Priestess Myra in white robes.
The paladin, Julius, in armor of the same color.
Traveling across the continent to spread their doctrine, the two priests stopped in the city of Delopin. The two priests, wandering the continent to spread their doctrine, stopped in the city of Delofin.
The dungeon will appear within a few days.
The dungeon is usually left to the adventurers, but you never know what will happen, so you may have to wait and enter when the time comes.
The two, who must stay in Delopin until then, came to the tavern to get a bite to eat.
A female servant approached their table to take their order.
"You're here again today, aren't you?"
"Well, yes."
"Can I get you the same thing as yesterday?"
"Yes, I'll take that."
True to their word, they came yesterday and they came today. The combination of salad with potatoes and a cold ale was right up Myra's alley.
Myra rocked back and forth on her feet as she waited for her food to be served. For a cleric, she was lighthearted, something Myra didn't get to enjoy in the tight confines of the Church, and now she was more excited than usual.
Even the small waits were good, and the people watching was fun. Just like during exams, anything you do besides studying is fun.
Myra looked around at her surroundings.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, her eyes caught something strange.
A man and his maid were sitting at the next table. The girl's upper body was curled up like an armadillo, and she clutched her cane tightly, shivering as if she were facing a cold snap.
The weather couldn't have been more uncomfortable, and she was too sick to be cold.
"What's wrong?
The man, presumably the owner, was scolding her. She's shivering and he's not doing anything about it.
We can only imagine that the girl has made a mistake, and he's about to go back to the mansion to punish her.
The girl's mind wanders to a terrible future.
The girl's appearance, like a squirrel facing a snake, stirs Myra's sense of protection, even though she has been called uncivilized by the priests.
Finally, Myra gets up from her seat.
Julius's head tilts upward.
"Myra?"
Without answering, Myra goes straight to the next table.
"Hey, what's up?"
Karami smirks.
"I don't know, I'm not sure."
"Of course you don't know, you're drooling like this."
Karami glances back and forth between Myra and Mirabelle.
Why is Mirabelle talking?
Of course she knows.
"It's because of you.
The witch's natural enemies.
The ones who killed her mother.
Of course, the priests probably didn't kill her mother, but the details don't matter to Mirabelle. Trauma is what it is.
A dog bite makes you afraid of dogs, a near-drowning makes you afraid of swimming.
Mirabelle has witch blood in her veins, so her fears are all the more acute because she hasn't yet been fully awakened as a witch, but she can't help but feel uneasy.
Karami decided it was best to put some distance between them as soon as possible.
"Let's go, Miss Mirabelle. You look very unwell."
"Where are you going? What are you going to do, whip her?"
As Karami reached for Mirabelle, Myra snatched his wrist.
Crunch, crunch, Myra's wrist is crushed by her vicious grip. Karami, a grown man, was powerless to resist.Barely able to contain himself from screaming like a baby for a moment, Karami replied calmly.
"Haha, how could I do such a heinous thing when I care so much for this child, and."
Karami's eyes twisted into half-moons.
"Even if you do, she is my slave, my property, and you have no right to interfere with her, do you?"
"As a servant of the gods, I can't stand by and not see someone being bullied. I can at least give them an education."
Well, you guys are the reason for this.
Either way, this guy's looks and demeanor don't make it any easier.
I don't want to see the racist bastards pretend to be righteous when they realize Mirabelle is a witch.
Look at the slave traders.
They don't care what race you are, as long as you're worth something. How equal. Isn't the slave trader the Martin Luther King of this era?
Alas, I have a dream, a dream where the slaves of the world are not judged by race, but by value.
Julius, who had been trying to keep a low profile as the atmosphere grew stranger, also approached Karami. The people who didn't mind killing people for entertainment watched the situation with interest.
Something was about to happen.
It was Mirabelle who broke the silence.
"I, I'm... okay...I'm...."
She struggled to speak, her head still down.
Myra bent down to make eye contact with Mirabelle.
"You can tell me if he's bullying you. I'll make sure he doesn't do it again."
Tsk!
Mirabelle swatted Myra's hand away as she tried to stroke her gently, and clung to Karami. Mirabelle fluttered in his arms.
Myra was taken aback, and a triumphant grin appeared on Karami's face.
"Well, well. You must have been startled by a strange person touching you, but it's all right."
