Chapter 7: From the Depths of Hell to a Life of Normalcy

Chapter 7:
From the Depths of Hell to a Life of Normalcy

 

EVEN FLUSH WITH MONEY from the guild, Flum and Milkit were having a hard time securing a place to stay due to the obvious mark on Flum’s cheek and the bandages wrapped around Milkit’s head. They kept being turned away before they even set foot inside the building. They pushed on, however, and finally found a run-down inn in one of the dark shanty towns in the West District.

The entrance opened onto a restaurant with a bored-looking man standing at the counter, his unshaven chin resting on his fist while he let out a yawn. His eyes lit up upon seeing the two girls enter.

“Well, hey, look at that! Are you two customers, by chance??”

He must have noticed that they were slaves, though the look of excitement on his face made it clear that he didn’t particularly care. The man stepped out from behind the counter and spread his arms wide, his best approximation of a salesman’s grin coming to his face.

“Welcome, welcome to our humble inn! And I was starting to get lonely here all by myself!”

Flum was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. “Umm…hi…”

“May I ask what brings you here? Hungry? Looking for a place to stay? A little bit of both??”

“B-both, I suppose. You do know we’re slaves, right? Is that okay?”

“Pshaw! Money’s money, right? Besides, I’ll probably be shutting down in a few days, anyway. Gyahaha!”

“I’m sure that’s not the case…” But taking a look around the place, Flum wasn’t so sure. It really was completely empty. She started to realize that the man wasn’t merely being polite—he really was just happy to have customers, slaves or otherwise. Perhaps he’d even let them stay for free.

“Alas, I don’t think we’ll be having any more customers any time soon. You two might be my last guests!”

“Why haven’t you had any customers?”

“Well, I came from this small podunk town called Anichidey in the hopes of following my dream, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out as planned. Guess I didn’t have quite the eye for business, huh?” The man grimaced slightly but still managed to force out a laugh.

It probably had little to do with his business sense and more to do with location, Flum figured. The shanty towns of the West District made the rest of the District look well mannered in comparison. Very few people would ever put their life at risk by staying here, no matter how cheap it was.

The good news was that the innkeeper seemed to be a genuinely good person.

“Do ya mind if I ask your names?”

“I’m Flum, and this here is…”

“…Milkit.”

“Flum and Milkit, huh? I’m Stude. For what it’s worth, I’ll do my best to make sure you have a great time here at my humble inn, even if it won’t be for long.”

With that, Stude offered his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Flum shook it.

 

***

 

Stude wasn’t lying when he said that he’d do everything he could for them. He only charged them for one person despite giving them a double room and also whipped up a pretty impressive feast for dinner. It was a hell of a deal for the price, though Flum felt a little bit guilty at just how far he was going for them.

The next morning, the two were met with a full-course meal consisting of bread, soup, salad, eggs, meat, and fish. The table was absolutely covered with food—way too much for so early in the morning. Flum managed to get it all down, though Milkit, who apparently wasn’t much of a big eater, couldn’t finish her share. Stude didn’t appear offended but waved it off with a smile, telling them he was just clearing out his supplies.

Once Stude was out of sight, Flum grimaced to herself and whispered to Milkit. “I just hope he takes care of himself, too…”

After breakfast, the two got ready and left for the Central District in search of some place to buy new clothes. Flum’s clothes were little more than rags now after the battle with the anzu, and she didn’t relish the thought of walking out in the open along the main thoroughfare. They decided to just leave in the baggy white pajamas they’d been provided in the hotel room. They were warm and didn’t look all that bad, if still hardly fit for walking around town.

First off, they made their way to a relatively cheap clothing store to find something for Flum. They finally settled upon a store along the main street, just a short way away from the south gate leading to the castle.

Flum hummed cheerfully to herself as she looked at the various pants hung neatly on their hangers. A woman sliding past her scowled slightly as she caught sight of the mark of a slave on her cheek, though Flum didn’t seem to notice.

Finally, her gaze settled on a knee-length checkered skirt. Flum stood in front of the mirror and held it up to her waist before turning to Milkit.

“What do you think?”

