Chapter 57

After a series of twists and turns, we returned to the inn, but the state was disastrous.

One side of the inn was shattered, looking like beautifully cut fruit cubes, thanks to the Death God’s rampage. It just happened to be a day of pouring rain and strong winds, turning everything into chaos.

The innkeeper, a rhinoceros beastman, was sitting on the floor with a blank expression, having been awakened by the commotion.

Then, upon seeing me enter the inn, he stomped toward me and threatened with his horn, claiming that it was my fault and demanding repair costs.

‘This is unfair.’

If it were an incident caused by my slave, I would naturally take responsibility. That’s the role of a master.

But Mirabel is no longer my slave, right? He should be questioning Mirabel or my guardian Naredi, not me.

Moreover, the master who appeared late wouldn’t know that the Death God had shown up. It wasn’t something he could solely blame on me.

I had a rough idea.

‘It’s clearly discrimination against humans.’

From the start, he was displeased with me, a human, and with Lin, the pink fox. He only accepted us because of money.

Since financial loss had occurred, it was clear he would blame me first.

Of course, the innkeeper didn’t want to understand my unfairness. When I thought I would have to pay the repair costs, Seira stepped in.

“I am Seira, the team leader of the Immigration Management Department. For today’s incident, you can receive financial support from the Disaster Management Office, so why not visit them when the sun rises? I will do my best to assist you as well.”

“Hmm, if Seira is saying it, then….”

The rhinoceros beastman reluctantly gave in.

Thanks to that, I would be spared from financial loss, but sleeping in the ruined inn was out of the question. We had to find a place to escape the rain.

It was hard to find an inn that would accept Lin, the pink fox, and wandering around in the rain…

“Let’s go to my house for now.”

Once again, it was Seira who extended a helping hand.

“I appreciate it, but are you sure it’s alright?”

“If any problems arise, I can bill you for it. It doesn’t seem like now is the time for you to worry about my situation.”

Seira glanced at Lin, who was shivering in my arms.

Despite being covered with my coat, Lin was still trembling, soaked to the skin. Because she had gotten hurt, she needed treatment as well.

There was no time to be picky.

“Then I won’t refuse.”

***

Seira’s house was located on the outskirts of the city and took quite a walk to reach.

It was a modest two-story house.

The furniture inside was quite shabby, and if there was one notable feature, it was how dirty it was. It was more of a pigsty than a wolf’s den.

A house invariably reflects the master’s inner self. How one decorates their home can reveal much about them. In short, Seira could be called lazy.

“I was busy, so it couldn’t be helped. Thanks to you, I have to work late every day.”

“I never said anything.”

Seira hurriedly made her excuses as she tossed things around with her hands and kicked away the bits that were out of sight.

To the naked eye, the house appeared tidied up. After lighting a fire in the hearth, I lay Lin down nearby.

First, I needed to dry her off. I wiped the damp areas with a towel and carefully wrung out her wet, aching tail fur to avoid hurting her.

‘How obedient today.’

Even though I hadn’t given a specific command, Lin didn’t resist and simply looked at my hands. Well, after running away like that, she probably didn’t have the energy to fight back.

I had no complaints as it allowed me to continue my work comfortably. After applying medicine to her wounds and bandaging them, I completed the first aid.

“I will report the abnormal situation to my higher-ups. Feel free to use the place as long as you don’t go upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

Receiving Seira’s permission, I rummaged through the house for necessary items. I folded a few dry blankets and laid Lin on top, covering her with a soft blanket.

Once I finished taking care of Lin, I lay down on the sofa to catch my breath. There was something I needed to think about.

‘About that earlier….’

It was the Death God that Mirabel had summoned. No doubt about it.

Why did it appear here?

The Death God usually has few restrictions on movement. It could traverse the city in an instant to enact Harold’s revenge.

For such a Death God to appear in Vestia…

‘Is it aiming for revenge against me?’

Undoubtedly seeking revenge for having made her a slave.

I may have held her close, squeezed a little belly, pinched her cheeks, and smelled her hair, but sending a Death God to kill me was too much!

What would’ve happened if something went wrong with Lin? Just thinking about it was terrifying.

To repay kindness with harm; despite raising her well, it seems I would be of no use. I need to ensure Lin never becomes like that.

“Yawn.”

A yawn escaped me. After waking and running around, I was even more tired.

