Chapter 2—Isam’s Side

Two beastkin siblings were arduously traveling along the road to Goren from Pavella. The older brother was Isam, and the little sister was Mimiko. They were two former party members of Ichika (old name: Sorin).

Why were the two of them there instead of in Goren? Allow me to describe Isam’s thought process. “Pretty sure a merchant bought Sorin! I’m gonna go settle things with him!” → “Wha? This is just a branch office? Where’s the main office?” → “Pavella you say? Let’s go, Mimiko!” → “The president Dyne is on a business trip right now? Alright, we’ll wait while doing work in Pavella!” → “...What’s taking him?! And where’d he go?!” → “Wait, what? He’s running a branch store in Goren?! Say that first! Let’s go, Mimiko!” → (You are here now).

To save on money, they weren’t using a carriage. Being frugal was important to them since they didn’t know how much it would cost to free Ichika.

“Isam, why do you always have to jump to conclusiooons...”

“I-I mean, Sorin was right there! I got excited.”

“...You mean Ichika?”

“No! Sorin is Sorin! I don’t care about any slave name she got!” Isam turned his head sharply.

Mimiko sighed. Most races didn’t have that much of an attachment to their names. Really, it would be fair to say that beastkin were abnormally obsessed with their names. The only people out there that cared this much about their names were beastkins, gods, and demons.

“...I mean, Ichika said she wanted us to call her that. It’d be rude not to.”

“...Still, her original name is more important. It has to be.” Even Isam knew that it was rude not to call someone by what they wanted to be called. But Ichika was important to Isam and he wanted to call her Sorin. He just couldn’t stand to call her by a name that some random guy forced onto her.

“Ichika looked pretty happy there, you know.”

“No way would she be happy as a slave!”

In the first place, it took a lot of luck just to get back to being a commoner after falling into slavery. The only ones who properly managed to escape from such a life were those contract slaves who had signed a contract ahead of time.

Slaves could roughly be split into four types: contract slaves, debt slaves, convict slaves, and war slaves.

Contract slaves became slaves after signing a contract. They worked as slaves for a set period of time, and many of them were freed upon the death of their master. Such contracts were often given to mistresses and the like. This was the broadest category.

Debt slaves were those who fell into slavery due to debt. They could escape slavery by paying back their debt. But most slaves weren’t given any wages, and what belonged to a slave belonged to their master. That included wages earned through work, so they could rarely keep savings of their own.

Convict slaves became slaves after committing one or more crimes. Their enslavement would end after a set period of time. But anyone who would commit a crime bad enough to be enslaved would generally get worked to death long before it ended. Most weren’t even given a set amount.

War slaves were those who became slaves after being captured during a war. They could be freed if their master wished it and the state accepted it. But there were practically no masters who would go out of their way to petition to the state just to free their property.

...So, in short, anyone who fell into slavery outside of contract slaves would never escape without outside help. There were also illegal slaves, people who were turned into slaves through unlawful means. Kidnapped orphans and people attacked by bandits fell into this category, but given the circumstances, they didn’t get to be treated as war slaves. If you went up to the authorities and said, “A merchant got kidnapped by bandits and enslaved. He’s being kept in their hideout,” if they didn’t move to free him, he would be treated basically like a normal slave for all practical purposes. Incidentally, if someone managed to free such an illegal slave (and said someone had a good heart), they could take him to a soldier garrison or some such to get the collar removed.

“We heard that Sorin fell into slavery from debt. That means we can free her if we just pay back that debt. Once that happens, her name will be Sorin again.”

“...You know, I’ve always wondered, how did she even end up in debt? Despite everything, Ichika was always really responsible.”

“Gambling and food.”

“Aaah......... B-But, still, it’s definitely weird that she went so far she ended up in debt...”

For a second Mimiko nearly agreed, but even with her love of food in mind, Ichika had always known how to show restraint. It wasn’t impossible she had undergone a personality shift somehow after she left their party, but the chances of that felt really low.

“It doesn’t feel right to me either, but... We can talk about this after settling things with that Dyne guy.”

“I think it would be better if you just heard what Ichika had to say...”

“She’s not gonna be able to say anything that’ll be inconvenient for her master! C’mon, we gotta save Sorin as fast as possible! Let’s go!” said Isam, speeding up his pace.

“...You jumping to conclusions has already slowed us down by days and days.”

“A-And that’s why we need to speed it up!”

Mimiko sighed and followed after her brother.

# Keima’s Perspective

Things calmed down a lot after the rookie hunting incident was over and done with. And yet, for some reason, Maiodore had summoned me to the space behind the inn to have tea. She had a table with chairs set up and everything. Niku was there, of course, as her fiancée. Rokuko came too, dead set on making sure everyone knew I was her partner. Well... The weather’s nice enough today. Might as well have a bit of tea before an afternoon nap.

“That certainly was quite the event, wasn’t it?”

“...Oh, the rookie hunter incident?” I replied while drinking tea.

“Yeah, that was kinda nasty.”

“I believe I have grown much from my experience with them. I knew that coming to this town would be for my benefit,” said Maiodore while gulping down her cup of tea in a single go. She and her maid had expertly served as decoys to lure the rookie hunters into a trap.

“Rei’s use of her illusion skill was nothing short of spectacular. I would expect nothing less from the High Priestess of Beddhism.”

“Heheh, yup, our Rei sure is something else. Right, Keima?” Rokuko looked proud despite the fact Rei had been praised, not her. Though given that Rei was a dungeon monster, one might say that praise for her was indirect praise for Rokuko, the Dungeon Core. Or maybe she was just proud of her church’s High Priestess, as a fellow Beddhist. Either way was fine, really.

“Kuro sure pulled her weight, too. Right, Kuro?”

“...I didn’t do anything special. I just did what I was told to.” She remained expressionless, but her tail was wagging enthusiastically.

“No need to be humble, Kuro. I am proud to be your fiancée.” Maiodore, in contrast, smiled warmly.

Hmm... Their engagement was a sham made up just so I could get my hands on the Divine Bedding, but they actually seem like they could be a good couple. Too bad they’re both girls. Though actually, there are magic drugs out there that would make the gender gap a non-issue, practically speaking. Can’t forget that this is a fantasy world. Woohoo, fantasy worlds! Gender freedom! We owe it all to you, Leona!

“Oh yeah, by the way. Have you gotten used to rural town life yet?”

“Yes, very much so. Kuusan the noble carpenter built me a home, and Kuro has graciously introduced me to everyone.”

...Despite the fact that the engagement had been made with every expectation of being canceled later, she introduced herself with the line, “Hello, I am Maiodore Tsia, Kuro’s future wife,” to everyone she met. No doubt about eighty percent of people thought, “Wait, Kuro was a guy?!” after hearing that. The other twenty percent either knew about the gender mixing drug, thought that Maiodore was an unusually cute guy, or immediately declared, “Girls loving girls is the best thing in the world!” I knew all this thanks to Niku and Maiodore giving me a detailed report.

I didn’t feel like correcting everyone, but it did seem that the majority of people now thought that Niku was a guy. People who knew me since before I started calling her Kuro in public all looked at me as if they finally understood something that had been stuck in the corner of their minds. I didn’t get them at all. I mean, it probably had to do with how the word Niku meant sex slave for girls and meat shields for men, but I would rather them not misunderstand even more about me.

“Everyone is treating me very well here.”

“...Well, you are a noble. I don’t think anyone would be jumping to disrespect you.” Though now that I thought about it, nobody was commenting on how a slave was engaged to a noble. Maybe it was common for people to embrace slavery so they could marry the one they loved, or maybe rich people had a tendency to offer their slaves to each other as presents.

“That helps, but I believe it is because you allowed me to participate in resolving the rookie hunter incident. Thanks to that, everyone has begun inviting me to meals where they shower me with fried potatoes and the like.” Maiodore smiled brightly. It was true that eating together with people strengthened your bonds with them. Not to mention that Maiodore was casual enough about her nobility that she even played with orphans in the orphanage.

“I’m surprised your maid lets you do that.”

“Aha, she certainly has scolded me for behaving improperly. But I emerged victorious after explaining that I came to Goren specifically to mingle with the people and learn much about life.”

“Makes sense. Guess that’s why she’s been looking uncomfortable this whole time.”

“Despite appearances, Sheena is of noble descent as well.”

Oh crap, really? I thought she was a commoner... But I guess that Maiodore’s so high status that even her servants need to be nobility as well. Archdukes are serious business.

“Oh really?” said Rokuko. “But your maid always grabs food for herself when working part-time in our cafeteria. I’m surprised she’d scold you for doing the same thing she does.”

The maid averted her gaze. Like master like servant, huh?

“Master!” Suddenly, Ichika came rushing towards us. Huh, I thought Ichika was off today.

“’Sup, Ichika. Something happen?”

“Whew, nice. Guess he’s not here yet... Dude, remember those old party members of mine I was talking about? They’re back, and the brother’s pissed.”

“Yeah?”

“So like, I was doing some part-time work in the Dyne Company when he raced off to the inn to talk to the person who bought me. Didn’t even listen to a word I said, the jerk.”

“I see.” So basically, he’s waiting in the inn for me. Yeah... Guess I can just go straight back to my room in the chief residence and avoid the problem! No? Dang.

“Ah, Ichika,” interjected Maiodore. “You mentioned you were off today, and I understand now that you were merely busy with the Dyne Company. Are you using your wages to buy yourself back?”

“Huh? As if, dude. I’m obvs just dumping it on all the slot machines.”

“What?” Maiodore blinked in surprise.

“Keima is paying you and his other workers, yes?”

“Yup.”

“Why not save that money to pay off your debt?”

“Huh? Dude, what? That’d be a total waste of money.” Ichika tilted her head in confusion. She knew that I had no intention of letting her go free and that I would provide her with all sorts of delicious food, such as curry rolls, as long as she stayed. On top of that, she lived within walking distance from choice gambling spots such as the bar with the slot machines. Even if she wasted every copper to her name gambling, she could eat Kinue’s home cooking for free. Her ideal lifestyle was guaranteed nigh unconditionally.

“So basically, dude, this place is heaven for me. No way am I gonna quit being a slave.”

“...T-To each their own, I suppose.”

“It helps that Master is kinda a super special case, if you catch my drift.” Ichika puffed out her sizable chest with pride. So did Rokuko, for some reason, before throwing in some comments of her own.

“You know, Ichika, it’s kinda funny that you’re still gambling even though that’s what got you enslaved. I don’t think I could do the same in your shoes.”

“Well, I am holding back a little, y’know? Can’t exactly fall into slavery a second time, so... I think you’ll get me if you try gambling a little, Rokuko. The thrills you get are just, mmnnn.”

“Drop it, I’ll lose everything I have if Rokuko starts gambling.” We were talking about someone who consistently got top-tier items from the consistently regarded as trash Dungeon Point Gacha. It was thanks to her luck that I was here in the first place, after all.

“Wait, Ichika. Don’t you need to get back to work soon?”

“Dude, absolutely. Laters! Be careful, Master!” said Ichika before dashing away again.

...I took another sip of tea.

“Anyway, where were we?”

“Keima? Do you not have Ichika’s former party member waiting for you?”

“I don’t wanna deal with that guy. If he’s got that much beef with me, he’ll come talk to me himself. The Beddhist bible states that anything you can do after a nap doesn’t need to be done immediately. Thus, I will sleep until he comes to me.”

“Oh, I see. That is a profound nugget of wisdom.”

Yeah, I’ll write it down later.

And so, despite all of us preparing for a sudden intrusion at any moment, the tea party ended without a hitch. I even poked my head in the inn and saw that nobody was waiting for me. According to the tiny Silky sitting behind the counter, he had gone right back to the Dyne Company after getting a room and putting his stuff down.

“Seems like that idiot thought that the owner of the Dyne Company bought me, not you. He was negotiating for me with Dyne himself.”

Well, that explains why he didn’t come looking for me.

“Huh. That’s a pretty big misunderstanding. So, how’d it go? Did he buy you?”

“Course not! Dyne said ‘Our workers aren’t for sale, moron! Get out!’ and chased him away.” After that, he apparently tried waiting outside the store until Ichika’s shift was over, only to get chased away. He then went to the dungeon to earn money.

“He may not look it, but that dog’s hella stubborn... Wait, maybe he does look it? But anyway, he’s not gonna give up on me so easily. How’re you gonna handle this?”

