was acting.
But that didn't seem to be the end... Because in the next moment, she felt a burning sensation right below her belly button. It was a warm feeling of itchiness that made her legs very weak.
"Uh… mh, w-what's happening to me?"
She asked while trying to keep herself from completely collapsing.
Hiroki wasn't sure how her body was going to react, which is why he continued waiting for what was about to happen next as his skill was taking effect.
Her chest was becoming warmer, and tears were beginning to fill her eyes.
Then, after a few seconds of feeling a rather pleasant tingling sensation near her crotch, she took deep breaths.
[ Notice ]
[ 'Aya' was bound to your soul! ]
"Haah, haah..… What.. happened? ...Huh? Where did he go?" She looked around with a confused look.
~I'm right here. Can't you tell?~
"W-waah?!"
She trembled in fear as she heard his voice in her own head. She looked all around in panic while trying to maintain her balance. It was clear that she had never communicated with someone this way.
Thanks to the skill Hiroki had acquired, he was able to communicate with his own possessed beings without any problems.
It was starting to get dark, which is why, in order to calm Aya down, Hiroki explained to her what he was doing. He told her that he didn't have a physical body and how it was linked to this curse that made him similar to a demon.
"I…. I understand…. B-but can you read…."
"If you're talking about reading your thoughts, then no, I can't hear them. So don't worry about that." Hiroki reassured Aya. "But I would really suggest that we move. I've been keeping the weaker monsters away from here, but that won't be the same if a powerful one were to come."
"O-okay….."
Since this place was a dangerous part of the forest, Aya decided to gather a few things from the dead adventurers before giving Hiroki confirmation that she was ready to leave.
She continued to walk in one direction until, after almost an hour, Hiroki could see, through Aya's eyes, walls that were surrounding an entire town.
Since he knew that Aya was tired of being used as bait, he decided that it was for the best not to fight. That's why Hiroki used 'Ruler's wrath' and 'Danger sense' to either avoid or keep away dangerous monsters.
During the whole time, Aya was very quiet and didn't say a thing to Hiroki. He could feel that she was nervous. That was the reason Hiroki didn't try to startle her by talking in her mind.
"Teacher…. Are you still there?"
Aya quietly asked as they were about to approach the gate of the city.
~Drop the teacher thing. Call me by my name. And yes, I'm still here.~
Hiroki calmly responded to her in her mind without getting out of her body.
~We did make a deal after all.~
Hiroki knew that the people he had in control still had minds of their own, and this girl was already trying to hold herself back after Hiroki was inside her. He was aware that she would be uncomfortable.
"Yes… we did…" She said to herself, sounding rather defeated.
'Is she regretting this? Or is she scared of what I will do with her body?' Hiroki thought to himself.
~I said this before, but I will help you become stronger. That's why you should try to cheer up.~ Hiroki reassured her.
"O-okay…."
She softly responded as they were about to approach the guards that were at the gate.
Once Aya and Hiroki inside her were close to where the guards were, they crossed their spears in the form of an 'x'.
"Stop right there and identify yourselves." One of the guards demanded.
Aya then quietly pulled out a card made of something that seemed very easy to rip apart. But to Hiroki's surprise, the guard simply nodded before giving a confirmation and letting the girl inside the town.
~What was that thing that you showed to the guards?~ Hiroki inquired in interest.
"Ah! ...That was the adventurer's card given by the guild I work in."
Aya was startled for a moment before answering Hiroki's question.
Based on the position the sun was in, it was already afternoon.
The way humans in this town were dressed was like in the Middle Ages. But there was a different look that added to the fantasy concept. And that was the fact that there were people who seemed to be cosplaying.
Starting from an elf that was wearing dark, revealing clothes to some adventurers that were creating water out of nowhere.
While Hiroki was looking around silently, he didn't try to engage in any more conversations with Aya since he didn't want to make her look like she was talking to herself. That would definitely draw attention.
Aya continued walking for some time until she finally arrived at a classic-looking building where many other adventurers were coming in and out.
The adventurer's guild.
Aya continued walking inside until she walked up to a desk where a smiling girl was waiting for the next adventure that sought assistance.