Sleepiness was overwhelming, but I couldn’t afford to sleep today. The Death God had retreated once but could appear again.

I could hold on for just today.

***

Tick, tick.

The sound of sparks from the fireplace echoed in the living room. After some time, Lin peeked her head out from where she was buried.

Having jumped around in the middle of the night was exhausting, as her determination to stay awake had faded under sleep’s weight. She was curled up, snoring softly.

Lin opened and closed her eyes a few times while gazing thoughtfully at the bandages and blankets wrapped around her before casting her eyes back at Carami.

“…”

Lin carefully rose. As if tiptoeing on all fours, she approached the sofa, jumping up.

Staring at Carami’s sleeping face from close range, Lin noticed a small scratch on her cheek—a wound caused by rolling around while catching Lin.

Lin licked the wound with her tongue, and by the time the face was covered in saliva, she pulled away her tongue.

Lin settled herself on Carami’s belly, curling up comfortably.

She sniffed the air; it was fragrant with the fresh scent of a forest. Yet, among it, Carami’s unique scent was indeed calming.

Lin buried her face deeper and soon closed her eyes.

***

“Ugh!”

Carami opened her eyes wide. The thought of ‘I must not sleep’ had unconsciously manifested in her actions.

Even though she had warned herself not to sleep today, when she regained her senses, she realized she had slept deeply. Sunlight was streaming through the window, indicating that it was morning.

In a hurry, Carami collected her thoughts and checked on Lin’s safety. Fortunately, the state of the house was the same as yesterday, but Lin was missing from by the fireplace.

‘Did she run away?’

If the Death God were to show up and Lin couldn’t move, it would be a problem, which is why Carami hadn’t given any commands.

Also, she hadn’t chained Lin. She hadn’t needed to assume she would be awake, and finding chains in the middle of the night was difficult.

This wasn’t the time to dawdle.

She urgently needed to find Lin. With the help of the catpeople spread throughout the city, finding Lin’s pink fur wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Did you wake up?”

“Seira?”

Seira emerged from the kitchen, holding a mug of hot coffee. She looked just like yesterday in her office attire, with dark circles under her eyes.

It was clear she had worked through the night.

“When did you arrive?”

“I just got here. Why do you look so rushed?”

“Lin is missing.”

Seira took a sip of her coffee with an expressionless face. After licking the coffee off her lips, she opened her mouth calmly.

“What’s that on your stomach?”

“Pardon?”

Only after Seira spoke did Carami look down and discover Lin curled up on her belly. She was sleeping soundly, resembling a small baby fox.

Realizing Lin’s presence, a weight that hadn’t been felt before was now noticeable.

“Why is she here…?”

Lin, who refused to come up to the bed, preferring the hard floor, was especially wary of humans, so Carami didn’t force her.

For Lin to have climbed onto her belly by her own will was rather ironic.

“It seems her feelings have changed.”

Changed feelings.

Carami pondered Seira’s words and looked at Lin.

Had the meat she had fed her finally paid off? The skill of [Generous Master] might be shining through. She gently patted Lin’s head with a soft touch to avoid waking her.

“More than that, there’s an important matter to discuss. It relates to the Death God.”

“Was there damage elsewhere?”

“Yes. I thought it had left quietly, but it caused quite a stir. However… that opponent is a bit strange.”

What did she mean by a strange opponent? Carami kept silent, waiting for Seira to continue speaking. Seira shared the information she had discovered through the night.

“The ones who were attacked were solely the street catpeople.”

“If they’re the street catpeople…”

Seira nodded as if confirming Carami’s suspicions.

“They are all individuals who have a slave contract with you. Fortunately, no one has died.”

“No one died?”

“According to their testimony, they were struck by the Death God’s scythe but got back up moments later, saying they felt no aftereffects. However…”

Seira trailed off.

“Why is your expression like that?”

Carami’s expression was clearly unusual. Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

Though she hadn’t spent much time with Carami, it was the first time Seira had seen her so alarmed.

“You…?”

Carami didn’t even respond; her gaze was fixed on the air. Was she possessed by the Death God? Seira began to feel anxious unnecessarily.

Carami couldn’t tear her eyes from the air. No, what was empty space to others was something visible to Carami.

It was a system window that could hardly be called a status screen.

It appeared right before her eyes.

[Completely liberate the main slaves. Current count 2/5]

[Completely liberate the main slaves. Current count 1/5]

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