“Ehhhh.” Dyne was an important source of income for our town. He was a good guy who took a little money and gave back more money. Most of the town’s operating funds came from him. He would bring it up when he didn’t have enough, but outside of special events that normally wasn’t an issue.

“I don’t want that guy getting in Dyne’s way too much. If he keeps being a pain you can just spill the beans that I’m your master. Tell Dyne the same thing.”

“Dude, really? I totally thought you were gonna let Dyne take the fall so you could keep napping.”

Just what kind of person do you think I am? I mean, I considered that possibility, but still.

“Eh, he’ll figure it out on his own if he does a little research. I guess he’ll notice before you have the opportunity to tell him.”

“’Kay. Later then, I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks.” I tossed Ichika a curry roll. Her payment for the report.

“Kyaaah! I love you so much, Master! Marry me, sleep with me!”

“Not sure I want love cheap enough to be bought with a curry roll.”

“C’mon, Master, you know I’d only ever say that to you. Lateeeers.” Ichika left my room with a tiny wave, curry roll in her other hand.

# Isam’s Perspective

“...So basically, that’s why I wanna free Sorin. Can’t you strike a deal with me?”

“Huh. Didn’t know you were in shit that deep, dude.” Isam returned to the Dyne Company again. This time, he brought the corpse of an Iron Golem he hunted to sell and show that he wasn’t just a rabble rouser. His efforts were rewarded, as unlike last time, Dyne heard him out without giving him the boot immediately.

“I get it, but why’re you talking to me about this?”

“Wha? Aren’t you Sorin’s master?” Isam replied to Dyne’s question with another one.

“Dude dude dude, no way. Where’d you get that idea? I’m not her master and I’ve never been.”

“...W-Wait, really? I heard Sorin was bought from someone here, so I thought for sure it’d be a merchant.”

“You gotta think a little more before you act, my man. Ichika’s owned by the town chief of Goren. Talking to me isn’t gonna help at all.”

“Oh, wow...” That was something everyone in Goren knew, but it was a shocking revelation to Isam. “Guess that’s why she’s working in the inn and this store.”

“Pretty much,” replied Dyne while continuing to appraise the Iron Golem. Isam watched him while falling into thought.

“...What do you think I should do?”

“I dunno, man. I wanna help ’cause I get what you’re going through, but I owe a hella lot to the town chief. Guess you should go talk to him. His name’s Keima.”

“Keima... Where is he?”

“Uhhh, well. The barkeep Wozma should know. He’s the vice chief.”

“Alright! Thanks.” Isam thanked him politely. Dyne decided to be generous with his appraisal.

After getting paid for his Iron Golem, Isam went to the bar. It was right next to the Adventurer’s Guild and the dungeon, so he found it immediately. The inn where he found Ichika working was close by as well.

“Hey, is the barkeep here? I’ve got some questions to ask.” The moment Isam walked into the bar and announced his intentions, a dwarf smelling of beer called out to him.

“Hey, what’s with you? Don’t think I’ve seen you around.”

“I’ve gotta talk with the town chief of this place, and I was told the barkeep here knows where he is.”

“Aaah, yeah, it’s always hard to get a hold of that Keima... Well, Wozma’s that guy behind the counter over there.”

“Alright, thanks.” Isam sat down at an open seat by the counter and ordered a drink before asking his question.

“Water and something to eat, please.” As an aside, Isam didn’t drink alcohol. He was old enough to drink if he wanted to, but since he was always saving up money to buy Ichika back one day, he never really chose to when the opportunity arose.

“How about some fried food? It’s chicken fried in oil.”

“Fried in oil...? That sounds expensive. I don’t have that much money.”

“Only five coppers. It’s cheap since we make them in bulk.”

“Alright, I’ll go with that, then.”

And so, out came the fried food. It was golden-brown and smelled fantastic, probably due to them adding a bit of garlic.

“Nom nom, nom! Oh, oooh! This tastes so good! I gotta bring some back for my sister.”

“Would you like to order another plate, then? But before that, I believe you wished to talk to me about something.” Wozma, the well-dressed barkeep, must have heard everything Isam said. He was looking at him with a faint smile.

“Nmm, yeah, the truth is...” Isam told Wozma all the details. In order to save his former party member who fell into slavery over debt, he wanted to talk to her current owner—Keima, the town chief. Wozma’s expression immediately darkened after hearing that.

“...That Sorin you speak of is Ichika, yes?”

“Yeah, sounds like that’s the name he gave her. But she’ll go back to her real name once I save her, so I’m still calling her Sorin.”

“I believe it would be best if you gave up on her.”

Isam’s wolf ears twitched unhappily.

“I’m not gonna give up! I’ve finally found Sorin, I’m not gonna abandon her now!”

“...Very well. If you insist, I will talk to Keima and arrange a meeting. He is quite the compassionate fellow. I’m sure he will hear you out.”

Wozma remained calm with Isam despite his shouting. That calm demeanor made Isam feel as if he was just a child in an adult’s body. He asked for another glass of water to cool down.

“...Yeah, I appreciate it. How should I thank you?”

“Order another plate for your sister. Fried food is good even when cold,” said Wozma with a smile.

Isam decided to order another plate. When he got back to the inn Mimiko would lecture the hell out of him for all he had done, but between you and me, he managed to narrowly escape with his life thanks to the fried food he brought with him.

# Keima’s Perspective

I was in the chief residence’s parlor, face to face with Ichika’s former party member Isam.

“So you’re Sorin’s current master, huh? I’ve finally found you.” He had apparently gone on lengthy detours since first finding Ichika. It had taken him so much time to reach me I honestly wanted to joke about that with him. He just charged forward on assumptions, never double checking his information or anything like that. Just how much time could he have saved by just asking Ichika who her master was?

“You sure threw me for a loop. Hope that time you saved by tricking me was worth it.”

Uh, no, you did all that yourself.

“Don’t blame me for your own mistakes. But anyway, what are you here for?”

“I’ll get straight to the point. Free Sorin, or sell her to me.”

“Sorin? Who’s that? Sorry, you might have the wrong guy.” That was probably Ichika’s old name, but I pretended not to know what he meant. I honestly hadn’t heard it before. As far as I could remember, Ichika had never mentioned it to me.

“Don’t play dumb! She’s a slave of yours!”

“Hm. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Drop the act already! It’s Sorin!”

“Try using your head for a second. I’ve got more than one slave. Understand?”

“Ngh!” choked out Isam before briefly falling silent. It seemed he hadn’t known that.

Though, to be fair, I only have two.

“...I’m talking about the one that goes by Ichika now!”

“Oh, Sorin was her old name? First time I’m hearing that. She didn’t mention it when I was naming her. But still, I’ll keep calling her Ichika.”

“Hmph, I don’t wanna call her by a trashy, dumb name like Ichika.”

“She picked that name herself, y’know. She really likes it. Pretty sure she came up with it by mixing the God of Food’s name with some other thing or another. I think.”

“...It’s a clever name. Good thinking, Sorin.”

Wow, fast recovery. You could’ve held your ground a little longer, y’know.

“Anyway, either let Sorin go or sell her to me!”

“No to both. Leave and don’t ever show your face here again.”

“Huh...? You want me to wear a mask or something?”

“Uhhh, er, no. Forget I said that. Basically, I’m saying no.” It had been a long time since the auto-translator busted my balls like that, but I kept going with only a slight recovery. To be honest, I could get rid of Isam using my status as a noble at any point I wanted. Or I could use my authority as town chief to banish him from the town, with the Guild’s backing. But I had stuck both feet in the dark side during the rookie hunters incident, and lately I was trying to minimize my use of authority so as to not become a ruthless dictator. My ultimate goal was peace.

“Ichika’s an important employee of mine. I can’t let her quit.”

“I’ll pay for her! As much as you want!”

“No amount of money would be enough. But I’ll throw you a bone and say if you save up about eighty thousand gold coins, I’ll at least consider it.” Eighty thousand golds. The second I said that, Isam’s eyes shot wide open. Also, to be clear, I said I would consider it. Not actually sell her.

“You’re trying to rip me off...!”

“Is that all you have to say? Get outta here. I’m busy.” I clapped my hands and Ichika came inside.

“Hellooo. Did you call for me, Master?”

“Wha, S-Sorin?! Why are you here?”

“’Cause she’s my slave. Why wouldn’t she be here? But anyway, Ichika. It’s time for this guy to leave. Send him outside for me.”

Ichika stood the panicking Isam up and dragged him out the door, saying, “C’mon, punk, get a move on.”

I feel like she’s not always this, uh, aggressive...

“H-Hold on. Sorin, I’m doing this for your sake!”

“HUH?! Who the crap cares about me and my trashy dumb name, huh?! Get the heck outta here!”

“Y-You heard that?! I-I mean, uh, it was just a figure of speech.”

“Quit acting dumb, Isam. I told you to start calling me Ichika. Why’re you dragging this out? You using that name, knowing I hated it? You picking a fight? I’ll take you up on that. I’ll beat you down, son.”

Oh, she hated her old name. First time I’m hearing that.

“You hated that name?! I had no idea... alright, I’ll call you Ichika! Okay!”

“Tch, too late for that, idiot! Shoulda put on a mask before coming here!”

“I don’t understand the masks!”

“Me neither, punk! But Master said it so now I am!”

Auto translator, please, do a better job. You’re teaching my slave to say weird things...

“...A-A duel! I challenge you to a duel, Keima! If I win, you have to free So-, I mean, I-Ichika!”

“There’s nothing in that for me, so no.”

Ichika ultimately finished dragging him outside and that was that. I opened up the potential for ripping him off for huge amounts of gold like I did with Wataru, but luckily enough for him, this week was a “good person” week. Otherwise he might not have left alive.

But the next day, Isam was camped out in front of my place.

“I challenge you to a duel!”

“Like I said, there’s nothing in that for me. Why would I accept?” I ignored Isam and headed to the church. There was mass today... but Isam blocked my path.

“...I’m pretty busy right now, y’know. Could you get out of my way?”

“Only if you accept the duel.”

Looks like he’s not gonna move... What a pain. Guess I’ll use this as an excuse to skip work.

“Heeey, anyone here that can pass on a message for me?”

“Yes! Nicole is here and ready!”

I yelled out for a messenger and Nicole, one of the Silky triplets, arrived immediately. That’s a Silky for you, always ready to help at home. And uh... Was the one with a red ribbon always Nicole?

“Someone’s getting in my way and I’m not gonna make it to mass. Tell Suilla that for me.”

“Yes! Understood!” Nicole dashed off, full of energy.

Perfect. Time to leave.

“Wait, wait, wait. If you just canceled your plans you’re not busy anymore, yeah? Duel me already.” Isam firmly grabbed my shoulder.

Ugh, don’t get your fur all over me. It’s already way too hot. At least come during the winter.

“Tch, back off, buddy. I’m busy sleeping.”

“Don’t friggin’ go to sleep!”

“We Beddhists pray by going to sleep, y’know. I’m a loyal member of Beddhism and thus can’t fight at full capacity unless I sleep twenty-five hours a day.”

“Uh. There’s only twenty-four hours in a day, dude. Are you feeling alright?”

Oh man, now he’s worried about me.

“Nah, feeling kinda sick actually. That’s why I need to sleep.”

“Alright. Take good care of yourself. I heard you’re an adventurer too, and our bodies are our lives.” Isam sat back down on the ground as he spoke.

Go home, please, I thought while returning to my room. Once there, I went straight to bed.

The first day, well, it was fine. I could live with one day. But Isam got in my way once again the next day.

“Hey! I asked around and it turns out you’re not busy at all! You just sleep all day!”

“Who’s spreading those filthy, filthy lies? They just don’t realize what hard work it is to sleep all day. It’s so much work I’m constantly busy.”

“Quit messing around!” Isam grabbed the chest of my shirt.

Oh man, so scary. This guy’s a real thug. And trust me, there were two good reasons why I was totally calm despite him grabbing my shirt. First, I was transformed into myself with {Ultra Transformation}, which would revive me if I died. Second, well...

“Hmph.”

“Gah, ow! What’re you doing?”

The strongest person in Goren, my dakimakura Niku Kuroinu, was standing right beside me. She slammed the hilt of her Golem Knife against the back of his hand, making him let go of me.

“What’s with you, kid? Back off, don’t get in my way.”

“.........” Niku shook her head, standing in between us. Who knew such a small girl could be so reliable.

“Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is my dakimakura. The name’s Kuro.”