Milkit looked confused, as if wondering why anyone would want her opinion, but ultimately went for the safe answer. “It suits you quite well, Master.”

However, it was clear from her eyes that she had some doubts on the wisdom of an up-and-coming adventurer wearing a skirt, worrying that it might limit her movement.

“Hmm, you don’t seem convinced.”

“No, of course not, Master.”

“If you have any reservations, I really want to hear them, Milkit. It’ll help me a lot.”

Milkit hesitated for a moment. “…Are you sure that you want me to speak my mind?”

Answering truthfully could mean a lashing for a slave, no matter how gently she tried to convey her opinions. Just the thought made Milkit’s throat seize up, as if to keep her from speaking any further.

But Flum wasn’t like her previous master.

“Of course! I wouldn’t have asked your opinion if I didn’t want to hear it. So let loose, Milkit.”

Milkit gathered her courage. “In that case…”

“Yes? Go on…”

“Considering that you’ll be fighting monsters, I think… I think that pants would be easier to move around in and better suited for the job.”

Flum brought her fist down into her hand and nodded, convinced. She hung the skirt back up.

“Y’know, you’re probably right. Thanks, Milkit. I didn’t even think about how it’d affect my movement in battle.”

Milkit brought her hands to her chest at the sudden praise. It was all she could do to remain standing.

Flum moved on to another section of the store and pulled a pair of short pants off the rack. Once again, she held them up to her waist and turned to Milkit. “How about these?”

Milkit answered easily this time. “They suit you quite well, Master, and should be easy to move around in.”

Flum grinned at this, satisfied with herself. “All right then, that’s one problem solved.”

She picked a simple shirt to match, made her purchase, and went into the dressing room to change. The new, casual outfit showed off her well-tanned skin, a souvenir from her journey. She felt a lot more comfortable walking around town now, the looks passersby gave her now far less judgmental than they’d been just moments ago.

“Welp, that’s it for me. Now it’s your turn, Milkit.”

“I’m fine like this, really.”

“You can’t keep walking around like that, not if you’ll be coming with me, Milkit. Isn’t there anything you want to wear? Thanks to Stude’s kindness, we have a lot more money than I expected. Whatever you want, it’s yours.” They couldn’t afford an expensive ballgown, of course, but Flum felt fairly certain Milkit wouldn’t ask for anything of the sort.

After thinking it over for a bit, Milkit finally responded. “I…I think I like what I’m wearing now.”

“Noooo. Not gonna happen.”

They went back and forth like this a few more times before Milkit finally gave in and told Flum what she wanted to wear. After a bit of searching, the two entered a high-end shop.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Flum asked.

Milkit stepped out of the dressing room, wearing a black and white maid outfit.

“I should ask the same of you, Master. Are you sure it’s okay to spend this kind of money on me?”

“Don’t worry about the price, Milkit. We’ve got more than enough money right now. But is that really what you want to wear?”

The skirt and chest of Milkit’s dress were done up with frilly lace. Honestly, the outfit looked distinctly unsuited to a servant’s duties, but it was probably meant more for the…unique proclivities of a master, rather than for practical household work. Milkit’s face bandages somehow complemented the overall gothic look of the dress, though, so Flum figured it all came together pretty decently.

Milkit played with the edge of her skirt as she looked at herself in the mirror. “I often saw dresses like this back at my old master’s and always hoped for a chance to wear one myself.”

“Well, it certainly looks cute on you. Want to get it?”

“The design really is pretty. Too pretty for someone like me…”

“No, not at all! It’s not just the clothes but the whole look. You look cute in it, Milkit. Excuse me, shopkeeper!”

Flum blushed slightly as she encouraged her friend, though Milkit only stared back blankly. She waved over a staff member, who quickly came hurrying over to their side. Once she caught sight of the mark on Flum’s cheek, however, a look of disgust flashed across her face before she managed to muster up a look of professionalism.

Flum and Milkit paid and left the shop. The two made for an interesting pair: a slave dressed in casual street wear with a bloodied gauntlet hanging from her waist, accompanied by a maid whose face was covered in bandages. She’d taken them clothes shopping to avoid drawing unwanted attention, but Flum was starting to wonder if this had the opposite effect.

