Chapter 15: Home Sweet Home

Chapter 15:
Home Sweet Home

 

FLUM’S JAW HUNG OPEN as she searched for words. She was so shocked by the sight before her that she couldn’t even move. Milkit simply looked back and forth between her master and this newcomer.

Finally, Eterna stood up and walked over to Flum and put her hand on the other girl’s cheek. “What’s this?”

She was looking intently at the slave marking on Flum’s cheek, which hadn’t been there the last time they’d met.

“Now this is certainly strange. I was told that you went home, Flum. And then there’s this marking on your face. What’s going on here?”

Her voice began to take on an angry tone as she spoke. She wasn’t mad at Flum, of course, but the steely look in her eyes still made Flum tense up. She wanted to ask why Eterna was here, but it didn’t seem like the time or place for that yet.

“Who did this to you? And what are you even doing here?”

“Don’t you… I mean, doesn’t the whole party know what happened?”

“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”

“Jean decided to sell me as a slave because I was so useless to you guys.”

Eterna went quiet for a moment at this. Finally, she heaved a heavy sigh and burst forth with, “That good-for-nothing, big-headed, snot-nosed little virgin punk!!”

This was definitely not the kind of language she usually used. Whether he was a virgin or not, Flum couldn’t say, but the rest of the epithets fit Jean perfectly.

“You didn’t know?”

“Don’t be stupid! If we did, we would have stopped him!!”

Hearing Eterna say that immediately banished a dark cloud that had been hanging over Flum’s heart. She felt an immense weight lifted off her shoulders.

“Gadhio was so sad to see you gone, and Cyrill’s been a wreck. She can hardly even bring herself to fight.”

“Gadhio and Cyrill, too?” The last time they spoke, it had seemed like Cyrill hated her. None of this changed the fact that she’d been useless to the party, but it was comforting to know that she had a place in their hearts. This knowledge alone was enough to bring a tear to Flum’s eye.

She raised her hand up to her cheek, feeling the tear, and brushed it away before breaking out into a smile.

“I’m so sorry, Flum. Jean told us that you’d gone home, and none of us thought to question him. I can only imagine the hardships you must have endured as a slave.” It was strange to see Eterna, usually so casual and carefree, with such a grave look of concern on her face.

Flum reached back, took Milkit’s hand, and pulled her companion over to her side.

“I met Milkit because of it, so it wasn’t all bad.”

Milkit felt her heart skip a beat at this. Their relationship had been built on the grounds that neither of them had a place to go back to. A part of her had worried that if Flum found her place with the party again, then she would cast her aside. Relief flooded her as she realized her master wasn’t that kind of person.

“That girl’s face… Is that mustardo toxin?”

“I knew you’d know what it was, but I’m impressed you even noticed through the bandages!”

“It’s a very unique type of toxin, you see. But I can’t believe that someone would use such an awful thing on a young girl’s face. It’s completely uncurable without the right medicine.”

“Speaking of which, there was a favor I wanted to ask you, Eterna.”

“Go for it.”

“Wait here, I’ll be right back!”

Flum hurried downstairs to where they’d left their bags, leaving Eterna and Milkit alone for the time being.

“Flum’s a pretty good kid, huh?”

Milkit paused, momentarily taken aback at suddenly being addressed. “Hm? Ah, yes, Master is quite amazing.”

“Right? I’d love to beat that jerk Jean’s face in for selling her off like that. Unfortunately, I haven’t the faintest clue where they’re off to now and wouldn’t be allowed to enter the castle anymore even if I did.”

Seeing the sincere look of regret on Eterna’s face filled Milkit with joy. It warmed her heart to know that her master was thought of so highly, even among heroes.

“She has a way of drawing people to her. I think that’s what Jean hated about her the most, the fact that he couldn’t do the same. For all his intelligence, he couldn’t get people to pay any attention to him.”

“Is that the person who sold Master as a slave?”

“Right, that stupid virgin punk.”

Milkit couldn’t help but laugh at just how openly Eterna let her hatred for Jean show.

“I’m sure you’ll notice it too, if you stick with Flum.”