“...Niku Kuroinu. I am Master’s original slave.” Niku bowed her head without changing expression for a second.

“Enslaving Sorin wasn’t enough for you?! Not even little girls are safe?! And you’re even calling her a niku, too?!”

“Th-There’s a good reason for that. I didn’t name her that myself, alright?” I averted my eyes and Niku let out another hmph.

“...The name Master gave me is my greatest pride.” She then proudly said something she really shouldn’t have.

Niku, please!

“Well? Got anything to say to that?”

“Look, this is a really complex situation. And didn’t Ichika tell you to stop calling her Sorin?”

“Ngh, that’s not important right now! Sorin is precious to me!”

Ohhh, I get it. He ultimately wants to free Sorin because... Wait, I mean. He wants to free Ichika because, deep down inside, he...

“So basically, you’re in love with Ichika. You want to free her because you love her.”

“...Y-Yeah, so what?! Got a problem with that?!”

Oh wow, he sure was quick to admit it.

“Nah. But I do have a problem with losing my slave. Ichika’s too important for me to give up. So, what can we do about this? How about you become my slave too?”

“Wha?! Quit messing around, why would I become your slave?!”

Well, I mean. He’s not gonna keep any secrets unless he’s a slave. I wouldn’t mind him and Ichika working something out as slaves, but... Actually, he would probably let stuff leak whether I enslaved him or not. Time to abandon this idea entirely.

“Yeah, never mind. Forget I said anything. While you’re at it, forget about Ichika.”

“I’ll never give up on her! Just duel me already! If I win, you free Sorin. If you win, I’ll be your slave! How about that?! There’s finally something in it for you!”

“Nah, you seem kinda dumb.”

“Hey! I’m a C-Rank adventurer, y’know! I’ve got tons of experience!”

Ahhh, geez, just leave me alone already. I wish I could skip work again, but Suilla said something about working twice as hard today to make up for missing yesterday. Apparently Maiodore’s father, the Archduke of Tsia, was sneaking into the church to attend mass. He had done so two days in a row. Which meant no matter how much of a pain it was, I had to get to work. I would need to change clothes in the church, too.

“Kuro, could you get this guy out of my way?”

“Yes,” said Niku before pointing her Golem Blade at Isam.

“Uh, don’t kill him.”

“.........” She sheathed her Golem Blade and took out a wooden practice knife.

“Hmph, you don’t know what you’re getting into. You think I’ll hold back ’cause you’re a kid? I won’t.”

“Okay.”

Niku won in a split second, and I easily made it to the church before mass started. On my way back from church after mass, I found a female furry (by which I mean a fur-covered girl wolfkin) waiting for me. Ichika was with her.

“Huh? What’s up, Ichika?”

“Ahhh, well, Mimiko totes wants to apologize to you.” The moment Ichika said that, the beastkin named Mimiko shot her head down in an incredibly powerful bow. Her body hit a perfect ninety degree angle.

“I’m so sorry! My brother’s been so awful!”

“...Ahhh, you’re Isam’s little sister. Well, uh, don’t sweat it. You don’t need to apologize for him.”

“I’m sorry! My brother is just the worst sometimes!” Mimiko briefly lifted her head, then bowed it again. It wasn’t a rapid back and forth, but rather huge swings up and down.

“Uh, well... Must be rough.”

“Yes... It really is...” Her voice exuded utter exhaustion. I could imagine how much her brother dragged her around while jumping to conclusions and not listening to people.

“So yeah, Master. She’s mega sorry about him getting in the way of yesterday’s mass.”

“He came again this morning, y’know.”

“Wha?! I-I, um, I’m sorry... I don’t know how I can make this up to you. I’m just, so sorry!” Mimiko apologized with all she had. She was lowering her head so fast, I could feel waves of air hitting me.

Isam’s gotta shape up. An older brother shouldn’t be making his little sister go around apologizing for him. But you know, her fur is super fluffy. Kinda heals my soul in a way. She’s way fluffier than her brother. I-Is this a passive charm skill? No way, that’s ridiculous.

Anyway. If I don’t forgive her here, I might accidentally be condemning them to death. That’s fine. It’s still the good week.

“...Alright. In appreciation for your sincere apologies, I will forgive him.”

“Th-Thank you so muuuuch!” Mimiko bowed her head once again.

Doesn’t she know that just makes me want to touch her fluffy tail? Sheesh... Guess I’ll mess with Niku’s tail later.

“...Master, what’s with those pervy eyes? You getting the hots for Mimiko’s tail?”

“Is that what it looks like?” I don’t think I’m particularly perverted.

“I get how you feel, but a beastkin’s tail is like a human’s boobs, y’know? Or what, are you gonna punish her with some tail squeezing?”

“Of course not. I already said I’d forgive her.”

“Yay! Lucky you, Mimiko!”

“Hyaaah?!”

Despite her celebration, Ichika gripped the base of Mimiko’s tail and squeezed hard.

“I-Ichika! Geez!”

“Ahaha! It’s fine, we’re both girls.”

Man, Ichika’s off the chain... Though actually, wait. Girls definitely touch each other’s boobs sometimes, so if tails are like boobs, then what Ichika just did is like on the level of a friendly joke between pals.

“Uhhh, well, looks like my slave is bothering you too. Guess we’re even.”

“Ah... R-Right! Thank you very much!”

“Heh, just what I expected you to say, Master. Everything’s all better now and it’s thanks to me.”

Seriously?

Anyway, Mimiko left looking fairly relieved, although she still insisted on bowing her head repeatedly while leaving.

“...But tails are like boobs, huh? I feel like I’ve touched Niku’s tail more than a few times. Is that sexual harassment?”

“Kinda late to be worrying about that given all the dakimakura stuff, dude, but yes. It’s hella sexual harassment. If you wanna go full on fluffy fluffy without harassing a girl, you gotta summon a monster and try taming it, dude.”

Ehhh, I’ll look into it.

# Isam’s Perspective

What was with that little girl...? thought Isam as he recalled the slave he had met today, Niku. She looked like a normal beastkin girl at a glance. She was almost young enough to be called a toddler with a barely developed body, really.

And yet despite her small body, she was stronger, faster, and more agile than Isam. Her small frame even made her a more difficult target to hit. Basically, she was strong. She slipped into his range without any effort then sent him flying before he could attack.

Given her strength, well, it should be safe to say that she had the blessings of the God of Beastkin, the one who originally mixed man and beast—Chaos. After all, her hair was black, the color of the chaos that consumes all. Or maybe she was a hidden child of the Beast King.

Either way, had Isam challenged Niku to a duel with the stated conditions, he would probably be signing the forms that made him Keima’s slave by now. But that would never happen. Isam was an adventurer confident in his skills. He wouldn’t let his guard down around her again. He could probably fight back with a little caution. I won’t lose again, he thought.

But even if that were the case, he would first need to shake the trail of his angry little sister Mimiko.

“Geez, are you even listening to me, Isam?!”

Crap. I totally wasn’t.

“Y-Yeah. You’re right. I definitely messed up here.”

“Really? Do you really think you messed up?”

“Absolutely nothing good came from what I did. I’m sorry.”

“...Don’t let it happen again!” said Mimiko before heading to bed.

Phew. I dunno what she was talking about, but looks like she’s settled down.

“Haaah.” Isam let out a sigh. He shot up straight after Mimiko murmured “Stop that, I’m the one who wants to sigh.” Isam was a warrior and Mimiko was the back row support, but Isam could never manage to end up on top in arguments with her. Well, he knew she wouldn’t point a sword at him while he was protecting her, but still. A chill ran down his spine whenever she got mad at him.

“...Alright.” After making sure Mimiko had fallen asleep, Isam snuck out of the room. He sniffed the air. As a wolf beastkin, and especially as a wolf beastkin with an entire wolf’s head, his nose was much more powerful than an average human’s. He was after the scent of Sorin—of Ichika. That said, he had already sniffed out the location of Ichika’s room the other day. The question was just whether she was there right now or not.

Luckily, Ichika’s room had a window. He snuck around to it and knocked on its wooden pane.

...There wasn’t a reply after a decent amount of waiting, so he knocked again.

.........Just as he was about to knock for the third time, the window suddenly opened.

“Dude, who the heck? It’s too late for this junk.” Ichika stuck her head out the window, looking extremely displeased.

“It’s me, Isam.”

“Huh? Dude, seriously, it’s too late. Good boys and Beddhists should be in bed by now.”

With Ichika clearly pissed at him, Isam looked around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing.

“I’m here to rescue you.”

“Rescue me from what? I want to be here. Get outta my face.”

“Sor— Ichika! You don’t need to act strong. I’ll protect you!” He started to say Sorin, but corrected himself as she glared at him.

“Dude, what? Is that a confession or something? You sure have grown, my man. Seems like just yesterday you were pissing yourself and crying about it.”

“Wha, i-is now really the time to talk about that? Sheesh, Sori— uh, Ichika! You changed the subject the last time I confessed to you too!”

“Aaah, what were all those things you said? ‘I want to feed you the prey I hunt every day,’ ‘I’ll fill your belly,’ ‘Brush my tail for me,’ and ‘I won’t let anyone but you touch my stomach’? Man, that’s nostalgic.” Ichika laughed at the memory.

“That’s right. What, you remembered it all?”

“Well, that’s... You were just being a dumb kid, yeah?”

“I was serious!”

“Ooooh, dang.” Ichika scratched the back of her head, causing Isam’s fur to shoot up with frustration. There was a clear difference in how invested they were.

“Anywaaay, who cares. I’m Master’s slave now, and I’m definitely not gonna be marrying you. ’Kay, that settles that. Night night.” Ichika started to shut the window with a smile.

“I’m gonna grab you and get out of this place. Follow me!”

“...Get a clue, my dude. I’m gonna let this slide ’cause we go way back, but you’re on thin ice. Leave while you still can.”

“Sorin!” yelled Isam as he grabbed Ichika’s arm to pull her out the window. Or he tried to, anyway.

“I freakin’ told you, call me Ichika now!”

“Gah?!” Ichika slammed her head against his in the most powerful headbutt ever landed.

“You can’t even remember my name, idiot, why are you wasting my time? I’ve got work tomorrow, lemme sleep. And I can’t run away with this collar on, y’know? Try thinking for like a second before you pull this garbo. Sheesh. Night night.” This time, Ichika successfully closed the window.

“L-Looks like I’m not the only one that’s gotten stronger... guh...” Isam fell unconscious on the spot. He was left there on his own until morning came and Mimiko raced to find him, having found the letter Isam left about leaving to rescue Ichika. Thanks to his fur, he didn’t end up sick with a cold or anything.

# Rei’s Perspective

It seemed that someone came to abduct Ichika last night. That wasn’t anything to worry about, though. It ended in failure, and even if it hadn’t, Master certainly would not have let that slide. He would have rescued her without fail, just as he had rescued Niku. Master did not take his property being stolen lightly.

If necessary, I would put my own life on the line to save her. Ichika and Niku could only die once, but we monsters could be reborn after being killed. But putting that aside, I was in the middle of massaging a Werewolf-esque beastkin as the High Priestess of Beddhism.

“Ah, your fur certainly is fluffy.”

“Haaaah... High Priestess, your massage feels out of this wooorld...”

“Ahaha, well, I am not the High Priestess for nothing.” It seemed that the beastkin, Mimiko, was one of Ichika’s former party members. Which meant they had much to discuss. Yes, very much indeed. What are Ichika’s weak points, in precise terms?! Does she have any weaknesses?! Like an embarrassing past?!

“I have an idea. As a treat, I will give you the full extended course for no extra charge.”

“What?! I-I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You used to be Ichika’s party member, after all! This is a special treat, completely special.”

“Fhyaaah! Ah, aaaah...”

I pressed her pressure points fairly hard. But since I was cursed with having zero attack power, it didn’t hurt. Ahaha, feels good, doesn’t it? I know it does. My fame as the High Priestess of massages is not unfounded! I have more experience than most could dream of!

“Still, given the circumstances, I’m surprised you’re here.”

“Me toooo, but um, my brother... nmmm, paid for this, to apologize...!”

“Oh, he sounds nice.”

“He’s a big dummy, who’s always bothering peopllle...!”

I stealthily opened my map and checked it. Ichika’s old party members were both tagged on it, so I could find them instantly. The brother in question was in the cafeteria. He was probably eating something.

“You know, I would really like to hear about Ichika’s past.”