Fortunately, the Central District was absolutely teeming with people ranging from local shoppers to travelers from far-off lands, all of whom were busy with their own errands and paid little attention to Flum and Milkit. It felt almost like a festival was underway, but this was just another day here in the capital. There were enough people just walking in the streets to fill Flum’s little village several times over. If they stopped paying attention to where they put their feet for just a moment, they risked getting swept up into the unending stream of pedestrians.

Flum took Milkit’s hand and pulled her through the crowd to make sure they stayed together.

There was still a lot they needed to purchase. Everything they needed to start their new life together—or at least, everything that they could carry. For now, Flum figured it best to keep their purchases to the absolute essentials: shoes, underwear, toothbrushes, and bathing products. She also wanted a bag for when they went out on jobs. A lantern and knife would also come in handy.

Money might not be a problem at the moment, but their time was still a limited commodity. The two moved as fast as they could without tiring Milkit out, hitting up as many shops as possible on their shopping spree. It was a pretty busy day but also an unexpectedly valuable experience for Milkit, who’d never had the opportunity to buy things for herself before.

“Thanks for coming!”

The shopkeepers were surprisingly pleasant, too, considering their status as slaves.

The girls were now thoroughly burdened by bags of all shapes and sizes, but despite the load, they managed to keep holding hands as they weaved through the crowd.

“Y’know, that was actually a lot of fun.”

“Yes, it was. It was the first time I’d even laid eyes on so many of these items. It was hard to focus on the task at hand.”

Flum laughed. “I have to admit, I was kinda at a loss for words when I saw you come over with a big grin on your face, holding that fancy cutlery set. That’d pretty much blow our whole budget right there!”

Milkit cast her gaze down to the ground in shame. “I’m truly sorry… I had no idea it cost that much.”

Flum suddenly stopped in her tracks. She was looking up at the sign hanging from the store immediately in front of them.

“Can…can I stop in here real quick?”

“Of course. You can do whatever you’d like, Master.”

The two were standing in front of the largest bookstore in the capital. Through the windows, Flum could see shelf upon shelf filled with books. The interior of the shop had a dignified feel to it and was filled with well-dressed figures who looked like nobles. This made sense, considering that books were rather expensive items, usually available only to the wealthy. This wasn’t exactly the place where slaves would typically venture.

After a moment’s hesitation, the girls ventured through the front door. Once inside, they were hit by the familiar scent of ink and paper—and immediately faced with an impressive selection of religious texts for the church of Origin.

In the olden days, the vast majority of books were owned exclusively by the church, far out of the common man’s reach. However, as the need for an educated populace grew, so did a desire for books about the church, history, and other knowledge. This pushed the country to develop printing technology, but the printers and booksellers that came into being as a result were still closely associated with the church. In fact, the sign in front of the store was marked with a stylized, intertwined circle—the mark of Origin, the Divine Creator.

That said, the religious texts weren’t placed front and center in the store due to some sort of underhanded agreement with the church. Rather, it was simply that they sold well.

To Flum and Milkit, though, the texts were of little interest. They gave them only a passing glance on their way to the floor map. After looking the map over, they headed toward an area in the back of the shop.

“You like to read, Master?”

Flum responded quickly. “Huh? We’re not here for me.”

Once at their destination, Flum looked over the row of spines before finding the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and inspected the cover closely, as if it were an item of great interest.

Milkit watched on with great curiosity. If Flum wasn’t buying a book for herself, then why were they here?

“Then who will read it?”

“I already told you, remember? I said that when things calmed down a bit, I’d teach you how to read. We got a lot more money than I anticipated, so I figured, hey, why not now.”

“You were serious about that?”

“What, you thought I just got carried away by making our escape?”

“Well, I didn’t really think that someone would want to go so far for a useless slave like me.”

Flum was beginning to anticipate Milkit’s self-deprecating remarks. Though the corner of a bookstore wasn’t exactly the time or place to try and put an end to them, she did still consider it her solemn duty to help Milkit gain more confidence and stop beating on herself.