“I fully intend to, or at least as long as Master keeps me around.”

“I can promise you that Flum would never kick you to the curb.”

“Hmm…”

“Really, I’m sure of that. You see…”

Before Eterna had a chance to finish what she was about to say, their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of Flum dashing up the stairs.

“Here!” Flum shoved two bundles of herbs into Eterna’s hands.

“Are these for a mustardo toxin antidote?”

“Master, when did you get those??”

“I found them when we were harvesting the kialahri. They aren’t actually all that rare, so I figured the odds were pretty good that I’d be able to find them.”

The biggest hurdle was finding someone to actually make the medicine. In Leitch’s case, it sounded like he’d already gotten hold of some underground practitioner to help him out, but Flum was hesitant to go so far as to ask him to make this medicine for her, too. While she’d been pondering how to find someone on her own, they just happened to run across Eterna.

“Sure thing, I’ll get right on it. It should only take about three hours, give or take.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with helping us?”

“Leave it to me.”

And with that, the matter was settled. Just as they were about to leave to give Eterna space to concentrate, Flum realized that she’d forgotten to ask one of the most important questions of all.

“Hey Eterna, what are you doing here, anyway? Whatever happened to the Demon Lord?”

“It wasn’t any fun anymore with you gone, so I quit the party.”

“They let you just up and quit? Just like that?”

“If you were supposedly allowed to quit just because you missed your hometown, then there was no reason for them to stop me. As for why I’m here, I just happened across this empty house and figured I’d borrow it for a while.”

“You know you’re trespassing, don’t you?”

“Hey, I’m working to pay my share, aren’t I? Besides, the place was just too good to pass up. If you really want me gone, though, I’ll leave.”

“No, of course not. I’m the new landlord as of today, so I’m more than happy to let you use this room however you please.”

“I owe you one.”

“No worries.”

“By the way, there’s something I also wanted to ask you about.”

“What’s that?”

“You have Epic equipment? The symbol on the back of your hand seems to suggest so. When I last saw you, you couldn’t fight at all, so I’m wondering how you managed to get your hands on something like that.”

“Aah, that. Well, you see, it turns out that my Reversal ability has the power to also reverse the effects of cursed items.”

A look of surprise flashed across Eterna’s face. She put her hand to her chin and mumbled to herself, “I see, so that’s how it works.”

Flum continued on cheerfully, “I only learned about it by complete accident. However, thanks to that, I’ve been able to make a living as an adventurer.”

Eterna scowled slightly at this. Sure, anyone could turn a profit as an adventurer, slave or otherwise. But the job came with its own particular brand of danger. “If you’re going to be working as an adventurer, I’d like to help. Please let me know if you have any problems at all.”

“Thank you, Eterna. If I run into anything I can’t handle on my own, I’ll come straight to you.”

With that out of the way, Flum took Milkit’s hand and left the room. Eterna listened to the girls walk downstairs, and once she was sure she had the second floor to herself, mumbled under her breath.

“Sometimes, there’s not much difference between the protector and the protected. No matter how many years go by, I’ll never forget that time I was saved.”

She stared distantly at the old, wooden wall in front of her and let out a deep sigh before beginning her work.

 

***

 

Back on the first floor, Flum and Milkit began to unpack their bags and move into their new home. There was relatively little work to be done thanks to Eterna keeping the house relatively clean, though Flum still had some mixed feelings about her presence. The two girls owned so little to begin with that unpacking was done almost as soon as they started. They ended up sitting across from each other at the dining table with little to do.

“I can’t believe that this whole place is all yours now, Master.” Milkit glanced around the room, a sense of awe in her voice.

Flum quickly corrected her. “It’s our place, Milkit.”

“Master, I couldn’t possibly…”

“Well, that’s how I see it. So if there’s anything you want for the place, just let me know. We might need to discuss the budget a bit, but I’ll do my best.”

“…Understood.”