“Nmmm! Fwaah... I-I don’t think I would have anything special to say.”

“Oh no no, even the smallest of things can be surprisingly... well, you know. Aren’t there any stories you can remember?”

“Fwaah, w-well, there are a few. Like the time my brotheeeer, ah, tried confessing to Ichika...”

“Yes! Let me hear that one!”

“Hyaaah!”

Oops, I accidentally went full-force there. Well, it didn’t hurt her, so no harm done.

“U-Ummm, well... This was back when Ichika was going by her old name, Sorin, and um, my brother was giving her a meat kebab.” Back when Isam was short and his voice hadn’t even changed, he confessed to Ichika by saying, “I’ll keep you fed every day!” while giving her a kebab that she had just brought to him. Naturally, it hardly held any weight since he was just giving her food she had bought. She laughed it off, thinking he was just a kid being a kid.

As an aside, Ichika was eight years old at the time, whereas Isam was six. Mimiko was just four.

“Oho, I knew you used to be party members, but I didn’t know you went that far back.”

“Mhm. We met when we first went to the imperial capital.”

“But you know, it feels like it’s fairly normal for kids to propose to each other. Like, let’s get married when we’re older, or that kind of thing.”

“Ahaha, you’re not wrong. But my brother was completely serious about it.” And as he got older he just got more embarrassed about it, which left him incapable of confessing all the way until the day Ichika finally disappeared. “By the way, he apparently used the line that Mom had proposed to Dad with.”

“...Your mom proposed to your dad? By saying she would keep him fed?”

“Yes, so I’ve heard. My mother’s mother... My grandmother was a lion beastkin, so...”

A lion. Lionesses did do most of the hunting for their pack, as I recalled.

“...What an absolutely splendid mother!”

“I’m very proud to be her daughter... Fwaaah.” Mimiko let out a sleepy sounding sigh. The massage had apparently tired her out. Massages that don’t hurt invite sleepiness instead. With the principles of Beddhism in mind, I couldn’t interfere with her falling asleep.

“Sorry, my eyes are just... So heavy...”

“Oh, don’t worry. You can sleep if you want to. Plenty of people do.”

“Okaaay... Good night, theeen... Nzzz...”

“Yes, oyasuminasai.” I didn’t know whether it would be useful, but I had gotten my hands on some veeery interesting information. And, well, she fell asleep, but I’ll still give her the long course. Just to be nice.

# Isam’s Perspective

...Isam went to the cafeteria. His plan was simple. Have a duel, free Ichika. He recalled Ichika saying her collar was a problem as his consciousness slipped away and had interpreted that as her saying, “If you could just get rid of this collar, I would... Oh, what I would do...!” In which case, he needed merely to beat Keima in a duel.

Everything would go perfectly if he just won the duel. It was true that the “dakimakura” (?) girl had beaten him, but that was just because he let his guard down. He would surely win if he was more careful next time. He had a few aces up his metaphorical sleeve.

“The question is how to get him to accept the duel... But I have an idea.” Indeed, Isam had an idea. If he just waited at the entrance to the chief’s residence, Keima couldn’t avoid him by leaving through the inn or some such. Isam needed to give him a challenge that he couldn’t ignore. And a traveling merchant he met by chance at the bar had given him the perfect idea.

“You just have to hurt his reputation as town chief. He won’t be able to ignore that.”

“Oh?”

“Plus, if you knock him down enough pegs, he’ll have to sell his slaves. Thanks to some Heroes, more and more people are thinking that slavery is dehumanizing and that it’s wrong to have slaves. Though that’ll only work if he’s soft enough.”

In short, everything would go perfectly if he hurt Keima’s reputation. He didn’t really understand why, but facts were facts.

“The town chief here is deep in the church and inn, so if you do this and that in those places he’ll be all yours.” He taught Isam all sorts of things to do. And Isam had sent Mimiko to the church to accomplish one of those things. She would just get in his way if they were together.

“Thanks for waiting, here’s your food.” An employee brought his ordered food to him. The special today seemed to be bread and stew. He had seen this kind of thick white soup being sold in the imperial capital before. Convenient.

While feeling a little bad for the little green-haired girl with a yellow ribbon who had brought him his food, Isam took a small pouch out of his shirt pocket. Inside were the black corpses of bugs known as roaches. They were bugs hated for their association with filth and well known for their cursed breeding speed that meant if you saw one, there were probably thirty of them. The God of Food Ishidaka himself hated them, to the extent there was a legend of him burning down a cafeteria to kill some (another legend said he smoked them out).

Isam dropped a corpse of one of those roaches into the stew. Then, after stirring, he spoke.

“Hey! You trying to feed me roaches or something?!”

“Ah, I’m sorry! What in the world have we done...?” A stir of disgust ran through the cafeteria.

“For real?”

“Hey, that’s the same stew I’m eating!”

“Wait, does that mean you ate one of those bugs...? Eugh!”

There appeared Keima, the town chief. He couldn’t hide his shock at the sudden development.

“Wait, did something happen?”

“Yeah, there was a roach in your stew. Can’t believe you’re trying to feed your customers friggin’ bugs.” Isam approached Keima, who flinched and had no choice but to bow his head.

“My apologies. I don’t want my reputation being hurt by this, so please don’t talk to anyone about it. Here, I’ll accept your duel as an apology. Or actually, I’ll just go ahead and free Sorin.”

That was definitely how things would go down. Word for word. (That was all him fantasizing.)

“Alright, let’s do this thi—” Isam went to drop the roach into his stew... but stopped midway.

...Hold on. Why wasn’t his hand moving? Nobody had grabbed it or anything. He just couldn’t move it for some reason. It was almost as if his own body was stopping him from dropping something into the stew.

There, Isam realized something. Keima had no doubt inflicted him with a devious curse. The same foul magic that was manipulating Ichika was controlling his body. Curse that town chief.

The moment he gave up on putting the roach in the stew, he could move his hand again. What, can he read my thoughts too? A shudder ran down Isam’s spine, which sent the bag falling out of his hand. He desperately grabbed it and in the process sent the roach corpse onto the ground.

“Ah!”

“CLEANING TIME!” The child waitress swept up the corpse in no time with her eyes gleaming.

“Come now, Pio! You mustn’t clean things customers drop without permission!”

“Ah! S-Sorry, Captain Kinue. I acted on instinct...”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“R-Right! I’m sorry, Sir!”

“Er, uh, don’t worry about it.” Isam faltered as the kid apologized to him. Even if he wanted to yell about roaches now, the fact he dropped them himself was proof they belonged to him. The fault would be all his, not the inn’s. “It was just trash anyway. I’m glad you cleaned it up.”

“Th-Thank you!”

Isam looked around and saw that the whole place was spotless. There weren’t even crumbs on the ground. In a way, the fact a cafeteria for rowdy adventurers wasn’t covered with spilled food and drinks was pretty odd. A further look showed that the customers weren’t dropping their food much either. There were a few who didn’t care about the crumbs, but the tiny waitress would slide beneath the table and clean it all up without anyone even noticing her. The fact the seasoned adventurer didn’t notice her cleaning meant there was more to that kid than met the eye. She had skills.

But enough about that. No point in letting the stew go to waste, he thought while spooning some into his mouth.

...The soup had such a kind, nostalgic flavor that he was glad he hadn’t ruined it with a roach.

# Rei’s Perspective

“Fwaaah... Oh, sorry, I fell asleep.”

“Good morning.” Mimiko woke up just as Rei was finishing her massage. That was fairly common among her customers. They probably were waking up because the good feelings from the massage were going away.

“You slept for a very long time. How do you feel?”

“I feel so good I almost can’t believe it. My body feels so light...!”

“I am glad to hear it.” Rei smiled the smile of a holy woman. At which point she heard a cute whimpering sound coming from Mimiko’s stomach.

“S-Sorry... I guess I’m hungry now.”

“That is not uncommon for those who just got a massage. Do not worry at all. I recommend you stop by the cafeteria in the Dancing Doll Inn for lunch. Not that there’s any other places to eat here, really.”

“Ahaha, that’s true.”

“By the way, there’s a lot of girls in the inn who are seriously neat freaks in the cafeteria, so don’t make a mess of your food. Well, even if you do, they’ll clean it up anyway.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. Ichika taught us to clean our plates down to the crumb.” Apparently, she would grind her fists against their temples if they ever wasted their food. That actually traumatized them to the point that their bodies would freeze up on instinct if they tried doing anything that would waste food.

“...Even when we cooked for ourselves, she would start yelling if we didn’t peel the vegetables as thinly as possible. My brother can eat food that’s a little rotten, it doesn’t even bother him.”

“Wow, that must have been rough.” Rei had never been so strapped for food that she had to eat anything starting to rot, so she couldn’t entirely empathize with what they had gone through.

“We bought a smoke bomb from an alchemist once, but apparently it had some pepper inside of it... I couldn’t believe it when my brother tried throwing it at a monster and froze mid-fight. He wasn’t even conscious of it, but still...”

“Ouch, and that was a matter of life or death. I’m impressed you survived.” It was easier for Rei to understand that situation.

“Ah, well, he was actually just having fun in the middle of a difficult hunt. He would be able to throw food if his life depended on it... I think. He can fish, so if he has to waste food at some point, I’m sure he’ll be able to.” Mimiko smiled weakly. They couldn’t test that without putting themselves in life-threatening danger, so there wasn’t much she could do.

“Well, my stomach’s telling me to get going, so bye for now. Thank you very much for the massage, High Priestess!”

“No probleeem, have a nice daaay. Come back sooooon.”

Hm. So basically, I can ward off Ichika’s attacks by using food as a shield? I should try that out... No way, she’ll definitely just beat me up later for playing with food. I won’t push my luck. Rei complimented herself for her wise decision, despite the fact that she hadn’t really done anything at all.

# Isam’s Perspective

Isam failed in his attempt to put a roach into his food. But he wasn’t one to give up that easily.

“I only failed ’cause of Keima’s curse. Everything would have gone perfectly if not for that. But the roaches I went out of my way to buy got thrown away, so I gotta think of my next move... Ah, I’ve got it! I can get the bathroom dirty on purpose!” He went straight to the inn’s shared bathroom. It didn’t smell. Or well, Isam could smell waste thanks to his powerful wolf nose, but the bathroom was clearly cleaned thoroughly at least once a day. So much so that the toilet’s white porcelain was gleaming.

...What kind of messed up person would try to dirty up a bathroom? realized Isam. Right, peeing everywhere on purpose was what wild animals did to mark their territories. A proud beastkin would never do that. Yeah, nothing for me to do here.

Isam used the bathroom normally and got back to thinking about his next move.

“Oh, right! That merchant mentioned something about giving a ridiculous order.” Isam hurriedly returned to the cafeteria. He just finished eating, but they wouldn’t actually be bringing any food out since his order was going to be ridiculous. He would be able to complain if they brought out any weird food to serve.

“Let’s see, he said I should... right. Hey! Waitress, I’m ready to order!”

“Okaaay. Oh, welcome back, Mr. Wolf.” The waitress who cleaned up his roaches came walking over.

“Y-Yeah. Uhhh, I wanna eat meat, but I can’t actually eat any meat right now.”

“Wha? But you just ate meat a second ago.”

“Th-Things have changed! Everything’s different now!”

“Um, okay.”

“Anyway, I wanna eat meat that’s not meat! How about it?”

“Ummm, please wait just a second.” Her answer didn’t sound very enthusiastic. After a bit of waiting, a plate of fish was brought to him.

“The heck?! This is fish! This isn’t real meat! I said I wanted to eat meat that’s not meat, not fake meat! Gah, this is what you get!” The sound of a plate shattering filled the air. The reputation of the cafeteria plummeted. Keima came out to do damage control.

“My apologies. I don’t want my reputation being hurt by this, so please don’t talk to anyone about it. Here, I’ll accept your duel as an apology. Or actually, I’ll just go ahead and free Sorin.”

Everything went according to plan... Okay, maybe that’s a little unreasonable. (That was all him fantasizing.)

“Basically, I wanna eat meat that’s not meat! Whaddaya have to say about that?” declared Isam, only for the tiny waitress to give him a happy reply.

“I can take that as you wanting to eat meat that’s not from a living animal, right? You’re fine with tofu and vegetables, but not animals?”

“That’s right! Gimme your best shot! But I’m guessing you’re ju—”

“Understood! One vegetarian plate of fried food for five silvers!”