And the first step to doing that was to make her more self-reliant.

“Do you want me to live on my own, Master?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead. That’d be quite a ways in the future.”

“But assuming that I do learn and experience all the things you wish to teach me, and I become capable of living alone, then…”

The fear and uncertainty in Milkit’s voice was unmistakable. Flum understood where she was coming from and tried to alleviate some of those concerns.

“Don’t worry about it too much, Milkit. I’m not even sure how I’m going to make it on my own, yet. I wouldn’t let you go, even if you wanted to leave.”

“That’s…that’s not the first time I’ve been told that.”

“You don’t trust me? Do you really think that I’d just set off on my own or abandon you somewhere?”

“I…I don’t know much about trust. But I do hope to spend as much time with you as possible, Master.”

Flum laughed gently at this. “You just described trust right there, Milkit. Trusting someone means that you want to be by their side.”

“Is that…is that what this feeling is?”

Milkit brought her hands to her chest, as if searching in vain for the source of the emotion running through her. Sometimes, when she spoke with Flum, she felt as if her heart were tightening and a storm was raging in her chest, making it hard to breathe. And yet, she…she liked the sensation.

So this was “trust.” Putting a name to the feeling helped her relax a bit.

Flum browsed for a while before she found a good children’s primer she could use to teach Milkit to read. Once at the counter to make their purchase, Milkit let out a small gasp when she heard the price, but Flum put her hand up to forestall any arguments and quickly paid.

 

***

 

After leaving the bookstore, the two stopped by a stationary shop to buy some writing materials for use in Milkit’s studies, before finally turning back to the inn. Their arms were so full at this point that they could no longer hold hands, but fortunately, the much-thinner crowds of the West District made this less of an issue.

“I really don’t know if it was such a wise idea to spend so much money on the likes of me…”

“If you’re happy, Milkit, then so am I. So don’t worry about it so much, ’kay?”

“I really don’t understand how someone can feel that way.”

“I guess I just like the feeling that I was able to make someone else’s life better.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand that either, Master.”

The idea of someone simply being nice to her was unlike anything Milkit had ever experienced before, which only made her all the more confused. Her previous master had been kind to her on occasion but usually only as a prelude to something worse. He’d enjoying getting Milkit’s hopes up and then shattering them.

Such was the life of a slave sold on the black market. Unable to endure the emotional abuse, many resorted to taking their own lives by stabbing themselves in the neck, hanging themselves, or even beating their heads against a wall… All while their masters cackled like hyenas at the sight. Even death held no salvation for them.

Milkit had learned to deny herself any feeling of joy, no matter what kindness she was offered or what she was given. It was a form of self-defense. However, something told her that Flum wasn’t going to betray her. She was starting to understand this concept of “trust,” though it still troubled her. How was she supposed to repay this girl who had given so much to make her happy?

“You’ll get used to it, Milkit. It’ll all make sense in due time.”

“Will you wait for me until that time?”

Flum turned toward Milkit and smiled broadly. “Absolutely!”

Milkit’s heart tightened again.

She didn’t want to make her master wait. She wanted to understand this strange new concept as soon as possible. What she didn’t realize was that that very emotion—the idea of wanting to do something for someone without receiving anything in return—was precisely what Flum was talking about.

It would be some time before she understood that.

“Wait, hold up! I need that!!”

Right around the time they crossed over into the West District, the girls heard a middle-aged man yelling frantically. A moment later, two men came running past them, nearly knocking into Flum and Milkit in their mad dash.

“Whoa, what the hell?!”

The men looked familiar. They were the adventurers who’d been drinking with Dein in the guild.

“That bag looked awfully expensive, Master.”

“Yeah, you don’t often see something that nice out here in the West District…and that guy back there looks like he fell victim to some sort of foul play. Listen, just hang here for a second, Milkit, and watch the bags. I’ll be right back!”

“Certainly.”

Flum quickly set her bags down and took off after the two men, putting her hand through the Bloodied Gauntlet as she ran. Though it didn’t do anything to help her agility, she figured the boost to her strength stat couldn’t hurt.