"Oh, Aya?! You're back! I was beginning to get worried about you."
The receptionist's smile immediately turned into a worried one the moment she recognized Aya.
"Where are the rest of your party members? And what happened to your hair?"
"Um…eh.."
Aya then proceeded to explain everything that happened to her while she was with her party members. And to back up her proof, she gave the receptionist the bag, which was full of the other adventurers' cards.
However, she was a bit confused about why she also seemed worried about her hair. Her hair typically gets dirty from being a constant target, so Aya did not give much thought to it.
The receptionist held her breath for a moment before her eyes continued to widen in shock at the story that Aya was telling.
"It's unbelievable to think that you managed to escape a legendary Mast… You really are lucky, Aya…. However, as a staff member of this guild, I must first consult with the guildmaster."
The receptionist kept a professional posture as she explained to the girl.
"Please come tomorrow morning."
Despite giving all of the materials to the staff, Aya kept quiet and turned around in order to head home.
~Was it okay to just hand over all of the materials you got without receiving any compensation?~ Hiroki asked.
"N-no! Mirai is different... She is.... kind to me…"
Aya immediately reacted before her voice became softer after realizing that some people were noticing her speaking to herself.
'She says that, but what she doesn't realize is the fact that I can feel that she is hungry. Not to mention the constant glances she gave to the food stalls.' Hiroki thought.
~If you say so… What do you intend to do now? Do you have a place to stay?~ Hiroki asked the girl once more.
Hiroki knew that Aya's situation seemed very difficult, which is why he suspected that she might be struggling a lot.
"......"
Aya remained silent for a few moments before she slightly opened her mouth to unstick her dry lips.
"...Yes…."
Hiroki thought that she was acting rather weird, but the moment they arrived at a strange neighborhood that was much emptier compared to the other ones, he quickly understood the reason behind Aya's behavior.
After walking for some time, they arrived in front of an abandoned house, which gave off the vibes of some evil spirits living in it.
Hiroki understood the situation she was in.
Due to some sort of economic problem, Aya had no choice but to break in and live in this abandoned house.
The moment Aya entered the abandoned house through the half-broken door, Hiroki got out of her body and looked at her gloomy face, which was quick to turn into a startled one upon seeing a ghost come out of her body.
"Since no one can probably see us here, I will try to give you some privacy. However, I will need you to stay close to me in case something happens."
Hiroki told Aya with a blank expression on his face.
"I understand.. Teach— I mean Hiroki."
"You don't have to be so depressed. I don't know what kind of situation you have, but you should know that thinking positively will only bring positive things into your life."
Hiroki let out a sigh, then continued to follow her to the bedroom.
The bedroom wasn't all that bad except for the fact that there was lots of dirt and broken stuff lying around.
The moment Aya sat on the bed, Hiroki remained in front of her since he still wanted to know some questions that he hadn't been able to ask before.
"If you want to get stronger, how about we start by telling the reason why?" Hiroki inquired. "I find it a bit strange to see a pretty young girl at your age wanting to fight dangerous monsters."
Aya's face lit up for a moment before she looked to her side in pain.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it."
"Ah, no! I'm sorry…." Aya quickly responded with concern, followed by a small, pained smile. "It's just that you're the first one to ask about me…"
"Hm? That's weird…. How come no one bothered to help out a cute girl like you?" Hiroki asked with a bewildered look.
"C-cute?!" Aya's cheeks slightly blushed as her eyes looked at Hiroki in surprise.
"Yeah, no one has told you that?" Hiroki tilted his head at her surprised reaction.
"...no…"
She gave a faint answer as she looked to her side, embarrassed at being called cute. She didn't really care about her appearance before, and the last time she was called 'cute' was a long time ago.
After a brief moment, she laid on the bed as she was looking at Hiroki watching her.
"Anyway... you should probably head to sleep now. I'm sure that tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us. That is, of course, if you still want to become stronger."
"You weren't lying to me when... you said that?" She asked with a worried expression.
"We have a deal, don't we? For as long as you help me, I promise to help you." Hiroki gave her a confident response.