Uh. Wait, that exists? Isam’s eyes widened.

“Wait, hold on!”

“Okay, here it iiis. Our Master, I mean, the town chief added this to the menu since some people would probably want it, but we’ve only gotten like two or three orders.” The meal came out in a single second. The plate was covered in what was unmistakably fried food.

“O-Oh, huh... W-Wait, what is this? I-Is it meat or not?!”

“You’ll know if you try eating it. Your nose seems pretty good, so.”

Isam fell silent with a grimace. He sniffed the air, and the fried food definitely didn’t smell like animals. He put some of it in his mouth experimentally, then bit down.

It did taste like meat, it really did. It was even seasoned just like the fried food he had eaten there previously. The main thing was it didn’t smell like birds or like any beasts he knew, but... It was meat. He swallowed it down and knew for sure; it was meat, but not the animal meat he knew.

“What is this stuff? What the heck did I eat?!”

“Heh, heh, heh...! This is meat made from tofu, with not an ounce of it coming from any animals! Tasted just like meat, didn’t it?! Naturally, we used entirely different oil and pans for it, so there was no contact whatsoever with animal meat! Big sis Kinue dedicated her all to making this as perfect as it could be!” The little waitress girl puffed out her flat chest with pride. Now that she mentioned it, the meat did taste like tofu.

“N-No way. This has gotta be normal meat! It looks so normal!”

“It’s apparently called tofu meat, and even Ichika approves of it.”

Isam faltered once again. He hadn’t expected them to successfully deliver his unreasonable request. How am I supposed to complain now?! Curse you, town chief!

“Oh, I forgot to bill for your five silvers. The one flaw of tofu meat is that it comes from the dungeon and is a bit expensive.”

Not even his wallet was safe. CURSE YOU, TOWN CHIEEEEF!

Isam, having overeaten, left the cafeteria. But he couldn’t allow himself to throw up. Five silvers worth of food was in his stomach.

“...I didn’t manage to trash the cafeteria’s reputation, but food isn’t the inn’s main business! I just have to say that those comfortable bed things... those uh, futons... are filled with fleas and bedbugs!” Isam immediately headed to the Guild office on the opposite end of the road from the inn. It wasn’t too busy since it was already noon, but he saw some newbie-looking adventurers inside. Perfect. Isam grinned and talked to one of them.

“Hey. You a newbie?”

“Huh? Yeah. I was in Tsia and heard there’s a dungeon with Goblins here, so yeah. They’re pretty good for getting some practice.”

“Nice. Well, lemme give you some good advice. Watch out if you stay at the inn across the street. Their beds have tons of fleas and bedbugs. You’ll be up all night if you don’t bring some bugkillers or something.”

“Really?! That’s great to know. Thanks, stranger.”

The nearby adventurers overhead the conversation, and a disgusted atmosphere spread through the Guild like wildfire as they all began trashing on the inn. There appeared Keima, the town chief. He couldn’t hide his shock at the sudden development.

“Wait, did something happen?”

“Yeah, the fleas and bedbugs at your inn bit the crap out of me. How am I supposed to work like this?” Isam approached Keima, who flinched and had no choice but to bow his head.

“My apologies. I don’t want my reputation being hurt by this, so please don’t talk to anyone about it. Here, I’ll accept your duel as an apology. Or actually, I’ll just go ahead and free Sorin.”

That was definitely how things would go down. Word for word. (That was all him fantasizing.)

“Alright, let’s get going... Hey. You a newbie?”

“Huh? Yeah. I was in Tsia and heard there’s a dungeon with Goblins here, so yeah. They’re pretty good for getting some practice.” Exactly the response he had expected.

“Nice. Well, lemme give you some good advice. Watch out if you stay at the inn across the street. Their beds have tons of fleas and bedbugs. You’ll be up all night if you don’t bring some bugkillers or something.”

“Whoa! Though, uh... Those fleas and bedbugs probably came from you, wolfman.”

“Hey! Take that back! My sister makes me cast {Purification} on myself every single day, I’m not infested with no fleas! It’s all the inn’s fault!”

“I find that unlikely. After all, that is the pope of Beddhism’s inn.” A woman with a clear, sharp voice spoke up. Isam turned toward her and saw that it was the guild receptionist. Why was she here? Wait, that was obvious. They were in the Adventurer’s Guild, of course she would be there.

“The pope of Beddhism? Isn’t that the town chief’s inn?”

“Yes, the town chief is in fact the pope of Beddhism. Which means they use beds supplied by the Beddhist church. They are as obsessed with their bedding as the name of their religion would imply. The employees of the inn clean and use {Purification} on their futons daily to keep them tidy. Even the Archduke of Tsia is fond of the futons there.”

“B-But I mean, I definitely had bedbugs...”

“I dunno, man. Their beds felt great to me, and I didn’t have any bedbugs in mine. You sure they weren’t your own bugs?” asked one of the adventurers, which made Isam realize the horrible truth. No matter how much he insisted there were bugs, nobody who had actually stayed at the inn and slept in a bed without bugs would care. And in reality, Isam’s room didn’t have a futon. They were probably right about the rooms with futons being clean...

“...If you are going to stay at that inn, I recommend you use their onsen on top of {Purification}.”

“Their onsen?”

“Yes. Their onsen. Did the Dancing Doll Inn receptionist not discuss it with you?”

“Right, the onsen! Man, that onsen is great! Did you ignore the receptionist? It’s a big bath, a huge one!” A newbie adventurer got pumped up when the guild receptionist brought up the onsen.

“By bath, you mean like, with water? How’s there a bath this deep in the mountain? Is there a river nearby or something?” There were baths in Pavella, plenty of them. But that was because of the large river passing through it. Baths needed a massive excess of water to function. Seemed unreasonable to have one up in the mountains.

“It flows from beneath the ground. We use the same source for the town’s water.”

Isam could only groan.

“Ngggh... Alright, the onsen. I’ll check it out.”

“I believe that would be wise.”

In truth, Isam had ignored the receptionist since he didn’t like baths very much. His whole body was covered in fur; when wet, it all stuck to his body. He hated it. In contrast, his little sister Mimiko loved baths.

But in any case, Isam instinctively knew that it would be unwise to make an enemy of the guild receptionist by continuing to rant about bedbugs and such. Defying the guild receptionist would be defying the Adventurer’s Guild. As an adventurer, Isam had to avoid that at any cost.

Which is why he went straight to the onsen. No better time for a bath than right after a big meal.

“This must be the place...” There were bathrobes there, but Isam was a beastkin with fur covering his entire body. There was no need to hide anything from his fellow men. A towel wrapped around his waist was all he needed.

“Oh? Hey, ye’re that beastkin from before... uhhh, Isam, right? Didjya manage to talk to Keima?”

“Huh?” Someone else was already in the onsen. It was a dwarf adventurer, the same one he had talked to about Ichika. He smelled like beer, which was a surprise considering how it was still around noon. Either he was loaded with cash or he had given up on living a good life.

“Errr, Gozou, right? Yeah, I talked to him. Your advice was a big help.”

“Yeah? How’d it go?”

“...I’m challenging him to duels, but he’s not biting.”

“Huh.” The dwarf took out a small bottle of beer, poured it into what looked like a small plate, then gulped it down. The fact he was portioning the beer out like that implied he probably wasn’t loaded.

Isam timidly stuck a foot into the large, wide tub of hot water. He felt his fur float up while he sunk into the water. That was fine, but everything would go downhill fast once he had to get back out of the tub.

“A duel with Keima? Do ye got a death wish, son? Give it up.”

“Huh? Why? I’m not gonna lose to a coward that makes a little kid fight for him.”

“...If Keima felt like it, ye’d have a debt of two thousand gold coins on yer shoulders right about now.”

“Wha?!” Two thousand gold coins. The sheer scale of that sum hit Isam like a truck. “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“Nope. Someone once challenged Keima in the past, y’see. They’re still working to pay off that debt. Glug, glug... Fwaah. Mmm, good stuff.”

“W-Wait, no way.” Could it be? Is that why Ichika... No, why Sorin disappeared all that time ago?!

“...It’s the truth. Keima’s got no mercy fer people who challenge him.”

“Ngh!” Isam shuddered. He could never afford to pay back two thousand entire gold coins. His only choices were to die, run, or work as a slave. So, basically, Keima was the worst.

“He’s responsible for Sorin’s debt?! He tricked her like a coward, and now...!”

“Sorin? Who the heck’s that? Hic! Y’know, they’re like... There’s this person... Uhhh, they’re basically like, a member of my party, y’know? They’ve gotta work for Keima, and... Aaah, wish I had some grub...” He probably didn’t remember Isam talking about Sorin in the past due to all the beer. But more importantly, Gozou had a party member working for Keima? Maybe he was talking about that small beastkin girl. That was no normal loli. Keima called her a dakimakura or something.

“...Are you talking about Niku Kuroinu?”

“Huh? Oh man, Niku. Don’t even think about goin’ after her.”

“Right, got it.” Seemed that Niku was Gozou’s party member after all. He would have to remember not to kill her if they ended up fighting again.

“...Aaah, I’m all out. Sheesh, why’s that Keima gotta limit how much beer ye can bring into the onsen? He just ain’t getting it. Anyway, I’m outta here.”

“Alright. Don’t pass out.”

“Gahaha! I’m not the kinda softie that’d pass out from a little beer!” He was no doubt saving up money so he could rescue his party member, just like Isam was. Or maybe he had found some other way to free them. He seemed pretty easygoing.

“...I’ve gotta work hard too!” Isam felt as if he had found an ally fighting through the same struggle he was. (Though he actually hadn’t.)

“Bruh, Mimiko, you gotta be kidding me.”

“I’m not, Ichikaaa!”

Suddenly, Isam heard two girls talking. He turned in the direction of the voices and saw a wall. Or to be more specific, he saw a pile of cut logs stacked into the shape of a wall. He could hear the voices from behind them.

“Just how big are your honkers gonna get?”

“Hyan! Ichika, that’s what I want to ask you...”

He could hear what they were saying if he strained his ears. It sounded like a conversation he shouldn’t be listening to, but the temptation was too strong. There was simply nothing he could do. Or so he told himself, anyway.

...Speaking of which, that traveling merchant had mentioned something about how one could peep into the girl’s bath. For a second he thought about trying it out, but that was Mimiko and Sorin, I mean Ichika, behind the wall. Well, uh, he wasn’t entirely disinterested. But it wouldn’t hurt Keima’s reputation if he looked. At best he could spread a rumor that there was a peeper in the onsen, but the focus of that would quickly shift to who the peeper was and he’d be screwed. He would be dragging himself down with Keima.

So, he decided just to listen.

...Wait, what am I even doing? Now’s not the time for this. Isam shook his head. He did honestly want to keep listening, but he decided to leave the onsen instead.

He got out of the bathtub. Just as he had known would happen since before getting in, all of his fur was sticking to his body. It felt disgusting. After making sure nobody was around, he shook his body like an animal to fling off as much water as possible. Good thing nobody else is here. I don’t wanna get water on anyone, and doing this is super embarrassing.

He cast {Dry} on himself after shaking the water off. He wasn’t particularly skilled in the spell, but it gave him a nice warm feeling. All he could do after that was use a towel to try and wipe off any of the water that didn’t dry up.

His fur was so dry that things would get messy if he didn’t brush it all before bed. All the fur on his body would stick up in every which way. It sucked.

# Gozou’s Perspective

Friggin’ Keima, banning too much beer in the bath. What’s the problem with a little beer? I mean, alright, I went a wee bit too far when I brought a barrel of it with me. But now I’ve gotta deal with a single little jar? Meh... Couldn’t be worse.

Feels kinda like the beer’s getting through me better than normal... Hic! Guess it’s ’cause this is the good stuff I’ve been saving for a while. Think it’s called daiginjo? Anyway, drinking it bit by bit ain’t too bad either. In the middle of my drinking, a buff looking beastkin came walking into the onsen.

“Oh? Hey, ye’re that beastkin from before... uhhh, Isam, right? Didjya manage to talk to Keima?”

“Huh?”

Pretty sure this is that guy who was talkin’ about Keima.

“Errr, Gozou, right? Yeah, I talked to him. Your advice was a big help.”

“Yeah? How’d it go?”

“...I’m challenging him to duels, but he’s not biting.”