Judging by their speed, the two men were probably D-Rank or so—no match for Flum once she had the Souleater equipped. One of them looked back over his shoulder, spotting her in pursuit.

“Damn, it’s that slave girl again!” Apparently realizing that they had little chance of simply outrunning her, they split up and ran off in different directions.

“Gah. Looks like I gotta let one of ’em get away.”

Flum took off after the man holding the bag, overtaking him in a matter of moments. She stopped in front of him and held up her fist. He pulled out a dagger as if ready to fight, but much to her surprise, attacked her with magic instead.

“Fireball!”

This was a slow, short-range spell, though it could prove deadly in the hands of a powerful spellcaster. Flum spun her body out of the way, easily dodging the attack. Apparently, that had been the man’s plan all along, as he used the opportunity to close the distance between them, dagger aimed straight for her heart.

Unfortunately for him, Flum read his movements as clearly as if the battle were moving in slow motion. Perhaps the effect of an enchantment? She caught the man’s wrist and twisted until she heard an audible snap as the bones gave way. She could even feel the dull popping reverberating through her gauntlet.

“Auuuuuuuuugh!!!” The man shrieked in agony, dropped the dagger, and crumpled to the ground. His wrist was twisted at an odd angle, the bones shattered. Flum was taken aback by just how much the Gauntlet boosted her strength.

“Gaaugh, it hurts so bad! Please, please help me!!”

Flum gave the suffering man a quick glance before reaching for the bag. “’Fraid I’m not interested in helping the likes of you.”

Just before she could grab it, though, a small rock about three centimeters in diameter came whizzing past at incredible speed. Thankfully, she was able to pull back just in time to watch it slam into the pavement and shatter. That would have hurt.

Flum looked up to see three more men closing in. One was armed with a spear, another with a sword, and the last with a slingshot—probably the one who launched the rock in her direction.

The man with the spear lunged in first. At about three meters long, it had a fair bit more reach than the Souleater, but judging by how easily Flum deflected it with the side of her blade, its wielder wasn’t particularly skilled.

Next up was the man with the sword. Flum spun out of the way when she caught the glint of silver out of the corner of her eye, before returning the blow with the blunt side of her own sword, right into his side.

“Nnghoooo!” The man flew back as if he were struck with a massive hammer.

As the spear wielder hesitated over what to do next, Flum moved in on the man with a slingshot, making sure to keep his comrade between them at all times to prevent him from getting off an attack. The spear wielder launched another strike, which she easily deflected again. While spears had the advantage in ranged combat, they were nothing compared to the sword when in close quarters. Flum hit him in the side with the flat of her sword, sending the man reeling to the ground in agony just like his friend.

That just left the man with the slingshot. Flum closed in on him at a slow, steady pace, using the broad side of her blade to deflect each stone sent her way. Once she was close enough, she lifted the sword up and held it at the ready. She was prepared to destroy him.

“Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

She swung the sword down with immense force…and stopped just short of his head.

The man passed out in terror and dropped to the ground, the crotch of his pants growing dark as he wet himself. Only then did Flum let out a deep sigh of relief.

She’d picked up the stolen bag and was turning to head back to its owner when she heard the man who had escaped her earlier let out a strangled cry of pain.

“Huh, so who do I owe this honor? I suppose I should thank you for stopping him.”

Flum looked toward the sound to find a small figure dragging a grown man by the scruff of his neck. The speaker was a blonde girl of around ten or so, dressed in a white robe and carrying a large mace. With her childish figure clad in a billowing robe, she looked almost like an oversized stuffed animal.

“An Origin nun…?”

Her clothing gave it away. The only people in the capital who dressed like that were the disciples of the church of Origin. Maria had dressed in similar garb, and Flum remembered hearing they were trained to wield maces. The word “nun” might bring to mind the image of a saintly woman using curative magic to heal the wounded, but Flum figured it wasn’t far-fetched for them to also be trained to fight off monsters.

“Huh, it looks like you already took care of these guys. Thanks a bunch!”

After thanking Flum, the young nun bowed her head quickly before breaking out into a toothy smile.