Sensing that arguing would get her nowhere, Milkit simply nodded in agreement. They’ve had similar conversations countless times at this point, and she was starting to realize how stubborn her master was. Flum highly valued Milkit’s opinion and wasn’t about to stop asking for it any time soon. Ever mindful of her position as a slave, Milkit wanted nothing more than to avoid burdening her master with her own desires, but if that was what her master wanted… Well, she had no choice but to slowly change her own outlook on life.

“I didn’t expect to have a roommate quite so soon, but with this, I think I can finally embark on my life as an adventurer,” Flum declared.

“Um, Master…”

“Yeah?”

“I know it’s a bit late to be asking about this, but are you trying to cure my face?”

“Of course. It would usually take only a day or so, but given how long you’ve had the condition, I think a week is probably a safer bet.”

“In just one week…?” Milkit unconsciously brought her hands up to her bandaged face, feeling the uneven skin beneath.

Obviously, she had been quite distraught when this first happened to her, but over time, Milkit had come to accept that this was just her lot in life. The thought that her affliction might be cured was, truth be told, frightening.

It wasn’t that she was against treatment, but more that she didn’t want to change. If she were to change, then so would the world around her. For everything new she gained, she might lose something else in the process.

Flum, for example.

What if her master ceased being so kind to her once Milkit’s face recovered? Just the very thought filled her with fear.

Flum’s voice broke her train of thought. “You know, I never actually asked. Why were you forced to drink the toxin in the first place?”

Milkit cast her mind back but didn’t have an answer for her. “I don’t remember drinking anything that did this. My appearance just changed one day.”

“Which means someone probably slipped it into your food. What a horrible thing to do to someone!”

Milkit was touched that Flum would be so angry over something that had nothing to do with her, and for no reason other than out of concern for her.

“Was your old master a man? Woman?” Flum asked.

“Woman.”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense, in a way…”

“Oh?” Milkit tilted her head to the side. She wasn’t sure what gender had to do with poisoning your own slave.

“Well, if your master was a man, then there’d be no reason for him to try and ruin your face like that. I mean, unless he had some kinda weird fetish that made him get off to stuff like that. However…”

Flum turned to Milkit and smiled.

“Be it a man’s fetish or a woman’s jealousy, the only reason anyone could possibly have wanted to harm your face must have been because you were so beautiful.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.” It was the truth. Not once in her life had anyone ever told Milkit that she was pretty. She always thought of herself as an ugly, filthy creature.

“Oh? I mean, your eyes are so beautiful, and you’ve got a heart of gold. I’m pretty sure your face must be absolutely stunning as well.”

“Please don’t speak like that, Master. I would hate to let you down.”

“Not a chance! Say, did you look so down earlier because you were worried that your face wouldn’t live up to my expectations?”

Milkit was quick to agree. “Yes.”

Flum stood up and walked in a wide circle until she was standing behind Milkit. It wasn’t just so she could help alleviate Milkit’s concerns but also because she wanted her companion to truly understand how she felt.

“You know, Milkit…” She wrapped her arms around the younger girl from behind and whispered in her ear. “Do you really have such little faith in me?”

Milkit felt her heart begin to race.

“I’m not that shallow,” Flum continued. “I know we’ve only spent a short time together, but I’d hoped that much had gotten through to you.”

Milkit felt heat slowly spread from her heart, up her neck, across her cheeks, and through her ears. It was hard to see due to her face being covered in bandages, but the bright red ears poking out were a dead giveaway. Flum tugged lightly on her earlobe.

“Eeep!” Milkit let out a small cry at the sudden contact. It was actually quite cute.

“Aww, someone’s blushing. I guess you do get it.”

“I understand what kind of person you are, Master. And that’s exactly why I’m afraid.”

“That’s something you’re going to have to work through yourself, Milkit, as there’s nothing I can say that will alleviate your concerns. But I do want to say one thing.”

Flum squeezed Milkit even tighter around as she pulled their bodies closer. Milkit could feel Flum’s warmth against her back.

“No matter what happens, I will always be by your side.”

Her words resonated deep within Milkit’s heart, slowly melting the layers and layers of defenses she had built up to protect her from getting too close to people. This was what weakness felt like. It would be so much easier to do without this feeling, but something inside her desperately wanted to give in. Milkit’s desire to have a self, to feel more, to want more, had begun to grow.

