Chapter 16: Personal Responsibility!
...Now, what should I do?
To ensure safety, I had them move to my base.
I knew it was harsh to have the girls, both mentally and physically exhausted, move all the way here.
However, I thought it would be dangerous for them to stay there, and the girls probably wanted to get away from that place as soon as possible!
The girls are sleeping soundly, relieved to be free.
It seems they were particularly happy when the slave collars they had around their necks were removed.
Quietly, I use [Healing] and [Recovery] on the sleeping girls.
I hope they wake up tomorrow feeling better.
No matter the reason, I killed someone in this incident.
To the village girls, I am the "man who killed their sister."
This fact cannot be changed.
I feel no guilt or disgust from taking a life.
It seems my previous concerns were correct.
Perhaps I will continue to kill without feeling anything.
No matter the weight of life, they would kill indiscriminately.
Is it acceptable to be a messenger of God?
Committing murder in the name of God is no different from some cult.
I want to avoid any negative impact on Elune, who transferred us.
It's all our own responsibility.
We managed to free the girls from the goblin village, but there is still a distance to 'Gond Village.'
Three days on foot, a day and a half on horseback.
There's no way I can confidently protect this many people.
Even if we split the group in half, the risk to the remaining women will increase significantly.
There's no guarantee of safety when we return.
Considering that, traveling together seems to be the only option.
...This is troublesome. This problem is on a different level from what we've faced before."
"May I interrupt for a moment?"
When I turned around, Kuro was there.
"What's the matter?"
"Sir, are you worried about the girls' movement?"
"Yes, exactly. It's practically impossible to travel while guarding them for several days."
"Can you leave it to me?"
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes. I'll ask a friend I was once indebted to."
Kuro, who has been in this world longer than me, might have a good plan.
"Well then, since I don't have any specific ideas, I'll leave it to you, Kuro."
"Understood. I'll get to work right away!"
Kuro spread her wings wide and flew off into the sky.
However, Kuro's friend is a crow?
Are they going to travel by riding crows like in GeGeGe no Kitaro?
Well, that might actually work.
"Where is Kuro going?"
Shiro woke up.
"Just had her run an errand."
I beckoned Shiro to come closer.
"You've done well today too, Shiro!"
I placed Shiro on my lap and patted her head, expressing my gratitude.
"Assisting my master is my duty."
"I see, I see!"
"Do you dislike Elaine-sama, my master?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Every time you talk, you seem angry..."
Certainly, I'm always angry.
Well, it's mostly, no, entirely her fault!
To Shiro, am I like a parent figure?
"Are you worried about Elaine?"
"Yes, Elaine-sama is working hard, but she has a personality that is easily misunderstood."
Shiro, you're a good girl.
I still can't figure out why such a good girl ended up being the servant of that clumsy goddess.