Aya's brown eyes reflected the light of the moon, as hope was growing inside her. She understood that Hiroki wasn't lying when he promised that. And after being considerate, she was beginning to understand that he was no threat to her.
For the time being, Hiroki didn't want to rush things with Aya too much, however, since her goal was to become stronger, this was perfect for him.
It's like killing two birds with one stone. Not only did he find a way to interact with the world, but also a way to level up while staying hidden from the humans of this world.
'However, in order to get this done smoothly….. I must earn the trust of this girl.' Hiroki thought to himself while gazing back at the girl.
Right now, Aya was lying on her bed, trying to fall asleep. Despite the fact that there was someone else beside her, she felt a bit secure knowing that someone who seemed to care about her was watching over her.
Usually, this would've freaked her out. But for some reason, she felt very warm and safe with him near her.
* * *
Next morning.
The nights in this world are a bit shorter than in the one Hiroki was in, and the people living in it wake up early in the morning to head to their own work.
As soon as Aya woke up from her bed, Hiroki thought that it would be the best time to ask her about common information about this world.
She was a bit confused at first, but she still decided to explain to him everything that he needed to know.
And so she did….
The name of this town was called 'Fixy' located to the south of 'Redo Kingdom'. A peaceful place that was beginning to develop quite well based on the kind of time this world is in.
Aya didn't mention any wars in this world, which proved to Hiroki that there hadn't been any conflict in this world for quite a while.
While obtaining a map was almost impossible for commoners, Aya explained to Hiroki that in this world there were at least five states where one another was in treaty situations.
Hiroki also asked about the sort of position held in this world. However—
"Demons haven't been seen for at least four hundred years…."
—the answer that Aya gave Hiroki quite surprised him.
Apparently, there was supposed to be a sixth kingdom where demons lived, but due to the bad environmental conditions that their land had, humans couldn't either invade or explore that land. And thanks to that, demons haven't shown themselves to humans for more than 400 years.
"Anyway, thank you for your information. This quite helps me." Hiroki thanked Aya after he reached a conclusion in his head.
"N-no, I didn't do much…"
After a few more minutes, once Aya was ready, Hiroki possessed her before heading outside.
"E-Eek!"
But even though she should've gotten used to it, Hiroki still noticed how she would flinch every time he would possess her.
* * *
At the guild, Aya was immediately greeted by the same receptionist girl who talked to her yesterday.
From her reaction, Hiroki noticed that something wasn't quite right, which is why he was on guard the whole time while inside Aya.
Aya was told to wait in a certain room on the second floor, which was much fancier from what he could see. And soon enough, a certain man that seemed to be in his late thirties, walked inside.
However, what made this man stand out from anyone else, was the fact that he had a well tied grayish beard. And the most obvious feature was a scar on his left eye that showed the battles he'd been through.
"I'm sorry to make you wait, even though I was the one who called you here." The fancy man calmly spoke with his deep, vibrating voice.
"N-no, I don't mind."
Aya was caught off guard for a moment by the way she was suddenly treated.
After this man sat down at his office desk, he picked up a letter that was there before directing his eyes towards Aya.
"This won't take long. I only wanted to ask you a few questions regarding the situation that happened with your party yesterday."
And as he placed his letter down, he continued looking at her.
"What killed your party members was stated by you, to be a legendary Mast. Is that right?"
"Y-yes." Aya nervously responded.
"I see. Then, after you managed to get away from that monster, you found the right time to not only bring their guild cards as proof, but also a sample of that legendary monster? I'm indeed impressed by the potential of an F-ranked member of my guild."
The guildmaster crossed his fingers together as he looked at Aya with his tired looking eyes.
Hiroki could feel that Aya was being pressured by this sort of situation since she didn't want to reveal his identity.
"...."
"May I ask how you managed to escape a monster that only a group of C-ranked adventurers can take on?"
Even if Aya was innocent, the questions that the guildmaster asked were very normal since, right now, Aya may even be framed for killing a group of guys and looting their stuff.
~Aya, say these words to him.~
Hiroki immediately tried interfering by helping Aya out of this situation. And soon enough, Aya swallowed her saliva before looking at the guildmaster.
