Chapter 3-4

Chapter 3 - The Hunt for the Red Dragon Warrior

The master-slave contract took about thirty minutes to complete.

All I had to do was place the tip of a special needle in a dye containing my blood and use it to lightly prick the area where Kaede's heart is meant to be.

Then a black pattern emerged and the contract was completed.

When Kaede became my property, she was so weak that she couldn't even walk, standing on her own was impossible.

I carried her on my back, and left the store.

Before leaving, the slave driver gave me a little advice.

"If you plan to go to a drugstore to get her medicine, she may be able to recover a little. However, her illness is quite serious. In order for her to be completely cured, she will need a potion made from the heart of a Dragon."

"Will a Wyvern heart work?"

"No, I'm talking about a real Dragon. I'm not sure a subspecies will work."

"Well, thanks for the information."

The slave driver smiled and said, "No, no, please don't hesitate to visit us again.

On the way to the inn, I felt uncomfortable because of the lightness of the girl on my back.

I guess it's good that I bought her, but still, I don't know how to handle this.

Why did I choose a girl? If my plan is to have a slave to bring along on an adventure, I should have chosen a boy.

But I couldn't leave this girl alone.

…Probably because in a way, I empathize with her.

Her weak, downcast and lonely appearance was how I felt at this moment.

That's why I wanted to help her.

I want to show her that there are still people in this world that she can trust.

It may be ridiculous, but there is no other reason than that.

And it's true that I was intuitively drawn to her.

I found it strange just by looking at her.

"Gohogoho!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes…"

Should I go to the pharmacy before I go to the inn?

I looked for a pharmacy while asking people for directions.

"It's a pretty rare disease that affects beastkin"

The doctor looks into the girl's mouth and mutters.

That word created a question mark in my head.

"Are you telling me she's not human?

"It's hard to understand because she doesn't have ears or a tail, but this child is of the beastkin race. You see, the pupils are vertically long. There is also a slight bump around her waist, as if she has a tail.

If what you say is true, then will the basic physical ability be high?

This is quite unexpected news

"What can I do to cure your disease?"

"As the slave master mentioned, you'll need a potion made from a Dragon's heart. But it's ridiculously expensive to buy, and you'd have to be a hero to kill a Dragon.

"Can I make a potion out of a Dragon's heart?"

"Yes, it's possible to do so…"

The doctor seemed to want to say something else, but quickly closed his mouth.

He must have realized that it was useless to stop me.

Once I set out to do something, I will not rest until I have accomplished it.

Fortunately, I now have the power. I have no reason not to.

"Gohogoho!"

I stroked her head and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, and I'll cure you."

"...."

She was looking at me through the gap in her bangs as she breathed heavily.

I'm sure she was worried. She doesn't know what kind of person the master who bought her id and what purpose he has in helping her.

"For us to reach good results, you must first be cured, or do you find it strange that a master would take care of his slave?"

Kaede shook her head as she shook herself.

She is a good and honest child. I have to build a proper relationship of trust to make us friends.

"I'll give you some cough and fever pills, you can come back when you run out of medicine.

"Thank you. Old man."

"Who are you calling old? I'm not even 30 years old!"

The doctor hit me on the head.

I heard that in a forest near the city, a real Dragon has been living there for a while.

It's been three hours since I started walking in the forest.

I'm not tired yet, but I'm mentally exhausted by the same scenario.

"They told me I could find it if I walked to the mountain, but where?

I advanced through the foliage.

Occasionally I see goblins and orcs, but when I look at them, they slip away.

I wonder if they use their wild intuition to detect danger.

It still feels odd.

"Guoooooooooo!!"

A roar so loud that it shook the forest.

It's definitely from a Dragon.

This is where I finally got nervous.

A thoroughbred Dragon is a monster that I've never seen or fought before.

The usual way to defeat them is with a carefully planned military campaign.

Or it's a feat that a group of heroes can accomplish.

I really wonder if I can defeat it on my own.

The image of Kaede crossed my mind.

I'm sure she's waiting for me.

I'm not like those guys. I won't easily abandon my friends.

I will never betray their feelings.

The forest was cut down and I went out into the open.

In a hole in the rock face of a steep mountain, a bright red dragon lies prostrate.

It is a Red Dragon, a dragon of relatively low rank among species.

But even so, it is one of the strongest of the lower classes.

"Hey, dragon! Fight me!"

"Guruk?"

The Red Dragon opens one of its eyes and takes a look at me.

He immediately lifts his body and looks at me with those sharp pupils.

He is very big… He must be at least ten meters tall.

But there is no turning back now.

I am determined to do so.

I drew the sword I had on my back.

The dragon, on the other hand, also spread its wings and stood upright on two legs.

It looks much bigger.

I will not back down!

I ran vigorously towards the dragon, jumped up, and hit it diagonally.

