Once we'd crossed the grasslands, we relocated our base to the mountains and forest.
By that point, our fighting style had grown considerably more familiar, and Raphtalia's movements had improved as well.
Gathering supplies was going smoothly. Between the experience points we were earning from monsters and the byproducts we collected, our load was starting to get unwieldy.
And that was when it happened.
Up until now, we'd mostly been dealing with monsters that seemed to fall into the non-living category. But at last, we encountered something that resembled an animal.
A one-head-tall… brown rabbit?
Usapill.
What a weird name.
"Pyo!?"
The moment the Usapill spotted us, it leaped forward and lunged at us with its oversized front teeth.
"Look out!"
It must have judged me to be the tougher target, because it was aiming straight for Raphtalia.
So I stepped in front of her to shield her.
Clang! Clang!
My defense still seemed to be higher.
"Good! Stab it!"
"A… ah…"
"What's wrong?"
"L-living thing… blood… there's going to be blood…"
I could tell what Raphtalia was trying to say from her panicked tone.
"Endure it. From now on, this is the kind of enemy we'll be fighting."
"B-but…"
Clang! Clang!
The Usapill kept biting at me over and over.
"Endure it. If you can't, I won't be able to keep looking after you."
That's right. She was an expensive slave, after all. If she couldn't fight, she was useless.
I hated to say it, but I'd just have to sell her back to that Slave Merchant and buy a different slave who could fight.
"N-no! I won't!"
Raphtalia's eyes went wide and, for a child, she wore a terrifying expression as she plunged the knife into the Usapill's back again and again.
Each time she pulled it out, blood sprayed forth.
"Ah…"
The Usapill gave a final shudder and collapsed to the ground.
Raphtalia watched it fall, then stared at the blood on her knife, trembling.
Her face had gone deathly pale, and just watching her made my stomach churn.
But I couldn't afford to sympathize.
From here on, I would have to make her do this hundreds, thousands of times.
"Pyo!"
Another Usapill emerged from the bushes and leaped at Raphtalia.
"Ah—"
I immediately stepped between Raphtalia and the Usapill, blocking the attack.
Clang!
"…Sorry. In an ideal world, this would be something I should be doing myself. But all I can do is defend. That's why I have no choice but to make you do it."
I let the Usapill clamp onto my arm as I spoke to Raphtalia.
"I need to become stronger. That's why I need your help."
If I didn't, there would be no path forward for me here. The deadline was closing in. In just over a week, I'd encounter the first Wave of catastrophe.
There was no way I could survive at the rate things were going.
"…But…"
"In a little over a week, a Wave that threatens the entire world will arrive."
"Wh-what!?"
"My immediate goal is to get as strong as possible before then."
Raphtalia listened to my explanation, trembling from head to toe.
"You mean… we're going to fight that catastrophe?"
"Yeah. Apparently that's my role. It's not like I'm doing it by choice, but… in a sense, you and I might be similar. I'm the one forcing you, so I'm hardly in a position to talk."
"…………"
"So, if possible, don't do anything that would make me have to let you go."
Having to raise another slave from scratch would be a huge loss, and besides, putting her back in that cage wasn't exactly something I relished.
But right now I had no money. Without selling her, I couldn't afford a new slave.
"…I understand. Master… I… will fight."
The color slowly returned to Raphtalia's pale face. She gave a slow nod, then, with the blood-stained knife, drove a single thrust into the Usapill's vitals.
Somehow, her earlier terrified demeanor had completely flipped, and her eyes were filled with resolve.
Raphtalia watched the Usapill roll away, then quietly closed her eyes.
She stepped forward and switched to a different knife, ready to begin butchering.
"Let me do that. I can't keep making you do all of it."
"Yes."
I took out the butchering knife and processed the Usapill.
This was reality. Not a game.
It was a reality I wanted to avert my eyes from, but there was nothing I could do.
It was my first time cutting up a living creature, but this was what it took to survive in this world.
When the Usapill's blood touched my hands, I gained at least some understanding of what Raphtalia had been feeling.
After I'd finished processing both of them, I absorbed them into the shield.
The conditions for the Usa Leather Shield have been unlocked.
The conditions for the Usa Meat Shield have been unlocked.
Usa Leather Shield
Ability locked… Equipment Bonus: Agility +3
Usa Meat Shield
Ability locked… Equipment Bonus: Butchery Skill +1
I switched to the latter shield and stood up.
"Master. Please… don't abandon me."
Raphtalia looked up at me with an intense, desperate expression.
