“I see.” The otherworlder nodded.

They were getting caught in the moment, left alone and in such close proximity. His hesitations, however, kept nagging at the back of his head and he escaped from the situation by asking about the history and myths of the world. The merchant, Karlann, gave him only an overview on otherworlders but he did not know the history of this world.

When he had brought up his sudden inquiry, Vena realized how close they were and ended up getting flustered. Although, she smiled and showed she didn’t dislike being that close. He subtly observed her reaction. There was no sign of disappointment, in fact, she seemed fairly amused by the situation. It put him in a bit of ease. If her feelings were genuine, well… he doesn’t dislike the idea.

From what she had told him, there were some variations to the creation myth. However, it would always center on a certain hero from another world, who expended all his power in order to create this world.

From his flesh, he created the land and the plants. From his bones, the moons. From his blood, he created seven goddesses to oversee the new world. With his soul, he created light. But in doing so, he created darkness.

The seven beings, then created humans and animals to inhabit the world. Thus, it was said that the blood of the gods flowed through each being. An awakening of that blood would enable a person to reach a hero’s status.

However, it is said that from the shadows of the goddesses came forth the demon god. The demon god created created monsters, demons and demihumans. The demon god waged war against the goddesses and their creations. The goddesses were able to defeat and seal the demon god. The monsters remained hostile but the demons and demihumans were capable of rational thought. They were taken pity on by the goddesses. Those willing were allowed to live among the humans. It was a rocky situation at first but there are now cities and nations where various races can coexists. The rifts between races won’t disappear that quickly and there are nations that are of a ‘human supremacy’ attitude and there are those hostile towards humans.

The otherworlder glanced at her ears. “If I may ask…”

Vena already expected the inquiry and brushed her hair aside to tuck it behind her ear. Her motion exposed a bit of her nape and he involuntarily gulped. She answered before he could finish, “I am an elf, yes…”

She sounded a bit dejected, as if afraid to ask but she did anyway. “Does it bother you?”

“Not at all,” he answered almost immediately. “I think those ears are cute even.”

He had leaned forward, causing her to lean back a bit. Both of them realized that they were inches away from each other. Their gazes met and slowly... he leaned closer.

Slam!

The door suddenly slammed open.

“I knew it! What are you doing to Vena, you little shit?!” Hilde was already charging towards him. Well, she would be if it weren’t for Raful holding her back. A quick chop to her head soon followed. Behind them, a face unfamiliar to the otherworlder peered through. The woman wore a white habit. She was the person the two had called upon for his treatment. He can only describe her as having an ‘elderly sister’ aura. She had warm smile albeit paired with mischievous eyes.

“Oh my~”

Their positions were similar to how it was before, although Hilde was now in between the healer and Raful.

“My name is Rionna. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she stood up and introduced herself. The otherworlder couldn’t help but ogle her a bit. He wondered if it was normal for habits to accentuate figures or if hers was a special case. She seemed the type to tease people.

“I am a priestess of the goddess, Maya,” she continued. “I have been tasked with healing your injury so please overlook Hilde’s actions this time.”

She started to bow her head but he interrupted her. “Ah, it’s alright. Please don’t bow your head. I’ve already asked the guild for their assistance because…”

“Memory loss, correct? I have already been informed by the goddess. It’s not unusual for otherworlders to lose bits and pieces of their memories.”

“Informed by the goddess?” He tilted his head to the side as he asked.

“Yes, it may be strange to some but the goddesses play an active role. Most of the time, they do so through oracles. Though rarely, they intervene if necessary.”

“I see…”

“Now, if you please,” Rionna pointed towards his injured arm.

The otherworlder nodded and extended his arm as much as he could. She gently placed her hand on his arm. Suddenly, she was bathed in a bright aura. That aura spread towards his injury. After a while, it faded.

Smiling proudly, Rionna nodded. The otherworlder started to move his arm. His injury had been healed.

“It went well, it seemed,” Rionna had clapped her hands together. “Perhaps we could move towards more important matters?”

“I guess so,” Hilde answered. She turned towards Vena and nodded. “If you please.”

Vena got up and fetched a small wooden card along with a small dagger.