Recently, her body had begun to react in way that defied her years of well-constructed logic. This was one of those times.

Milkit hesitantly reached out and placed her hand on top of Flum’s.

 

***

 

About two hours later, the antidote was done. It wouldn’t take long for it to start taking effect. It was incredibly bitter and smelled rancid, causing Milkit to screw up her face as she brought it in close, but she obediently drank it all without a single complaint.

It would be around a week until her face was completely cured, so Eterna promised to undo the bandages and check on her progress every day. There was only one condition, though: they had to do it in Eterna’s room, and Flum wasn’t allowed to attend. She could hear enough from the first floor to tell that the two were engaging in small talk but couldn’t make out what they were discussing. Flum demanded they let her in on their little chat sessions but was turned down outright.

That week felt like an eternity.

“Why am I the only one not allowed to see her face?”

Flum’s lonely grumblings from the first floor grew more and more intense by the day. Eterna and Milkit were chattering on about who-knows-what upstairs, while she sat alone on the first floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She couldn’t even work up the will to sit on one of the chairs.

Even Milkit had backed up Eterna’s decree when questioned about it. “I’d rather not show you my face until I’ve been fully cured, Master,” she’d said, which had at least brought a grin to Flum’s face and helped ease her annoyance.

This wasn’t to say they were just sitting around doing nothing while they waited for Milkit’s face to recover. She and Milkit went on multiple shopping excursions to purchase furniture and other sundries to help make their house feel like more of a home. She’d also been taking on more F-Rank jobs and would soon be ranking up as an adventurer.

Her relationship with Y’lla the guild receptionist remained sour as always, of course. And Dein’s goons were always a hassle to deal with, but Flum hadn’t had any real trouble so far. They were probably still unaware that their comrades had been killed back in Anichidey, though they almost certainly suspected that Flum had something to do with them not returning.

She kept her guard up at all times, constantly on the lookout for when Dein’s men would make their next move, trying to learn what she could about them in the interim. Flum had no intention of dancing around the issue forever. One of these days, it would all come to a head.

Finally, after a week of desperately waiting, the time finally came where Flum was given the honor of taking off Milkit’s bandages.

 

***

 

Flum and Milkit were both a bundle of nerves as they sat facing each other on the bed in their room. Eterna had offered to give them space and wait in the living room. Flum had already undone the knot and the bandages were starting to droop. She took the end of the cloth in her shaking hand.

“Are you ready?”

Milkit’s hands were resting on her lap, clenched into nervous fists. Her whole body was tense. “Y-yes.”

Flum took a deep breath and slowly began to unwind the white fabric wrapped around the younger girl’s face, starting at the bottom and working her way up. As her chin was revealed, Flum spotted creamy, white, flawless skin, though some of the redness still remained. More and more bandages fell away, until Milkit’s soft pink, trembling lips were visible too. Flum’s heart skipped a beat and she stopped moving for a moment.

“M-Master?”

The fear and uncertainty in Milkit’s voice prompted Flum to resume unwinding the bandages, unable to put a name to the feelings running through her head. Next up was Milkit’s nose. It was small and cute, with just a tinge of pink to it. Her cheeks were soft and slender, and just like Flum, marked with the red symbol of a slave. Flum unconsciously reached out to touch it.

Milkit’s whole body tensed up at this. It’d been so long since she had actually felt another person’s touch on her face.

“Sorry!”

“No, not at all. It looks like we match now, Master.”

The words hit Flum like an arrow through the heart, though she couldn’t say why.

Knowing that she’d spend the rest of the day just prodding Milkit’s silky cheek if she let herself, Flum forced herself to keep going. Milkit’s eyes were as beautiful as ever, like clear emeralds embedded in her face. Flum could clearly see her own reflection in those eyes, her gaze was filled with a mixture of hope and uncertainty.

Finally, the bandages were completely off. Flum discarded them on the floor.

“Wow…”

The word spilled from her lips in a gasp.