She must have been terrified at the thought of going back to that place.
Screaming through the night, emaciated and sick. She could very well have died. That would have been a bitter end.
Part of me wanted to outlive that damned woman so I could spit on her grave, but there was no practical benefit in that.
"As long as you fulfill your role, I won't abandon you."
Besides, I still needed her alive.
Still… right, just like that damned woman, this creature was the same gender as—that damn woman!
My thoughts were going in circles.
I needed to stop this train of thought. It was poisoning my mind.
Now was the time to figure out how to get stronger alongside my slave.
EXP 7 x 2
"I want… to be of use to you, Master."
From that point on, Raphtalia attacked every monster that appeared with a visible surge in motivation.
On one occasion, she even tried to rush in before I could hold the enemy back, and I had to stop her.
It was a good trend, but something about it… rubbed me the wrong way.
What I was doing was by no means praiseworthy.
It was all for selfish gain.
But even so… I couldn't afford not to do it.
That night, we found a wide spot in the forest that looked good for resting and lit a fire to make camp.
Using the herbs we'd gathered, I cooked a pot of stew with whatever looked edible along with Usapill meat.
The leftover meat I roasted beside the campfire.
We were planning to head back to town by tomorrow evening, but there was no guarantee that monster meat would sell.
I wasn't sure if it was even edible, but the Appraisal skill told me it was safe to eat.
I cut off a piece of the cooked meat and tried it. No problems. Couldn't really tell the taste, though.
It was just grilled and boiled, so the resulting dishes were pretty plain.
But the Cooking skill kicked in and bumped the quality up from average to slightly above, so it shouldn't taste bad.
"Here, eat up."
I set the finished stew and grilled meat in front of Raphtalia.
"It's delicious!"
Raphtalia's stomach had been growling for a while as she waited for the food to be ready. Her eyes lit up and she dove in enthusiastically.
After today's fights, my level hit 10, and Raphtalia reached level 10 as well.
She'd finally caught up.
Well, it was bound to happen.
I set to work compounding potions by the light of the campfire.
I needed to save as much money as possible and充实 my equipment. I'd make the highest-value potion I knew how to brew.
Grind, grind, grind.
I crushed herbs in the mortar, squeezed the blended mixture, and transferred the extract to the beaker.
A Healing Potion has been crafted.
A Nutrient Potion has been crafted.
I'd pretty much tried every recipe I knew.
I'd hit the limit of the Simple Compounding Recipes, Tier 1. Even these two had been miracles of intuition.
The shield's ability could only carry me so far with this makeshift alchemy.
And the quality was still fundamentally… slightly below average.
"…*cough*"
Had the potion's effect worn off?
Without a word, I handed her a Healing Potion. Raphtalia pulled a face but drank it down.
Anyway, if I wanted to earn new income, I needed to get stronger first.
"We'll take turns watching the campfire. You go to sleep first, and… I'll wake you after a while."
"Okay."
She was oddly obedient. The difference from when we first met was night and day.
"Good night."
"Yeah, good night. Oh right—I'm selling the furs tomorrow anyway, so use them as a blanket. It'll keep you warm."
I handed Raphtalia the furs I'd smoked over the fire during cooking to drive off ticks, fleas, and the like.
They were a little on the small side, but layering them should provide some warmth.
"Okay."
Raphtalia sniffed the furs and scrunched up her nose a little.
"Smoky?"
"Yes. Very smoky."
"Thought so."
"But they look warm."
Raphtalia closed her eyes and leaned gently against my back.
Well, whatever.
I continued compounding potions, adding firewood to the campfire as I waited for the time when Raphtalia would scream.
…*Sigh.*
How long would I have to keep living like this?
At minimum, a little over a week.
I didn't want to think about the possibility of dying, but I had to be prepared.
…About time. By the third night, I'd learned the rhythm of when she'd start making a fuss.
"Mm…"
Slowly, Raphtalia sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"You awake?"
She hadn't screamed this time.
Oh, right. She'd been sleeping with her back against mine, so she must have been warm.
Was it a trauma thing? Did sleeping against another person's body keep the nightmares at bay?
Grrr…
"…I'm hungry."
She'd just eaten all that and she was hungry again?
"Fine, fine."
I gave her the leftover grilled meat I'd saved for the next morning.
Raphtalia stuffed her cheeks with the meat, looking delighted.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep now. Wake me if anything happens."
"Mm-hm!"
Raphtalia nodded while munching away at the meat.
Honestly, her getting her energy back was a good sign, but she was starting to look like she might become a bottomless pit.