“Huh.” I gave a half-interested reply while drinking beer. Yep, this is the stuff. Feels like the smell of beer’s mixing with the onsen’s steam. Too good... Wait, hold up. Did this guy say somethin’ about challenging Keima to a duel?

“A duel with Keima? Do ye got a death wish, son? Give it up.”

“Huh? Why? I’m not gonna lose to a coward that makes a little kid fight for him.”

Coward, huh? Can’t deny that word fits Keima to a tee. Thing is, though...

“...If Keima felt like it, ye’d have a debt of two thousand gold coins on yer shoulders right about now.”

“Wha?!”

Two thousand gold coins. Was it two thousand three hundred, actually? I’m talkin’ about the debt he loaded on my comrade Wataru.

“You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“Nope. Someone once challenged Keima in the past, y’see. They’re still working to pay off that debt. Glug, glug... Fwaah. Mmm, good stuff.” Yeah, this daiginjo stuff’s top class. Doesn’t get any better than this. But man, poor Wataru. He’s the first poor soul that Keima struck down big-time. Probably worse than turning a corner and running head first into a rotten zombie.

“W-Wait, no way.”

“...It’s the truth. Keima’s got no mercy fer people who challenge him.” There was even that one Hero, uhhh, Suzuki. Coming to Keima’s inn was his last mistake. He got his soul crushed, and he’s locked himself up in his room in the capital. Can’t say he didn’t get what he deserved, though.

“He’s responsible for Sorin’s debt?! His tricked her like a coward, and now...!”

“Sorin? Who the heck’s that? Hic! Y’know, they’re like... There’s this person... Uhhh, they’re basically like, a member of my party, y’know? They’ve gotta work for Keima, and... Aaah, wish I had some grub...” Feel like I’ve heard that name before, and from this guy too... Who was it? Eh, whatever. Beer’s more important. Ah shit, there’s only a wee bit left.

“...Are you talking about Niku Kuroinu?”

“Huh? Oh man, Niku. Don’t even think about goin’ after her.”

“Right, got it.”

Wataru ended up in debt ’cause he was tryin’ to free li’l Kuro. What’s with all these people lovin’ little girls? Ah, I’m outta beer.

“...Aaah, I’m all out. Sheesh, why’s that Keima gotta limit how much beer ye can bring into the onsen? He just ain’t getting it. Anyway, I’m outta here.”

“Alright. Don’t pass out.”

“Gahaha! I’m not the kinda softie that’d pass out from a little beer!” This tiny glass ain’t enough for me. Guess I’ll chug some at the bar... Nah, wait, I gotta be a good Beddhist and take a nap. Then I can drink all evening.

“...I’ve gotta work hard too!”

Dunno what he’s talking about, but alright. Good to hear him bein’ enthusiastic about somethin’.

# Isam’s Perspective

Isam was in his inn room, looking at a pink potion he had bought from the traveling merchant. The paper with instructions that came with it had “Aphrodisiac” written on it. By the way, the instructions were simple. Have the person you wanted to fall for you drink it, then have them look at you. The aphrodisiac would make them fall in love with whoever they saw while under its effects.

“Hm? Brother, what’s that?”

“Uhhhh, well... It’s nothing.” He reflexively hid it behind his back.

“...Don’t bother Ichika too much, Isam.”

“Ahhh, yeah, I know I was messing up.”

“I wonder about that... Haaah. Anyway, I’ve got to go to work.”

“Work? If you mean adventurer work, I can—”

“It’s a part-time job. I’ll be serving in the cafeteria. You really bothered them and it’d be embarrassing if we didn’t make it up to them somehow!”

“Y-You think so? Well, guess I’ll leave it to you then.”

“Uh-huh, bye bye. Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone, okay? You have to leave the town chief alone!” said Mimiko as she left their inn room.

Isam, left on his own, took another look at the aphrodisiac potion he had been hiding.

“I wonder if Sori— I wonder if Ichika really will fall head over heels for me if she drinks this.” Even if it were the real thing, would Ichika ever fall for Isam? He rolled it around in his hand while thinking about what to do.

“Dude, Isam, that drink looks super delish. Yoink!” The potion suddenly disappeared. Ichika, who had popped up behind him out of nowhere, had it in her hands.

“Wait, th-that’s!”

“Hmmm? Gulp, gulp... Fwaaah!” Ichika gulped down the aphrodisiac potion before Isam could stop her. “Nmm, my body feels so hot...”

“Are you okay?! Here, have some water.”

“Aaah! Thank you soooo much, Isam! Nmm, you’re always so nice to me, I think I’m falling in love... no, I’ve already completely fallen for you, Isam. Let’s run away together!”

“But Ichika! I mean, Sorin!”

There appeared Keima. He looked at Ichika embracing Isam and blinked in surprise.

“I had no idea Ichika loved you this much, Isam. I think I’ll accept that duel of yours. Or actually, I’ll go ahead and free Sorin. Consider her debt absolved.”

Okay, that was pushing it. (Everything above was complete and utter fantasy.)

No way would anyone ever just drop a two thousand gold coin debt. And with that collar on her neck, they couldn’t just run away together. That didn’t mean the idea of Ichika being head over heels for him wasn’t appealing, but... Wait, wait. He could make getting rid of the debt one of the conditions for the duel. In the first place, there was no way Keima could possibly think that Ichika would ever be able to pay him two thousand gold coins. The number was probably only that high to crush any of her hope.

...In which case, feelings were important after all. She couldn’t say what she really felt as long as she had that collar on her. Using the aphrodisiac to open her up might be for the best. That said, the aphrodisiac was clearly suspicious. He would want to test it out on someone else first. The potion was expensive enough that it would really hurt his wallet, but he couldn’t make Ichika drink poison by accident. But then again, if it was poison, should he really make some stranger drink it? He would have to test it on himself or a family member to avoid causing trouble... which meant Mimiko?

No, that would bring its own set of problems. One problem all beastkin faced was the awkwardness of a family member going into heat. It was Isam’s duty as her brother to make sure any potential mate was fit for her affections. It would be no laughing matter if the aphrodisiac made her fall in love with some passing rando.

In which case, he only had one choice. Drink it himself. He opened the potion and sniffed. It had a sweet scent. He stuck a finger in and let a tiny bit soak into his fur before bringing it up to his mouth. A sweet fruity flavor spread through it. It didn’t seem to be poison, at the very least. Though, he didn’t know if it was working. Maybe that small amount wasn’t enough.

Isam gulped down half the potion. After a bit of waiting, his eyes heated up and his blood flow sped up. A tingling spark traveled through his brain, and his throat dried up. His sense of smell sharpened, allowing him to distinguish smells even easier than before.

“Ngh! Looks like this stuff does work...” He looked at the half-empty potion and thought of Ichika. Given the effects of the aphrodisiac, well, there was no surprise his heart ached incredibly hard for her.

Haaah, haaah... Wheeew. He managed to calm down somehow.

“This stuff lasts for a surprisingly long time... Whew, that was close.” He definitely would have gone into heat if he had drank the whole potion in one go. It was the real thing, just as one would expect from a Chaos-made aphrodisiac. Though as mentioned, not much would come from Ichika falling in love with him since she was a slave. The potion was a waste of money. He would have to go hunt more Iron Golems to make up for it.

“...Yeah, guess that’s what I should do. I’m off to hunt Golems.” He had the time, and hunting Golems would be a good way to cool off his excited body. Isam left his inn room to get to work and immediately ran into Ichika in the hall.

“Oh? Isam, didjya join Beddhism or something? Can’t believe you’re sleeping this late in the day.”

“Guh?! I mean, uh, well...” For some reason, he was so nervous he could barely speak. What could possibly be happening? Just kidding. It was obviously because of the aphrodisiac. He was falling in love with Ichika all over again and that made him nervous.

Her nice scent drifted into his nose. His back straightened as if he had been hit head on by magic. Naturally, he hadn’t, but Ichika looked like she was shining.

“Hm? What’s with you, Isam? Handshake.”

“Woof!” Isam reflexively put his hand on Ichika’s when she said “handshake.” That would have been fine on its own, but he used the hand he was carrying the potion with.

“A gift for me? D’awww.”

“Ngh?! No, that’s not...!”

Ichika snatched the bottle from him. Isam watched with his blood draining from his face.

“A potion? What a pretty pink. Dunno if I’ve ever seen one like this before.”

“...W-Wanna have some? I found it in the dungeon, and uh, it sure smelled nice. I just tried some and it was pretty good.”

“Dunno man, this potion’s new to me. Didjya really find it in the dungeon?”

“...Aaah, maybe I bought it from a merchant? Hard to remember.” Isam looked away with his voice trailing off.

“Bro, don’t poison me.”

“I would never!”

“I mean, you’ve kinda been trying to kidnap me and stuff, so... You never know,” said Ichika while popping the cap off the potion. “Whoa, this does have a killer smell. Sniff sniff.”

“.........” Isam remembered that he had just put his lips on that potion. Would Ichika be able to sniff out his saliva? The thought of that made him blush. If not for his fluffy fur, Ichika would have seen his cheeks go bright red.

“’Kay, bottoms up!”

“Wha?!”

Ichika lifted up the potion and gulped some down.

“Wowzers. Tastes kinda like peaches. Don’t think it’s alcoholic, though... Is it some kinda juice?”

“Y-Yeah, maybe. It doesn’t seem harmful.”

Ichika went and gulped down the rest. Isam felt his heart racing. At this rate, Ichika would fall head over heels fo—

“Ichika, I got the ingredients from the pantry!”

“Oh, right, Mimiko. Be right there, bae!” Ichika spun around and saw her. Saw Mimiko. She. Saw. Mimiko.

“...Mimikooo, would you c’mere for a second.”

“Sure? What’s up?”

“Hyah! Take this and this and this!”

“Ahyaaah?! I-Ichika?!” Ichika embraced Mimiko in front of Isam and rubbed her fur all over.

“Oooh, so fluffy fluffy fluffy! Mwaaah, and you smell soooo good. You’re using that shampoo, right? The stuff I gave you?”

“Y-Yes, since you gave it to me and everything...”

“You’re using the shampoo I gave you... Gueheheheh, that’s good, that’s just, so good!” Ichika touched Mimiko’s body all over while cackling like a creep.

“Awawawa! Wait, I-Isam?! Why are you just standing there?! Stop heeeer!”

“Ah, r-right, Sorin! Stop! Don’t touch her, touch me!” Isam yelled.

“I FRIGGIN’ TOLD YOU TO CALL ME ICHIKA YOU FUCKWAAAD!”

“GUH?!” Ichika slammed her fist down on Isam’s head like a hammer of steel, so hard he collapsed onto the ground. Then she did it once more for good measure.

“Tch, your fur’s not nearly as fluffy as Mimiko’s. You keep being an idiot and I’m gonna take Mimiko from you. Right, Mimiko? Eheheh, fluffy fluffy.”

“I-Ichika... Aww...” Ichika’s groping was a little less perverted than before, so Mimiko just kind of gave up.

“Guuh... I-Ichika... I love... you... guh.” Isam’s vision went dark.

# Mimiko’s Perspective

Ichika had been clinging to Mimiko ever since they met Isam in the hall earlier.

“U-Um. Ichika. Should we really have left Isam in the hall like that?”

“Meeeh. Who cares. To be real, he totally deserved that.” That last line confused Mimiko.

“Um, did he do something dumb again?”

“Yeaaah, well, pretty much. Things might’ve gotten bad if I didn’t stumble on him,” replied Ichika while clinging to Mimiko from behind. Her breath was tickling the back of her ear.

“I’m sorry, for whatever he was trying to do.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You did noooothing wrong. It’s all his fault for carrying around an aphrodisiac potion.”

“An aphrodisiac potion...?” Mimiko tilted her head.

“Nmm, you can think of it as like, a drug that makes someone go into heat for a bit.”

“Into heat...?! Um, I-Ichika, s-stooop...” Now that she mentioned it, Mimiko could smell something strange on Ichika’s breath.

“It’s a pink potion with a peachy smell. One time I was forced to drink some of that and fight a horde of Goblins in a coliseum while people watched. Oh, but that was before Master bought me, ’kay?”

Fighting Goblins after drinking a drug that makes you go into heat... The mere thought made the blood drain from Mimiko’s face. That was a horrible idea, one that made a mockery of female adventurers everywhere. Hearing that Ichika was put through that made Mimiko feel cold anger from the bottom of her heart.

“U-Um, were you okay?”