"...I tried warning my party about not going deeper into the forest… But they didn't listen to any advice. That's when we encountered the legendary Mast as I stated."
Aya forced herself, through the will inside her, to speak in front of the judging eyes of the guildmaster.
"But when my party members saw the legendary Mast, they ran away instead of staying still… That's when I also managed to get a piece from the shredded horns of it…"
"So you remained silent the whole time?" The guildmaster asked with a raised brow.
"Y-yes."
"I understand… Then that's all I needed. I appreciate the time you had to spare with my suspicion."
The guildmaster let out a long sigh and then wrote something down on the same piece of paper.
"N-no, it's okay."
"Well then, that's all I needed from you. You are free to leave and receive a small fee from my staff for bringing the materials from yesterday." The guildmaster said with a stern look on his face.
"Y-yes!"
Once Aya was done, she waited on the first floor for the same receptionist to come back and bring Aya the rewards for bringing a few materials from yesterday.
"Oh, Aya! Here you are." The receptionist approached her the moment she came back.
"The guildmaster sa–"
"Aya, I'm really sorry but you can't take any rewards even though you brought some materials from the legendary Mast…"
Aya's eyes widened in surprise before she tried asking the reason behind this.
"I know you're frustrated, but my hands are tied this time…"
Hiroki could feel Aya's hands slightly trembling as she was listening to this receptionist.
"W-why?" Aya innocently asked.
"Since you were officially in a party with those other guys, I have to put you on probation for not completing the quest... I know your situation with your parents, that's why I managed to compensate for the penalty with the reward from the materials you bought yesterday. But don't worry. I will talk with the guildmaster and figure something out!"
Sadness could be seen on the receptionist's face while she explained the situation.
She truly wanted to bring something to Aya, but because of the penalty that the guild was giving to those other party members, Aya had to deal with the consequences of their failure.
The word that Aya had taken advantage of the guild could easily get out, which is why the receptionist tried this other way to repress Aya's penalty.
"I wish I could do something about you, Aya…" The girl said with bitterness on her face.
'Hm, maybe she can do something for Aya…'
Hiroki thought before advising her to stay in his stead once again. The receptionist looked down on Aya, who suddenly looked at her with determination.
"Then, if you really want to do something for me. Can you give me a solo D or E-ranked quest?"
The receptionist's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. She couldn't understand why Aya would suddenly want to participate in a quest that could cost her life. She looked at Aya a bit strangely and was confused at how her way of speaking also changed at her request.
"I can, but that's not allowed for an F-ranked like you, Aya. This might even cost your life! Are you sure about this?"
The receptionist concernedly asked. She truly wanted to help Aya, which is why she felt responsible for helping her out.
"Y-yes, please."
After a short thought to herself, the receptionist, who seemed to be close with Aya, finally made her decision. She rushed back to her desk and gave Aya several papers.
"These quests have not been officially signed yet, that's why you shouldn't be nervous or scared if you fail them."
Aya quickly took the quests and looked at them for a brief moment. While Hiroki didn't know what was written on the papers, Aya kept a straight face.
"....Thank you…."
"It's the least I can do..."
The receptionist said this worriedly before heading back to her desk, which was beginning to grow busier from dealing with Aya.
* * *
Back at where the least amount of hostile monsters in the forest were, Aya kept looking around with great focus until she caught a glimpse of some weird herbs that seemed hard to detect with the naked human eye.
But Aya seemed to find them rather easily..
~Were all of the quests about gathering herbs?~
"N-no, some of them were about getting Wabit horns and other monster materials."
Aya softly replied while picking up herbs and putting them in her bag.
Hiroki knew that she wasn't going to improve, which is why he told Aya that they were going to try to hunt down some monsters.
While she was a bit hesitant at first, she eventually found the courage to finally take on some of the monsters that were required on one of the quests after Hiroki reminded her that she wanted to become stronger.
Right now, Aya was in front of two rabbit-looking monsters that had one or two horns on their foreheads. Those seemingly gentle animals would charge at humans with their sharp horns and teeth.
Aya was very good at dodging the attacks from the monsters called 'Wabit', but she lacked the skill and will to attack back with her dagger.