“A status card,” Hilde started to explain. “It’s an item imbued with magic that records and links with a person. Due to the complex magic, it is extremely difficult to forge one. It doubles as an identification and using a status crystal, the contents can be checked by the authorities.”

The otherworlder thought that Hilde was being professional and seemed like a very different person. This caused Hilde to pause and glare at him. He leaned back a bit and looked away, instead focusing on the card.

“Anyway,” she continued. “The card itself is said to come from trees of life, and is absorbed into the linked person’s body. You can summon and banish the card as you please, making it almost impossible to be stolen. You can also decide if you can hide some information, like skills and such. However, it will always show your name, a title, and your parameters. Linking is as simple as placing a drop of blood on the card.”

“[Status]”

Hilde demonstrated and showed her card.

|Hildegarde Schneider

|Guild Master

|STR: A

|DEX: A

|CON: C

|INT: B

|WIS: C

|CHR: C

‘This woman is a monster…’ The otherworlder felt. He could somehow figure out what those stats were at a glance.

“You,” Hilde had suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. “You keep thinking something bad about me, aren’t you?”

“I-it’s just your imagination,” he avoided her gaze. She was right though. Her intuition is frighteningly good.

“Well, whatever.” She let him go and sighed. She crossed her arms and pouted.

His attention went back to the status card. He pricked his finger for a bit and let his blood drop onto the card. They all watched as the card reacted and he could see several of the magic formations activating. Vena simply stared at him like before. He was mostly focused on the part of the card that displayed his name. It first displayed a straight line, then a circle, then the letter R. Then, that letter was suddenly crossed out before the lines separated and arranged themselves into readable letters.

|Kiryuu

|Otherworlder

|STR: E

|DEX: E

|CON: E

|INT: E

|WIS: E

|CHR: E

“Strange,” he said, looking at his own status card. Somehow, that name felt distant to him. Peculiar. He didn’t know how but he simply had a feeling. It was not his name.

“Oi, what’s going on with these stats?” Hilde had nabbed the card and furrowed her brow before tossing it towards him. “You’re probably the weakest otherworlder I’ve seen.”

She tossed it towards him. He caught the card and took a second look. Those were indeed peculiar stats. Without him noticing, Hilde had already gone over to him and started to drag him away by the collar. “Let’s go to the training yard. I’m going to beat you into shape.”

“Aren’t you just looking to beat me up?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not even denying it!”

“We have a healer here. Let’s go.”

Kiryuu turned towards Raful who simply smiled and waved. He turned towards Vena but she just smiled awkwardly.

“Erm, good luck, Kiryuu.”

Hilde literally dragged him out of the office and onto the training yard. It was an open area with dummies and racks with wooden weapons.

“Get some stretches in, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Hilde said before returning to the office for a bit.

“That monster is going to beat me into a pulp.” He grumbled as he started with some stretches.

As soon as she was back in the office, Hilde locked the door behind her. She crossed her arms and leaned against it, looking at the other three people inside.

“So? What happened?” Hilde asked Vena.

“I…”

Vena’s eyes had always been special. No one, not even herself, fully understood her ability. They could, however, understand that her eyes can see something similar to a person’s aura or intent. It was because of her eyes that she was able to sense another person’s intent. They would usually be simply around a person. Malicious or killing intent would then reach out to the target of the intent. Her eyes weren’t always active but in cases where she was the target of malicious intent, they activate on their own as if to protect her.

When she saw the otherworlder, Kiryuu, for the first time. She saw a myriad of colors in his aura. That aura however, didn’t spread out, as if they were being kept inside his body, simply swirling within. She couldn’t help but stare.

In cases of linking with a status card, a person’s aura would usually reach out and completely envelop the card.

“When he...Kiryuu, had dropped his blood, something strange occurred,” she explained. Visible chains appeared and wrapped around his very person, further sealing that aura. What flowed from his finger onto to card was a barely visible string. His aura also changed into something melancholic. Distant. Alone.

Kiryuu, intent on finding out his name, did not notice but the other three noticed that Vena has a worried expression during that time.

“Could it be a curse?” Raful voiced out. “That may be why he doesn’t have any memories.”

“It is a possibility,” Vena responded. “I can see if a person is cursed but… I didn’t see any signs of a curse before!”