“Yup, I killed ’em all and sliced them to bits. I tried boiling and eating their chunks, but whew lad, they tasted like garbo!” cackled Ichika, which made Mimiko’s anger fade away. Ichika was, as always, all about food. In her own words, why have sex when you could eat a good meal instead?

“But man, if Master hadn’t bought me there, I woulda been sent right back to the everlasting dark of the underground coliseum! I beat back a pack of Orcs like that, which meant Minotaurs were up next. That woulda been rough all drugged up, not gonna lie. I owe Master a lot.” Ichika was strong. Not just physically with weapons and muscles and all that, but mentally as well. Mimiko knew that very well.

“By the way, never forget that it’s better to take this kinda drug head-on than get surprised when someone mixes it in your food or drink. We women gotta protect ourselves on our own.”

Mimiko knew Ichika was strong, but she didn’t know she was this strong. Maybe she had gotten even stronger while separated from Mimiko and her brother.

“R-Right. I’ll do my best.”

“And well, once you’re all drugged up, maybe go after the boy you like and go to town? Wooof, I forgot just how much work these puppies do... Your body absorbs a potion the second you drink it, so you can’t even throw it back up. At least the peach flavor’s hella tasty. This stuff would be the bomb if you mixed it with some nice beer. For real.” Ichika spoke while continuing to grope Mimiko all over. The aphrodisiac was really doing work on her.

“Umm, but why drink it in the first place? Couldn’t you have just pretended to...?”

“What, you’re telling me to waste food?”

“You consider that food...?”

“Dangerous food, but yeah. And like, the thing is, who knows what would’ve happened if I just threw it out, y’know?” Ichika was probably thinking about her friends. Or rather, those she wouldn’t want groping those who she wouldn’t mind being groped by, and those she actively wanted to be groped by.

“Yeah, not a chance. Guess I coulda donated it to the Beddhist church, though.”

“Y-Yeah! Religious people probably have a lot of self control.” Mimiko thought for sure they would safely dispose of the aphrodisiac. Ichika averted her eyes for some reason, while continuing to rub Mimiko’s ears.

“Ichika, maybe you shouldn’t go back to the cafeteria? Will you be able to work like that?”

“Aaah... There are a lot of customers out there, huh. Guess I’ll go cool down in a bath first. Tell Kinue what’s up for me, ’kay?”

“S-Sure! Sorry Ichika, my brother’s always such a bonehead...” Mimiko apologized, and Ichika patted her head. That reminded her of the past. It felt nostalgic.

“Hahaha, don’t sweat it. By the way, real talk, aphrodisiac potions cost like eight silvers. Not a bad deal to drink one for free!” Eight silvers. Mimiko’s expression froze at that figure. For reference, she would need to work in the cafeteria hard all day to earn one silver. And that was fairly high pay all things considered. Most jobs would pay less.

“...I’ll deal with him later.”

“Ahaha! Have fun!”

After seeing the laughing Ichika off, Mimiko decided to give Isam an angry lecture later. Depending on the circumstances she might even make him grovel before her to earn her forgiveness.

Mimiko swished her tail, having found a target to dump her anger on.

# Keima’s Perspective

Alright, that Isam guy’s been a real pain in the dick for a while now. He hunts large boars in the nearby forest and proposes to Ichika with them, then gets rejected. He locks himself in the dungeon to find as many curry rolls as possible after hearing Ichika likes them, finds a single one after three days, proposes to her with it, gets rejected. He gathers edible flowers, makes a bouquet out of them, offers it to Ichika while proposing, gets rejected.

I appreciated that he was really passionate about this, but come on. Give up already. And why would he ever propose to Ichika while she was at work? She yelled, “Don’t bother me when I’m working! I’m about to get real ticked off!” before kicking him and grinding her foot against his skull. Seems like you’re already ticked off, Ichika. And didn’t you say something about that being extremely humiliating to beastkin? Oh, he’s lower than you in status, so it’s okay. Makes sense.

As an aside, regarding things not quite so peaceful, there was some suspicious guy lurking around the dungeon. He was passing himself off as a traveling merchant and... well, he probably was a traveling merchant, but his DP income per day called that into question. Despite looking like a normal merchant, he was somehow earning us 300/DP a day.

Incidentally, for comparison, an average C-Rank adventurer earned 100/DP. The top adventurer in our town, Gozou, was 120/DP. Niku was 500/DP... Wait, Niku, isn’t that even more DP than last time? Are you hitting puberty or something? That’s almost as much as Suzuki the Hero used to earn us. Is Niku on the level of an inhuman Hero? Gah, this is all Leona’s fault. Grumble grumble God of Chaos grumble grumble.

Anyway, that traveling merchant was earning us 300/DP. That was some nice income, but I didn’t like him lurking around town. I went ahead and tagged him. Hopefully he just got buff as hell so he could travel and do business without needing bodyguards. But if he’s a spy, where’s he from...? Ehhh... No idea.

“Keima, do you have a second?” Rokuko spoke to me while I was watching the merchant through the monitor.

“Hm? ’Sup, Rokuko.”

“Um, well. You’ve probably noticed him by now, but that merchant gives me the creeps.”

“You too?” That said, we couldn’t get rid of him just because he gave off bad vibes. If only he would try lighting the inn on fire or something.

“Well, I’ll keep an eye on him. Maybe I’ll have Neruneh or someone help out.”

“Yeah. Feel free to summon an employee if you want.”

“I’ll think about it. I wonder what monster would be best for spying on someone?”

“One that doesn’t need sleep and has human-level intelligence, for sure.” Now that I think about it, Dungeon Cores don’t need to eat or sleep, either. They’re perfect for this kind of job. Makes sense. “You could get two or three and have them take turns, too.”

“That’s true. Maybe I’ll buy another set of Silkies.” Despite both of us thinking that wouldn’t be too bad, we decided not to summon anyone new for this.

“Alright, time to have a nap.” I got on my side to sleep, and that’s when it happened.

“~~! ———! ———♪ ~, ———!”

I could hear someone’s voice. Given that I was in my thoroughly soundproofed town chief room, there was either someone right outside my room or there was someone being extremely loud. Maybe both? Either way, I wasn’t gonna let anyone get in the way of my sleep. I headed in the direction of the voice.

# Isam’s Perspective

“Haaaaaaah...” In the end, despite attempting numerous plots, none of them ended up going well. Not even his proposals to Ichika were working out.

She said not to bother her during work, but it was the same song and dance even when she wasn’t working. “Can’t you see my life’s on the line here? Don’t bother me when I’m playing slots!” “Don’t show me your nasty face when I’m eating, get outta here!” and so on. Work, gamble, eat. Remove those three and there basically wasn’t any time to talk to Ichika at all. She would eat and go to the onsen with Mimiko since they were both girls, but...

“Wait. Gender’s got nothing to do with food. Why is she turning me down there...?” In any case, he was earning funds to stay in Goren by hunting Iron Golems. It was nice that he only had to hunt one every few days to stay afloat.

Isam was running out of techniques that the traveling merchant had taught him. Putting roaches in the food was just the start. He tried stealing a book from the library but fell into an anti-theft pitfall by the entrance (then escaped questioning by saying he just accidentally forgot it in his bag). He thought about lighting the inn on fire, but that was too much even for him. He tried putting a Goblin corpse by the inn’s entrance, but there were too many people passing by who would see. In the end he put it by the entrance to the town chief’s residence, but within seconds a green maid had cleaned it up. He failed at everything he attempted to do.

Incidentally, he got the Goblin back through Mimiko so it could be disposed of as fertilizer for the farmers. Mimiko naturally got extremely mad at him. Curse you, town chief.

So, he was in the middle of trying out whatever was left—the ones that seemed like they would be entirely ineffectual. Isam was backed so far into a corner he had no choice but to rely on them.

“Listeeen! Listen to my sooooong!” He was performing like a minstrel (the shouting kind) at the plaza near the town chief’s room. He basically was just shouting as loud as he could while strumming the instrument he had found in the dungeon, known as a “guitar.” The lyrics were a love song he thought up for Ichika.

“Hyahaha! Aaaaah!”

“Look at this tone deaf loser!”

“Get outta here!”

“Gimme my money back! Not that I paid!”

He actually built a small crowd of onlookers since the town didn’t see many real minstrels. Though none of them were donating any money.

The traveling merchant had actually told him to do it at night, but Goren was a town filled with dedicated Beddhists who loved their sleep—when he tried to get going at night, a citizen stopped him and with a deadly serious look said, “Don’t make noise at night. You’ll die.” He was serious, too. Hence Isam doing it during the day, despite thinking it wouldn’t really do anything.

“Awooooooooo!”

“There it is! A wolf beastkin howling!”

“Wowee, that’s something else!”

“Alriiight, that wasn’t too bad. Have a silver.”

His howling received high praise. Isam was starting to have fun singing, to the point he forgot all about the fact he was trying to bother the town chief.

More donations came his way as the crowd thickened. When he yelled “Heyooo!” they shouted “Heyooo!” back at him. He was getting into it. On the plaza there was freedom. Just music and cheers. Raw excitement sparking through the air.

But then, out of nowhere, it all stopped.

“...Huh?” Isam, following the eyes of the crowd, turned around and saw Keima. He was staring at him with sleepy eyes like he had found his arch-nemesis.

“Shut it, doggy. How am I supposed to nap like this?”

“Hmph, this is a public plaza! We can make as much noise as we want here, it’s not a problem.” Isam tried arguing, but Keima laughed him down.

“This is my town. If I say there’s a problem, there’s a problem.” That was tyranny, but also the truth. If the town chief decided something was a problem in his city, it would be. That held true even for those just passing by.

“...But, meh, I’m not that small-hearted. I’ll let you make a little noise. It is daytime, after all. You’d be executed under Beddhism for heresy if it were nighttime, but well... It is daytime, so...” Keima spoke in a low, displeased voice that made it clear he was fighting to keep his frustration under control.

“But if you’re gonna howl, get the heck outta here! Don’t be so friggin’ loud in my backyard!”

“I wanna howl here! I gotta show Ichika how much I love her!” declared Isam, which made Keima click his tongue.

“Alright, alright. That duel you were talking about? Let’s do it. You versus me, one-on-one.”

“Really?!” He hadn’t expected it at all, but Isam’s backtalk had finally gotten Keima to accept his duel.

“How about we gamble on whether you get to keep pining after Ichika? If you win, I won’t stop you from trying to romance Ichika, and if she ever caves in I’ll give you my blessing. You can even get married in this town if you want... But if you lose, never interrupt my sleep again. Alright?”

Married with Ichika. The mere idea sent Isam thinking about the future.

“Isam. Thanks soooo much for saving li’l ol’ me...” said Ichika while pushing her chest against Isam’s dense fur.

“Don’t sweat it. I love you, ’course I’m gonna save you.”

“But, I’m not pure anymore... I can’t be your perfect wife.”

“Don’t say that! You’re still beautiful and pure to me, no matter what anyone says!” declared Isam as he embraced Ichika, gently so as to not crush her but powerfully so that they were stuck together.

“Isam... I... Nnn, you dummyyyy...” Ichika’s cheeks blushed red. Isam whispered into her ears.

“...H-Hey. Mind if I call you Sorin when we’re alone? I like that name more.”

“...I thought I hated that name. But when you say it, Isam, it sounds so right. You can call me that... but no one else can,” said Ichika while happily pressing her lips against his cheek.

That’s how it will go down. Definitely! (Delusional.)

“Alright! Let’s duel with Ichika on the line!”

“However! The duel will be both of us going into the dungeon and looking for something that Ichika would like. Whoever finds what makes Ichika the most happy wins. How about it? Ichika will decide who wins and who loses.”

“...What if you use her slave collar to force her to pick you?”

“I wouldn’t pull a dirty trick like that. With everyone here as my witness, I swear I won’t force Ichika to make one decision over another.”

“Alright! It’s a duel!” And so began the war waged over a lone girl. As an aside, nobody noticed that Keima had promised only to let Isam keep trying to romance Ichika like he was already doing—not to free Ichika from slavery.

# Keima’s Perspective

Yeah, I decided to take him up on his duel. Though naturally, the items dropped in the dungeon are under my complete control. Which naturally means Isam has no chance whatsoever of winning. Which, naturally, means I don’t have even the slightest intention of letting him have Ichika.

But anyway, I went ahead and told Ichika about the duel and her role in it.

“And that’s what happened.”

“Yeah, dude, you’ve got this in the bag.”