Until now, she was never on the offensive, which is why her body automatically refused to attack back at the monster.
"Aya."
Hiroki called out to her after getting out of her body.
"I will control one of them and approach you. Use that chance to stab the Wabbit."
She couldn't understand what Hiroki was talking about for a moment, but once she saw the ghost move inside the nearest fluffy rabbit, she quickly understood what he meant.
Aya gulped down her saliva as her hands were trembling at the Wabbit that was casually approaching her.
Then, once she saw that it wasn't attacking her, she closed her eyes in fear and stabbed it with full force with both of her hands.
[ SF has been added! ]
'So even though Aya was the one killing the monster I was possessing, I still took points from it.'
Hiroki concluded once he saw his status window react to one of his bound souls killing a monster. As he was grimacing at his status, his ghostly form emerged from the dead body the moment it died.
Aya had a rather shocked, yet unsure, expression on her face while looking at the monster's blood on her hands.
"Are you okay?"
Aya looked at Hiroki the moment he asked.
"...Yes….. it's just that this was the first time I've ever killed a monster."
'So she's self-conscious about taking the life of another being?' Hiroki thought to himself.
"It's okay to feel that way. I understand that. I'm not a monster. However, if you want to earn money and become stronger, some consequences must be paid."
Her eyes showed a bit of fear followed by confidence before she clenched her own bloody and messy dagger.
"...you are right…"
She understood what Hiroki was saying to her. That's why she didn't complain or cry about her current situation.
Once she had the courage, both of them continued going a bit deeper into the forest while killing any Wabits in order to take their horns as materials requested by the guild.
While Hiroki would possess them, Aya, on the other hand, was beginning to get quicker and stronger with each of her thrusts. Her eyes were becoming sharper, and her face was beginning to show that she had accepted that she would have to work hard to achieve her goals.
'Now that I think about it, can I peek into Aya's status? If she is bound to my soul, then that should be possible.'
As Hiroki was thinking about that, the system of his status reacted once again, showing his desired information.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Aya
Race: Human
Title: Bound for Eternity!
INT: 20 STR: 28 AGI: 48 VIT: 29 DEF: 10
[ Skills ]
Aya's status points were very low compared to what Hiroki had seen until now, which is why he decided to kill as many monsters as possible.
If Aya encountered a powerful monster, she would definitely have a hard time.
Before she can begin hunting on her own, she must at least gather a few more points on her strength and agility based on the kind of weapon she uses. That's what Hiroki was planning in his head.
"We have already gathered quite a lot of materials for each of the quests, so let me know if you want to head back."
Hiroki calmly said to Aya while she was taking and collecting all of the Wabbit horns that she had killed until now.
"O-okay."
Aya has been very quiet and cooperative until now, and Hiroki could see that something must've been motivating her to continue going this far for her age.
After they confirmed the amount of materials that they had collected, Aya and Hiroki decided to head back and deliver all of the stuff to the guild. Even if they wanted to gather more materials, the bag that Aya was carrying was already full.
However, even though they were beginning to get some results, some annoying pests just didn't want to mind their own business, causing some rustling noises from afar.
"Quiet the stuff you've got there." A guy's voice was heard behind some bushes.
Aya's eyes widened in surprise as she quickly looked up to see where the voice had come from.
"You really are generous to give us all of your stuff there."
What came out of the bushes were five other adventurers who seemed to have been watching Aya in the distance.
Aya's legs were beginning to slightly tremble as she was clenching her bag of materials with all of her might. She worked really hard for those things, so getting her stuff simply given away was something that she absolutely didn't want.
"Hahahaha, look at her. She's already trembling! To think that she is the little bitch that tricked our men."
All of these guys were armed with swords and knives after finally getting the best moment to reveal themselves.
"We'll do this very quickly. So don't thiiiink~ of running away. It's pointless." One of those guys stated with a slight smirk on his face.
"W-why are you doing this to me?" Aya asked with a forlorn expression.
She wasn't sure what to do anymore. Her face was almost at the point where she could burst into tears, but the intimidation alone from those guys made her hold back all of her emotions.