Then a powerful shock wave was generated, which shook the earth and the forest very much.

Unexpectedly, the dragon's body was cut diagonally and fell to the ground.

"I defeated it with a single blow…?"

I find it hard to believe that this is my power.

That's supposed to be a Dragon. It's a monster that easily turns a city into a sea of fire.

So… This's the power of a 300 level.

This is not a power that you can easily exercise.

I quickly approached the Dragon's corpse.

"Ugh, it's splattered with blood."

I start searching all throughout his body until I get to his heart.

And I decided to cut off some organs that could be useful to me.

Speaking of which, I wonder what dragon meat tastes like.

I was curious, so I cut off some of the fatty meat.

This should be enough to save the girl.

Let's hurry up and go to the doctor.

"Did you really go hunting for him!?"

The doctor was so surprised that he fell out of his chair.

No wonder he was surprised.

It seems that I went for a walk in the park instead of hunting a dragon.

"I also brought some liver and other things, if you need it.

"These materials are very valuable!"

"You can keep them."

"What?"

"I don't need them."

As long as I get the potion, that's all that matters.

The doctor immediately began to prepare the mixture and soon completed the potion.

He was also pressured by the money, saying that he would do it for the Dragon's organs.

The price was about 30 million.

He was supposed to pay for the medicine, but instead he benefited from it.

I take the medicine and go back to the inn where Kaede is resting.

"You will feel better if you drink this."

"Is it for me?"

"Can you drink it?"

She nods her head and takes the medicine.

It won't work once, so I'll have to make sure she takes it regularly from now on.

I felt that Kaede's complexion had improved.

Today we'll eat rice porridge, but from tomorrow I think I can give her a more decent meal.

Once she's asleep, her breathing begins to grow calmer.

Her rigid expression seems to have softened, and I'm relieved to see it.

However, the power I have is beyond my imagination, it is something terrifying.

Defeating the Dragon with a single blow is unusual.

I'm afraid that if I don't fight carefully from now on, I could get involved in unwanted situations.

Maybe I should train Kaede to fight for me.

For that, though, I need her to recover soon.

Crack

I thought I heard a familiar and disturbing sound echoing inside me.

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Chapter 4 - The warrior and the slave go shopping

After waking up, I notice something warm and soft on my futon.

I turn my head and see Kaede curled up next to me, still asleep.

"Why is she sleeping here?

I don't think we need to sleep on the same futon.

Or did she sleep with me because she was cold? If so, it makes sense.

I got out of bed, leaving Kaede where she was.

"Hmm, it's a nice day today. I'll have to make sure Kaede has a good meal from now on."

I turn back to the bed and stare at Kaede for a moment.

Her body is still thin and emaciated.

Even the slave collar, which defines someone as a slave, seems to be the wrong size.

Oh, that's right, I brought some dragon meat.

I think I'll use it to make breakfast.

I leave the room and go down to the second floor.

Since this inn also has a restaurant, I introduce myself to the cooks and show them the meat.

"Is it possible that you can cook this meat? I will pay you for it".

"What kind of meat is it? At first glance it looks like pork, but on closer inspection, it's not."

"It is the meat of a red dragon."

"Really?!"

I let the owner cook the meat.

But it was funny to see his surprised reaction when he discovered that it was dragon meat.

"Here you go, dragon meat. And I made a chopped hamburger.

"Thank you."

On the table were a steak, salad, and a hamburger.

I left the hamburger for Kaede while I ate the steak.

I ran the knife over the steak, and was surprised at how incredibly smooth the meat was.

It certainly looks like pork.

But when I put it in my mouth, the texture was not pork, but chicken. And it was like chicken with a lot of fat.

Oh no. Too delicious.

I feel as if I can no longer look at dragons as anything other than a simple ingredient for food.

After that big breakfast, I went back to the room as soon as I could move.

"Oh, master…"

Kaede was already awake, but she was still lying in my bed.

"I'm sure you're hungry. I've made you some food, so you'd better eat.

"What is that?"

"Dragon Burger."

"Mmm-hmm."

Her tone of voice sounded clearer, so it seems the medicine works.

I was relieved to see that she wasn't coughing and seemed to be getting better and better.

Kaede gets out of bed, sits down on a chair, and starts eating with a knife and fork.

Oh? I thought she wouldn't have that kind of knowledge since she was a slave, but could it be that this girl had received that kind of education in the past?

Despite her haggard appearance, her manners were splendid.

However, after a few minutes, she became a little violent when consuming her food.

She must have been very hungry.

You don't have to force yourself like that.

"We must do something about that outfit."

"Eh?"

She then coughed up the food a little.

Kaede's face turned red and she looked embarrassed.

"Excuse me for looking like this…"

"You don't have to apologize. The culprits are the slave owners who didn't treat you as you deserved.