Flum had no idea how such an exquisitely beautiful girl would have ever thought of herself as ugly. Just looking at her made Flum’s heart race.

“Wh-what is it, Master?” Milkit slowly turned her gaze up to look at Flum.

All kinds of reassuring words sprung to Flum’s mind, but none of them seemed quite fitting. It was times like these that made her hate her lack of skill with words, though maybe there were no words appropriate to the situation.

She was now more convinced than ever that Milkit’s previous master had done what she had out of jealousy.

“Umm… Master?”

Milkit was clearly growing more concerned as Flum continued to stare at her in silence. Flum realized that this was no time to be searching for the right words. Instead, she put her left hand to Milkit’s cheek, eliciting a slight gasp. She then put her right hand on her other cheek, stroking the slave marking with her thumb.

Flum locked eyes with the other girl. “You’re adorable, Milkit.”

Both girls blushed intensely in that moment. The words weren’t just embarrassing for Milkit to hear, but also for Flum to utter. Milkit opened and closed her mouth but couldn’t seem to find the right words, either.

She wasn’t upset, though. She was actually quite happy.

Flum, picking up on this, doubled down on the compliments. “Absolutely stunning.”

She smiled brightly—a smile that came straight from the heart. This was too much for Milkit to take. Moving faster than Flum had ever imagined possible, she dove for her discarded bandages, quickly turned her back on Flum, and began rewrapping her face.

“H-hey, Milkit. Why are you putting those back on?”

“I can’t do this, I can’t do it anymore!”

“Can’t do what?”

“My face, it’s all wrong. I can’t let you see it!”

She continued to wrap the bandages roughly around her head in a slipshod manner, leaving half of her mouth and right eye totally covered. It was better than letting Flum see her whole face, though. Milkit had never felt something like this before. Her heart beat so hard against her ribcage that it hurt. She couldn’t even turn back to face Flum.

Flum reached out and gingerly put a hand on Milkit’s shoulder before leaning in to look her in the eye. “You’re too cute to hide yourself away like that.”

“Now you’re just… You’re just making fun of me.”

“Absolutely not. You’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s…that’s the first time anyone’s ever said anything like that to me.”

“Then the world’s full of stupid people, and I’m just lucky enough to have been the one to meet you. Now c’mon and show me your face.”

Flum reached up and began to undo the bandages once again.

Just the thought of her face being seen again made Milkit blush. She brought her hands up to her cheeks to try and cool herself down, but all she could feel was the flushed skin warming up her palms.

Flum laughed wryly as Milkit once again scrambled for her bandages and started rewrapping her face.

“I want to see you, Milkit. Or rather, it seems like such a waste to keep such a beautiful girl under wraps.”

“It’s not a waste, I’m… I’m…”

However, it was clear that if Milkit reacted like this even when alone with Flum, going barefaced in public was completely out of the question. Milkit brought her hand up to her bandaged cheek and lightly tugged at the strips of fabric.

“What if I only took the bandages off when we’re alone together? Would that be okay?”

The sight of her flushed cheeks through the gaps in the bandages also caused Flum’s heart to race. “Well, if that would help you feel less embarrassed…”

“Really?”

“I mean, I think it’s fine, as long…as long as you’re okay with it.”

Even Flum felt a bit apprehensive about Milkit walking around outside uncovered, worried that someone might try to kidnap her.

Milkit bit down lightly on her lip. “To be honest, the thought of my face belonging to Master alone is kind of embarrassing.”

Flum was starting to grow dizzy. Such was the power Milkit’s face had over her.

“But I am your slave, after all, so I will do what you ask.”

Unable to restrain herself any longer, Flum dove in to embrace the other girl. Milkit blinked several times in surprise as she felt her body begin to warm. She slowly reached up and returned the hug.

Lost in the embrace, Flum could think of nothing else at that moment.

“Well, let’s start over then. Nice to meet you, I’m Flum.”

“Pleased to meet you. I hope to spend the rest of my days at your side.”

 

***

 

Outside the room, Eterna muttered in annoyance to herself.

“They sure are taking forever to take off those stupid bandages.”