Karami stood up, still holding Mirabelle in his arms, and pulled out a handful of gold coins, placing them on the table.
"I apologize for the disturbance, this is for your meal and my apologies."
"Ugh, no problem, you're welcome to cause a ruckus."
The shopkeeper quickly slipped the gold coins into his arms, just in case he bit them. His face, which had been so rotten earlier, now smiled.
Karami nudged Myra's side and whispered, the corner of her mouth twitching upward in a sneer.
"This one. I don't know who's bothering whom, though the rest of the world seems to know."
"...."
"I'll tell you one thing, my kid is better fed and better off than you."
With a look at the table, Karami left the tavern, and Myra didn't hold onto him as she had before. What she did notice were the dishes on the table.
Leftover bread, soup, and meat. It was all unworthy of a mere maid. She was even contemplating with the master. ....
It was unthinkable that such an abusive man would do this.
"Ha, fuck."
Myra let out a thick expletive with a sigh. He was right, she had been sorely mistaken. The girl shuddered wistfully.
If it wasn't the man, what was it? Myra took a moment to think about it, but she couldn't figure it out.
"Excuse me, but the dishes you ordered are here...."
The waitress looks at her and brings the food. Steaming potato salad and a steaming ale.
It was Myra's favorite combination, but it didn't seem to taste right today.
***]
I carry Mirabelle in my arms and settle in.
I walked into the bedroom and perched on the corner of the bed, but up until that moment, Mirabelle hadn't tried to pull away from me. She clung to me like a baby koala.
Her tiny body still trembled, so the turbulence of her emotions was transmitted without filter, indicating the terror of her encounter with the priest.
At times like this, a master must be able to keep his slave in line.
"Haha, Miss Mirabelle. Do you like me that much?"
But shit, that's all she could say. How does "Are you okay?" turn into this?
But Mirabelle, who would normally have slashed me if I said something like this, didn't even flinch. This is more serious than I thought.
If I could see Mirabelle's status window.
[Fear]
[Anxiety]
[Panic]
[Mental Breakdown]
[Fear] [Anxiety] [Panic] [Mental Breakdown]... I can see all the emotional debuffs.
How do I calm her down? Talking to her only makes it worse. Should I buy her an item with my points?
After much deliberation, I decided.
Pat.
Gently patting his back.
In a steady beat.
Until her trembling stopped.
I wondered how much time had passed.
The sun tilts down. The dusky light of dusk falls on the inn. The shadow of a single person, created by two people, lengthens.
The arm that had been tingling for some time now seemed to move, and by then Mirabelle was no longer trembling. She's calm, her arms loosely around my waist.
"Well, I guess we just missed the right time to get out, huh?
I'm embarrassed that I'm trying to pretend that I'm okay now. He's also hugging me.
Honestly, I don't mind this position. No, it's actually good.
The right weight. Mirabelle is small, fits in one arm, and is soft. She even has a subtle scent that wafts from the nape of her neck.
Would it make a good cuddle pillow?
"Damn it. Mirabelle, you're not even the best at cuddling.'
But I realized that Mirabelle would be embarrassed if I continued, so I let go.
"When you're calm, can you come down, please? It's heavy."
As if she'd been rehearsed, Mirabelle slithered down in a smooth motion. I stayed farther away than usual.
Mirabelle's flawless face was slightly reddened from the sunset. Her eyes widened and she glared at me.
"Nothing, I don't feel heavy."
"You've been eating well lately, haven't you?"
Hmm.
That's what I thought I heard.
Mirabelle's pupils flicked from side to side as if I hadn't considered that.
I'm kidding.
If you were heavy, the world would have sunk into the ocean a long time ago.
I smirked, and Mirabelle, realizing I was kidding, puffed up her cheeks poutily. Then she let out a light sigh, as if she'd lost her breath.
Mirabelle stalks over and sits down next to me. Her mood is low. Her expression is serious.
With that, she begins to talk.
"You don't understand why I did what I did earlier, do you?"
"Yes."
No.
"There's something I'm actually hiding from you."
I know what it is.
"If you hear this... what will you do... maybe you'll ditch me, I'm sure you will."
No way.
I think it, but the words don't come out of my mouth.
Even when I don't say anything in response, Mirabelle continues to speak in silence.
"Whoa...."
Mirabelle let out a long breath, relieving the tension in her voice.
"I... I'm actually a witch."
Well, I know.