“Right? But, uh, yeah, I made you the reward of the duel without asking first. You fine with that?”

“Totally, totally. And I mean, I’m kinda a slave over here, remember? You do you, Master, that’s how this works.”

Oh yeah, that’s true.

Ichika, looking up at me, brought her face close to mine. “But my heart’s all yours, Master, so don’t let anyone else take me, ’kay?” she said with a grin.

I know she’s joking, but being told that face to face is kinda embarrassing.

“And y’know, you sure are letting him off easy. If he loses, all he’s gotta do is stop interrupting your naps?”

“I mean, there’s literally no way for me to lose here. I’d feel bad if I screwed him over too hard.”

“Aaah.” Ichika nodded.

“Hey, if you want me to lose so you can start dating Isam, just say the word. I won’t free you from slavery, though.”

“I just told you my heart’s all yours, dude. Kinda a dick move to just dunk all over that. But whatever. How about I donate my freshly worn socks to whoever wins?”

“Alright, no takebacks. I’m gonna win. I’m gonna win this so hard.”

“Hahaha! I’ll keep Rokuko updated. Laters, I’ve got stuff to do now.”

“Huh?” I blinked in confusion.

“I’m gonna go bet on the winner!”

“Hold up, you’re the judge. You betting would be obvious fraud. At least stick to being a bookmaker.”

“’Kay, I’m gonna take that as you officially sanctioning me being a bookmaker!”

“Sure. Let’s hope people actually bother to bet against me.”

“Aaah... Th-There’s gotta be a few who’ll go after the dark horse, right? And I can say the proceeds go to the Beddhist church... Oh, can I use half of it on my food?”

“Uh, sure, do whatever you want.” I went ahead and gave her my permission, because why not?

By the way, Isam bet a gold coin on himself and made all that a nonissue. And even though I was the number one adventurer for the [Cave of Greed], dungeon drops introduced a luck factor that led to more than a few people betting on Isam.

But in the end, the match is all gonna be on Ichika. Everything will be decided once we bring back our drops, one or more. Which means this is really a bet on which of us Ichika will pick. I would think a good chunk of the people betting understand that.

...Wait, doesn’t that mean Isam actually has a chance to win?

And so it arrived. The day of my duel with Isam.

“Heya, Isam. Did you get a good night’s rest? We’re all Beddhists here, so I don’t want to hear any excuses like you were too excited to get any sleep last night.”

“Hmph, I’m on top of the world right now. This duel is mine. And... I-I’m gonna make Ichika my wife!”

Ichika wasn’t the reward of the duel, but it seemed that Isam had already mentally concluded that “winning = Ichika wife.” Though to be fair, Isam winning would mean Ichika screwing with the results to make sure he won, so yeah. Maybe that wasn’t too wrong.

“A duel of lovers with a beautiful girl on the line! Who will the goddess of victory smile upon?! Hurry and place your bet before time’s up! One betting slip is ten coppers! Oh, and those voting for town chief, no more than five per person! Thank you, thank you!”

Calling yourself a beauty, Ichika? For shame. Not to mention that the only goddess of victory (i.e. judge) here is you. Though to be fair, Ichika was dressed up for the occasion so she really did look like a real beauty. She was wearing a dark blue dress purchased for this duel and had on a light covering of makeup, making her look as stunning as a young noblewoman.

“Ichika, might I have five slips? For Keima, of course.”

“Heya, Mai! You got it!” And indeed, when talking to a real noblewoman like Mai, Ichika looked like her older sister. Though she was casually selling gambling tickets while acting like her usual relaxed self.

Anyway, Isam came walking up to me before the battle while laughing.

“Hahaha! Seems like people only get to buy five tickets each for you, huh? Your crimes are finally catching up to you, villain!”

“Are you an idiot? Without that limit there’d be too many people betting on me for the event to function.”

“Huh...? W-Wait, really?!” Isam shouted loud enough for Ichika to hear, but she ignored him since she was busy selling tickets.

Get back to your spot already, man. You’re gonna get disqualified.

“Gonna start in thirty minutes, dudes! Ticket booth closes in twenty minutes! Oh, anyone who wants to bet on Isam, go talk to the High Priestess!”

“Thank yooou! We appreciate the donations, teehee!”

Uh, Ichika, she’s literally calling them donations. Are people just buying a smile from her for ten coppers?

And so, the duel began with a lot more fanfare than I thought it would. Oh, and to be clear, there were no rules except the time limit.

“GOT YOU!”

I had predicted that he would come at me swinging the moment he could.

“Nope. Get ’im, Kuro! And Ichika!” Niku and Ichika stood between me and Isam. It was for this exact reason that I had waited a decent distance away from the starting point.

“Wha?! You coward, don’t hide behind girls and kids! You’re even using Sor— uh, Ichika against me!”

“You fool! I wouldn’t have done this if you had just played nice and focused on exploring the dungeon, but now I’m gonna use my slaves since there’s no rule against it!” Spelling out my rationale in a long-winded explanation was important for those watching to know that I was completely in the right. By the way, I had promised not to make Ichika let me win the competition, but I hadn’t said anything about making her fight for me.

“Awww, Isaaam? Are you gonna hit widdle ol’ me? Good, ’cause I’m gonna beat the crap outta you! Come get some!” Ichika taunted Isam in her dress, which made him look away.

“C-Come on, So— I mean, I would never hit you! And what’s with that outfit?! It looks way too good on you!”

“Oh? Thanks, man. Do you think I look good too, Master?”

“Yeah, sure. Super good.”

“Kyaaah! Master’s flirting with meee! I must be a real beauty after all!”

I mean, you would be if you cooled it with the dudebro talk a little more.

Anyway, now that Isam had stopped his ambush, I called out to him.

“How about this. I’ll call these two off if you play fair and focus on the dungeon.”

“Ngh... Fine! I’ll beat you fair and square!”

“So you were planning to beat me by playing dirty, huh? Not a good look, my man.”

“Shut it! I wasn’t gonna break any rules!” Isam stormed off to the dungeon.

Sheesh. At this rate I won’t even need to cheat to win. And uh, if we’re talking about playing dirty within the rules, I can do a lot more than you can, Isam. And I’m going to.

Just to be safe, I let Isam have a head start so we wouldn’t run into each other. Only after seeing on the map that he actually was playing fair and going through the dungeon did I follow in after him.

And then, not long after entering the dungeon, I found a treasure chest. Naturally, it was one I had placed myself ahead of time for myself. Inside was a high-quality curry roll. I asked Ichika what she’d want the day before so I knew it would be my golden ticket.

That didn’t break any rules, of course. There wasn’t a single rule about not placing treasure chests in the dungeon yourself. And thinking about it like a normal person, asking someone what they would want for a present was totally normal—not cheating. Anyway, time to kill some time and head back whenever.

＊ ＊ ＊

The duel was over. I handed a curry roll over to Ichika, which she loved, and an expensive one at that. Isam on the other hand gave her a mere potion. I had fiddled with the treasure chests so he would find anything except rare drops and curry rolls, so a potion actually was the best thing he could possibly find.

“And the winner is... Okay, let’s be real, I don’t even gotta say it.” For some reason, Ichika’s statement made Isam give a smug grin.

“Heh, yep. Potions are worth more straight cash. That means I win!” Apparently that was why he was being smug. However.

“Master totally wins!”

...As if there was any doubt, I won. Those who had bet on Isam as a way to donate to the church all shrugged as if they had expected it. The few out there who had actually expected him to win, well, I could hear them letting out some yells of disappointment. But they had only themselves to blame. The odds had never been in their favor and they knew it.

“What?! But why?!”

“...I mean, Curry Rolls taste way better than potions, dude.” Ichika laid it out straight.

“B-But potions could save your life in a pinch! Why would you want some weird bread more than a potion?!”

“Huh? You picking a fight, dude? Alright, alright. Looks like you’re gonna be needing that potion to save your own life, punk! EAT FIST!”

“GUH!” Isam got a hard punch in the face for running his mouth.

Try not to rip your dress, Ichika. Not that I couldn’t fix it. With {Create Golem}, that is.

“Isam. Just to clear things up here, this was a duel over who could get Ichika the better present. Whatever makes her happier is the better choice, and the price of the present doesn’t matter. Especially if you’re just gonna go and piss her off.”

“Ngh...!” Isam faltered.

“So basically, to sum things up, you don’t understand Ichika at all.”

“...Gah! Alright, alright, you beat me.” Isam accepted his defeat more gracefully than I expected.

# Isam’s Perspective

“Haaah...” Isam sat in the bar drinking, and before long someone approached him from behind.

“Hey. Too bad about the duel, huh?” Isam noticed the man only after he spoke to him. He turned around and saw that it was the traveling merchant who had kindly given him all that advice.

“Huh? Oh, hey. Yeah... I lost. But I still haven’t fought him head on, and on second thought he never told me to give up on Ichika. I’ll win next time!”

“Haha, I see, I see... The truth is, I actually got my hands on something real special.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Well, well. Have a listen while you drink. Here, this one’s on me.”

“Oh? Thanks, man. Though merchants giving away free stuff kinda spooks me out.”

“Hahaha! I actually bet on the town chief, you see.”

“There it is. Alright then, give it here.” Isam took the mug of beer and gulped it down. “Fwaah! But still, what am I supposed to do about a two thousand gold debt?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“Ah, I’m just thinking about the girl I like. She owes the town chief of this place two thousand golds, which means she’s probably stuck here forever. Sad, huh? But what’s really sad is the fact I can’t save her... Gods, I’m pathetic. I’m so pathetic I hate it!” Isam bemoaned his woes to the merchant while emptying the mug. But the merchant’s plastered on smile didn’t fade even in the face of a drunk, overbearing beastkin.

“I see, I see. I think you’ll like what I have for you, then.”

“Yeah?”

“That town chief has all his authority because there’s a dungeon here. If not for the dungeon, there would be no town and his inn would be empty. It’s all the dungeon’s fault.”

“...Huh. It’s all the dungeon...”

“Which brings me to this. Take a look,” said the traveling merchant before taking out a bottle. Inside were two black worm-like bugs about the size of a pointer finger, wriggling around.

They were so black it felt as if they were concentrations of pure darkness. Their front tips rounded out into mouths. The inside of their mouths were red like blood and dotted with a circle of sharp white teeth resembling an inward saw blade.

Isam shuddered. Just looking at them was enough to know they were unnatural, malicious creatures.

“Wh-What are those?”

“They’re bugs made in a certain laboratory to erase dungeons.”

“Erase... dungeons?” Isam repeated what he said, not understanding the words in full. The merchant’s lips curved into a sharper grin.

“I’m repeating myself here, but this town only exists because of the dungeon. Just think of how much trouble the town chief would be in if the dungeon were to disappear, even only momentarily.”

“...Yeah, he’d be in a lot of trouble.” What exactly did the merchant mean when he said the bugs “erased” dungeons? Isam had no idea whatsoever. But, he knew for a fact the bugs were no normal bugs.

“It’s simple to use these. Just put them on the ground within the dungeon. You could just leave them lying around, but they’ll bite faster if you hold them by the tail and lower their mouth to the floor.” Isam listened to the merchant in a daze, as if he were dreaming. But even in his blurry thoughts he knew that “erasing a dungeon” was something way over his head.

“Listen. If the dungeon goes away, Sorin will be free.”

“If the dungeon goes away... Sorin will be... free? Really?”

“Really, really. Try thinking about Sorin’s smile right now. Feels motivating, doesn’t it?” At the merchant’s suggestion, Isam imagined Ichika’s smile. It certainly did motivate him. “And well, these bugs may be very important, but they’re prototypes. I’ll sell them for cheap. How much do you have in your wallet? Five silvers? Sure, that’s more than enough.” The merchant placed the bottle on the table and Isam paid four silvers for it.

“Thanks again. Consider the bugs yours. It’s pretty late, but you should go into the dungeon under the cover of night. The bugs are dark too, so it’ll all come together. Try and release them deep inside the dungeon. Okay?” The merchant clapped his hands and the fog on Isam’s head dispersed on the spot. He knew clearly what he needed to do.

“Yeah, you got it. Thanks for the good deal.”

“Sure. Anyway, I’m leaving this town now. See you.”

“Yeah. Thanks for all the help.”

“Hey, same to you.” The traveling merchant left with a thin smile.

That night, Isam went deep into the dungeon’s labyrinth area... and let the bugs go.