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At this rate, Aki Tomoya is bound to die.
And he'll die in a disgraceful way.
Atram's method had skillfully skirted around Rin Tohsaka's decree that prohibited the mistreatment of refugee servants. He found a loophole.
Can this really be called mistreatment?
That's a tricky one!
Shiina Kasha's emotions were all over the place, her mind replaying the scene of Aki Tomoya struggling amidst a group of women. In the end, she couldn't turn a blind eye and approached Roy for help.
If Aki Tomoya's life wasn't in danger, she wouldn't have asked Roy.
But he was on the verge of death, and she couldn't just stand by and watch. After all, he had once done her a favor.
At the very least, she needed to ensure he survived.
That was all she intended to do—just make sure he lived.
She was, after all, just a refugee. Helping to this extent was already more than generous.
That afternoon, Roy went to Atram's lavish mansion and requested to take Aki Tomoya.
"As compensation, how about I strengthen the barrier around your house?"
Atram's face darkened, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he glared at Roy.
After a tense pause, Atram finally forced a smile.
"That would be very helpful."
An exchange was made.
Roy enhanced the barrier around the mansion, handed Atram the magical array he had used, and demonstrated that he had no way to control it afterward. Only then did Atram hand over a half-dead Aki Tomoya.
For Atram, this wasn't much of a loss. In fact, it was a huge win.
Aki Tomoya held no real value, and normally, no magician would ever offer to strengthen someone else's barrier.
But even as Atram watched Roy leave, a murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
They met again at the same café.
Roy sat under the parasol outside, slowly sipping the bitter coffee.
Inside, Shiina Kasha and Aki Tomoya sat across from each other.
"Really… I can't thank you enough, senpai. Without you…"
Aki Tomoya's face was blank, as if he had lost the ability to show any emotion.
"What are you planning to do next?" Shiina Kasha asked, sighing at his pitiful state.
"Lord Roy told me earlier that tomorrow, a guard unit will be escorting a shipment of ore. He'll send me with them… to the mining district."
So, Aki Tomoya would be going to work in the mines.
Mining was grueling work, draining both physically and mentally. There was little rest, no pay—only the guarantee of enough food to keep going.
But it was far safer than being a servant to a magician.
Being a magician's servant was a gamble. If your master still had a shred of humanity left, you'd be incredibly lucky. But if you ended up with a master with no morals, it would be a disaster, like falling into an endless abyss.
Moreover, if a miner worked for three years, they could be promoted from refugee status to civilian status. It wasn't an easy life, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Senpai, what did you have to give up to save me? Did you… offer yourself to Lord Roy?"
"Bang!"
Shiina Kasha's face darkened instantly, and she slammed her hand on the table.
In one swift motion, she dumped the still-warm coffee all over Aki Tomoya's head.
"Aki, don't assume everyone is as filthy-minded as you. Nothing happened between me and Lord Roy. He helped you purely out of kindness! To say something like that is not only disrespectful to me but also an insult to Lord Roy!"
Fuming, Shiina Kasha stormed out of the café, her footsteps heavy with anger.
Roy hadn't asked her for anything in return.
He had helped her simply because she asked, no strings attached.
Aki Tomoya's assumption might have seemed reasonable, but it was a slap in the face for Shiina Kasha, who couldn't tolerate such an insult.
Aki Tomoya glanced in the direction she left, his eyes blank and confused.
He sat there for a long while before finally wiping the coffee off his face and heading back to the refugee shelter.
Roy put down his cup of coffee, watching Aki Tomoya's retreating figure.
This kid was just a high school student. After enduring such torment, his worldview had likely shattered. His mental state was undoubtedly in tatters.
The wilderness outside the city was rife with curses, designed to target the mind.
Even though the mines were protected by barriers, they were still located in the wild.
Each year, the suicide rate there was the highest in the region.
In his current state, going to the mines was practically a death sentence.
But whether Aki Tomoya lived or died had nothing to do with Roy.
He hadn't helped for Aki Tomoya's sake.
Nor had he done it for Shiina Kasha.
"Magicians… They're such a detestable bunch, no matter the time or place. It'd be better if they were all wiped out…"
A wave of nausea washed over Roy.
He downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp, paid the bill, and left.
Back home.
Seeing Shiina Kasha's intimidating "don't talk to me" aura, Ai Hayasaka sought out Roy for an explanation.
After hearing the full story, Ai felt a deep sense of unease.
Magicians in this world were far worse than she had imagined!
But at the same time, she felt a sense of relief.
At least Roy didn't seem like one of those magicians.
Neither did Rin Tohsaka.
In fact, Roy, who had helped Shiina Kasha without asking for anything in return, seemed to be the complete opposite of a typical magician.
Rin Tohsaka had described Roy, glasses-wearing and all, as "easy to talk to," but this was beyond that. He was practically the moral compass of magicians!
Shiina Kasha fumed for most of the day.
It wasn't until dinnertime, when Roy suggested that Aki Tomoya's mind had likely been damaged from the ordeal, that she finally started to calm down.
You can't hold a grudge against someone who's not in their right mind.
Otherwise, you're just tormenting yourself.
But from that moment on, Shiina Kasha considered herself done with Aki Tomoya.
He would be in the mines, while she remained in Fuyuki City. Their paths would never cross again.
That night.
After her bath, Shiina Kasha lay in bed, her mind wandering back to something she had unconsciously overlooked.
"That dark-skinned bastard is a ranked magician. The barrier around his house shouldn't be weak. So how did Lord Roy get through it so easily, without even going in person… Isn't he just a low-ranked magician?"
Indeed, during the investigation of Atram's mansion, Roy had treated the barrier as if it were nothing, his tone full of disdain, clearly looking down on Atram's magical abilities.
But wasn't Roy supposed to be a low-tier magician?
Could someone at the lowest rank really possess such skill?
...
The next day, February 1st.
"Lord Roy, please try this porridge!"
Roy had barely gotten out of bed when Shiina Kasha appeared from the kitchen, her face glowing with the kind of pride one feels after receiving their first paycheck.
She had woken up early, and with Ai Hayasaka's guidance, made breakfast for the first time in her life.
Though it was a small gesture, she wanted to express her gratitude.
"Not bad!"
Roy took a sip and complimented her cooking.
Making porridge was a skill.
It was hard to mess up, but even harder to get right.
While it was likely Ai Hayasaka's skill that made it taste so good, Shiina Kasha's effort and sentiment were clear to Roy.
Flushed with a sense of accomplishment from the praise, Shiina Kasha threw herself even more eagerly into learning the duties of a maid under Ai Hayasaka's guidance.
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