Rionna had gotten up and placed her hand on Vena’s shoulder. She smiled at her.

“I will ask the goddess about this. Don’t worry.” Rionna assured her.

That day, Kiryuu was simply relieved to know that they postponed the training because Rionna had some business to do for a few days. However, that also made him wonder just how badly Hilde wanted to beat him up if they really needed a healer around during his training

That night at the inn, he fiddled around with the status card. He sighed every time he looked at his parameters. Not only were his values really low, but there was a faint X mark beside each value. He can only see it as something worse. He then recalled that time when he ran into Hilde, who was in disguise. He felt that he was a fairly competent person.

“Was I mistaken?” He waved his hand and the card disappeared. He decided to sleep it off for now.

The next day, he paid Karlann a visit. He told him all about the incident with the status card. Karlann just started to laugh, contrary to Kiryuu’s expectations.

“You’re worried about that thing, boy? Ah, wait, it’s Kiryuu, was it?” Karlann said. “Look, just because you think you’re weak now doesn’t mean you can’t get stronger. Besides, I heard that otherworlders grow and adapt faster than normal residents of this world. Even if you don’t get chosen as a hero, you still have a shot at an adventure.”

Karlann rummaged for something behind the counter and produced a parcel. He handed it toward Kiryuu.

“Here, courtesy of the guild. Basic supplies and rations. Let’s go upstairs. We’ll have you outfitted.”

Kiryuu scratched the back of his head. He first wanted to decline but he decided against it. He would need all the help he could get. He wanted to get stronger.

He was given a set of basic leather armor, and his choice of a basic weapon. He picked out a short sword. He was also given a dagger.

“Don’t hesitate to come back. We have an agreement with the guild to assist you for a while.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” Kiryuu paused and thought for a while. “How can I get stronger?”

“Monster subjugation, of course.”

Even if monsters were created by the demon god, their life force were fundamentally the same with other living beings. By defeating a monster, one can absorb that life force and turn it into their own strength.

“They say otherworlders have a higher affinity with absorbing life force than this world’s residents.”

“If that’s the case, won’t there be those that—”

“Those that would kill others for the sake of life force? Unfortunately, there are. While it isn’t as efficient as hunting monsters down, it happens. It is against the law and anyone caught is either executed or branded as a slave.”

“Slave?”

“Yes, there have been otherworlders that are against it. It’s difficult though. Criminals are turned into slaves in order to atone for their crimes.”

“I see. But—”

“I know what you’re thinking. It happens, yes. There are innocent people being sold as slaves illegally. Some parents even sell their own children. No system is perfect and there are people trying to weed out these underground organizations. Especially those that actively kidnap people to turn them into slaves.”

“I forgot that otherworlders are fairly common here, huh?”

“I’ve been in the business for a long while, boy. You get used to it at this age. At this point, you’re probably wondering if you should get a slave to help you with the monster subjugation.”

Kiryuu chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “Pretty much.”

“Here,” Karlann handed him a badge with a silver letter K on it. “There’s a slave merchant I’m acquainted with in this city. Consider that my recommendation. You can ask the guild to assist you in getting there.”

“You’re certainly prepared.”

“Of course. Getting a slave seems to be a fad among otherworlders, you know. As if it was a staple of being someone from another world.”

After thanking Karlann, Kiryuu headed to the Adventurer’s Guild to inform them of his next course of action.

It seemed that Hilde was not around as she was accompanying Rionna. Raful had a good chuckle out of Kiryuu’s mention of getting a slave before patting the otherworlder in the back. After that, he tasked Vena with accompanying him. She didn’t seem like she was in a good mood.

“Vena?” Kiryuu tried to get her attention as they were walking side by side.

“Hmp…” She actively showed that she was ignoring him, even pouting a bit.

“Vena…” He said and poked her cheek.

-poke-

-poke-

-poke-

After several attempts all leading to failure, he gave up and thought for a while. He leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, “Vena…”

His hushed voice and the feeling of his breath on her ear, startled the elf. As a result, she swung her arm upward and elbowed him in the face. His head jerked backward from the impact.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” She realized what she ended up doing and frantically apologized.