"Master."

Kaede's eyes turned glassy.

"Eat quickly. Also, you have sauce on the edge of your mouth."

After finishing her meal, I prepared to leave.

"Wait, I'm coming with you."

"You can't, you're still reeling."

"But, I have to practice to do it."

"That's a good point…"

If at some point she can't walk on her own, I'll carry her on my back.

And I've never bought women's clothes before, so I don't know the details.

We left the inn together and headed to the market.

First we went to the clothing store.

There, I bought Kaede some very nice adventurer's clothes.

Next was the shoe store.

I bought a pair of leather boots.

Next was the armor store.

There, I bought some leather armor, a knife and a cane.

It looks like a cane, but it's very special.

"Are you sure you want to use that cane?"

"Yes, please."

"Well, if it makes you happy…"

The cane she chose had an unusual fan shape.

The material is an alloy commonly used in iron fans.

According to the store owner, the fan-shaped cane is used only in a few areas.

He said he found it at the market and grabbed it because of its rarity.

However, the iron fan is large enough for a child to handle. It also weighed quite a bit.

Kaede opened the fan with her thin arms and handled it easily.

"Isn't it too heavy?"

"Yes, it is… But I will be able to handle it perfectly once I get better.

Come to think of it, Kaede comes from a tribe of beastkin with great physical abilities.

Although she is weak now, she should originally have been able to handle it easily.

If she does not have the ability to do so, she is free to change weapons.

We left the store and walked down the street together.

I think we bought everything we needed, although… I think there was something else to buy.

Suddenly, I realized that Kaede wasn't following me.

I turned around, and saw that she had stopped in front of a food stand.

"Do you want some?"

"N-No."

"Don't be shy. I have a lot of money now."

"Uhm. Yes, I would."

I couldn't help but pat her on the head as she spoke shyly.

Kaede bent her head down while it was totally red.

The stall was a bakery of sweet baked dough.

I tried it once.

I think it was because Lisa begged me.

When I try to remember, a deep, heavy feeling of sadness and emptiness wells up in my chest.

Why was I betrayed? I want to know.

I regained my senses immediately, thinking that I should not go any further with those thoughts.

No matter how hard I try, I will never know the answer.

It's better to call it a day.

I bought some sweets and we sat on a bench.

"Here, eat as much as you like."

"Thank you, Master."

"Can't you stop calling me that?"

"But, the master is the master."

Kaede put on a worried face.

Maybe it's because she's a slave.

"I guess that's how you were raised."

"Master… You don't like this annoying and expensive slave, and you're thinking of getting rid of me?"

"What are you talking about?"

Kaede bends her face and starts to cry.

I'm sure she was thinking about it while we were shopping.

I'm still surprised, but I think she's had a bad time as a slave.

I stroked her head to make her feel calm.

"I'm not going to abandon you. I want you to support me until I die. I may not be the best of teachers, but I need you."

"No, the master is the best teacher! I would do anything for him! So please let me be by your side forever!"

"Oh, that's okay…"

I am a little embarrassed, but at the same time happy.

I wonder if I have managed to at least build some trust between the two.

The sweets in my mouth feel more delicious.

"We're going to have to cut those bangs, I don't think you can see very well"

"If you have scissors, you can cut them yourself."

"Really? Then we'll buy them on the way to the inn."

*Crack. Crack crack.*

That familiar sound again echoed through my head.

"Notice: Since the magic energy saving level has reached the upper limit, 100 times more will be paid"

"Notice: the payment has been multiplied by ten due to the effect of the skill effect UP"

"Notice: Since the skills experience value savings level has reached the upper limit, 100 times more will be paid"

"Notice: the payment has been multiplied by ten due to the effect of the skill effect UP"

"Notice: Magic energy savings/skills experience has been damaged. It will take some time to repair"

"Notice: The skill level limit has been destroyed. A new limit will be established"

"Notice: A new skill has been acquired [Duplication of experience value / general] "

"Notice: A new skill, Magic Loan, has been acquired"

It seems that my skills have been broken and repaired yet again.

The letters flowed vigorously into my vision.

The amount of magical power circulating in my body had increased incredibly.

I cannot control the magical power and it gradually escapes from my body.

The surface of my body became distorted as if it were shimmering.

How much magic power did I just get?

Just the thought of it is terrifying.

"Ah, ah, aaaah!"

This is not good. Kaede is scared.

I have heard that beastkin are sensitive to magic, they can see the amount of magic in a person.

I'm sure she sees me as a monster.

I fought to keep calm and managed to keep the magic from leaking out.

"I'm sorry I scared you. It's just that my abilities are giving me more magic."

"..."

"Are you okay?"

"My teacher is a great person, isn't he?"

Kaede's expression changed and her eyes lit up.

Amazing… Does she really see me that way?