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did though,” he clutched his nose. It didn’t seem to be broken but it hurt. A lot. There was a lot of power in that frame of hers. He was caught unawares. They continued to walk after that bit of a commotion.

“That’s… I wasn’t expecting you to be the person who would want a slave.” Vena admitted. Though, there seemed to be something more to that than she lets on.

“It’s because I want to get stronger.” He also would like to avoid getting beaten up by Hilde when that time comes. “I don’t think anyone would want to party up with me, given my stats.”

That, and he feared there would be others that would just want to use him or take advantage of him. His weak stats made him a bit more cautious.

“That’s not true! I… I would like to party up with you.”

“Ah… huh? But don’t you have your job as a receptionist?”

“There is that but… if it’s a hero or a hero candidate, we have the privilege of joining the party.”

“A hero or a candidate, huh? Right now, I’m just a weak otherworlder though.”

“I believe in you!” She stopped and faced him. He ended up doing the same as well. “If it’s you, I believe that you can be a hero. So when that time comes…”

“Vena…”

They stared at each other for a while. He leaned forward slowly and…

“Ahem!”

““!””

A stout bearded man interrupted them before they got lost in their own world. They did not realize that they had already arrived in front of the establishment that they aimed for in the first place.

“Does the Adventurer’s Guild have any business with me?” The man asked, recognizing who Vena was.

“Ah, here,” Kiryuu said and handed over the badge Karlann gave him.

“Oh ho?” The man took it and inspected it for a while. He then applied some magic onto the badge, causing the ‘K’ to glow red.

“I have confirmed the authenticity of the badge. Karlann must have taken a liking to you.” The man said and returned it. “My name is Jubel. I am an authorized dealer with regards to slaves.”

They were led inside the build by Jubel. The first floor was similar to Karlann’s shop. Instead of having a second floor though, there was a larger area where the slaves were being held.

“What kind of slave are you looking for? A combat slave? A housekeeper? Or perhaps one for nightly activities?” Jubel asked.

“Nightly activities, huh?” Kiryuu repeated. He felt a jab on his side though and flinched.

‘So that was what it was all about,’ he thought.

“A combat slave, please. For monster subjugation.”

“Very well,” Jubel then lead them to a larger hall. The sides were lined with small rooms, enough to be living and sleeping quarters. Though instead of doors, the occupants seemed to be behind clear glass. There was a door in the room that led to a small toilet.

Kiryuu was somewhat amazed at the various races he saw, almost completely forgetting that he was to buy a slave. He kept in mind Karlann’s words. He thought to himself that most of these were either criminals or have been sold. He could see in their eyes that his presence was not exactly welcome in this place. Of course, he was a buyer. He would be purchasing one of them to be his property. There was no way to tell what he planned to do with them.

“Because of Karlann’s recommendation, I would like to inform you that you are free to choose any slave you wish. The first one would be free of charge.”

“Is that really alright?”

“Of course. Do keep in mind that there are responsibilities in owning a slave. Slaves are branded with a special kind of magic that prevents them from harming their masters. They are also forced to obey commands to a certain extent.”

“I see.”

“I would also like to inform you that most of the slaves I deal with are those that have been sold by their families. As such, their brands will not force them to obey commands that would endanger their lives. Mistreatment of sold slaves is a crime and would nullify your ownership.”

“I understand. In such a case, I’d want someone that can fight.”

“I would recommend the Dragonkins, Demonkins, and Beastfolk. They are fairly capable and well-rounded for combat.”

Kiryuu eyed the slaves for a while but a particular one caught his eye. In the middle of her ‘room’ sat a beautiful woman with long black hair, tied into a ponytail. “How about her?”

“Her, ah that one is…” Jubel’s voice trailed off. “She is mostly being detained here due to some concerns.”

“Concerns?”

“Yes. She is strong enough to resist the brand, despite being the strongest one they could come up with. She is able to escape and return here every single time she is bought. While she has not killed any of her masters, I would not say they were unscathed...”

Kiryuu felt a strong grip on his arm. He saw Vena staring at him intently. “I-I’m not planning to use her for nightly services, Vena.”

“That’s not it.” Vena responded and turned to the slave woman. “That woman is extremely dangerous.”