The Tale of the Teapot Hero’s Revenge

Chapter 10 - A momentary peace

Littner Armor Shop was relatively small, with weapons and armor scattered haphazardly as you would find in any other shop. Going down the stairs to the underground, there were six doors lined up. The corridor had earth walls reinforced with wooden frames, and lanterns hanging from the ceiling provided ample light.

There was one armory, one conference room, and four guest rooms in the establishment. I was led into one of them, a room with beds and daily necessities neatly arranged, where I would be staying. Since I was tired, the detailed conversation could wait for later. The slave girl was also given another guest room, but for some reason, she didn't want to be separated from me. I wondered why she became so attached to me.

"Well then, I'll bring you some food later."

"Thank you, Joana-san."

"Hmm, Joana-san sounds too formal. Just call me by my name without honorifics."

"Got it, then I'll call you Joana."

Joana, not Joana-san, then left the room, satisfied with the change in how she was addressed. Perhaps the suggestion to drop the honorifics was meant to foster familiarity.

...But I had  no intention of becoming close to her. I had  no intention of becoming close to anyone more than necessary. After all, if you become close to someone and then lose them, it hurt. I didn't want to go through that again. That's why I decided not to make anyone special. Now that Joana had left, it was just me and the slave girl whose name I didn't even know.

"What's your name?"

Referring to her as "girl" or "slave" all the time was inconvenient. But since she couldn't speak and couldn't write, it was understandable. Well, I was not good at writing either, but I could read and write just fine thanks to Kenny-san teaching me.

...

On the table in the room, there was a quill pen and parchment. She pulled them closer and began writing effortlessly. Wait, seriously? Her handwriting is better than mine!?

"Be-a-to. Is this your name?"

She nodded. The name was revealed, just like that. And it sparked more questions than just her name.

"Um, how can you write?"

In this world, the percentage of people who could read and write was not particularly high. Roughly one in two people could read, but writing is another matter. And slaves, in particular, were expected to be illiterate.

"Could it be that there's something special about you?"

While shaking her head vigorously from side to side, she wrote down with beautiful handwriting:

"I am just an ordinary slave. I was taken in by Lord Carion because I can write. That's all."

She seemed to want it to end at that. Well, fine. I've already decided not to get deeply involved with anyone. It's no use asking too much about Beato.

"But..."

"I am a rare slave who can write, so Lord Carion took me in. That's all."

She wanted to leave it at that. Well, that's fine. There's no point in prying too deeply into Beato's situation.

"Well, okay then. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to."

I was a bit cold to her so I didn't understand why this girl had become so attached to me. Moreover, I didn't want her to get too involved with me.

"I'm Kyrie Minaret. Nice to meet you, Beato."

"…!"

When I returned the favor by telling her my name, she smiled happily. I really had no idea why she had become so attached to me.

"Hm?"

Oh, she's starting to write something again.

"Does your arm hurt? There's a lot of blood coming out."

Ah, I didn't realize it. The wound on my forearm from when the knight attacked me was still bleeding. It was quite a deep cut. Maybe I was insensitive to pain.

"I'll have it treated later. But you're covered in scars. It isn’t typical for a young girl at your age."

I received first aid at the liquor store, but the wound on my shoulder from being stabbed during the fight with that squad leader and the cut on my leg still did not fully heal. It was not healed by magic, so I shouldn't expect a complete recovery. But if my wounds keep increasing like this, I might not be able to fight properly. That would be troublesome.

"I'll heal them."

"Beato? You can heal them? ...I’m glad you’re concerned."

For some reason, she seemed a bit annoyed by my words. Well, it's pretty clear she didn't have any knowledge of healing.

She reached out her hand towards my wounds.

Hey, what does she plan to do?

"!"

A blue light emanated from Beato's palm, and faint glow enveloped my wounds and they rapidly closed up. This was... healing magic?

"Healing magic...?"

There's no doubt, it's healing magic. She could use magic too, this girl. The talent to absorb magic power into her body and the intellect to memorize the spell formulas needed for magic. She just used it, and she claimed to be a mere slave earlier.

"That surprised me. I'm grateful, thank you."

"..."

As I expressed my gratitude, she gave me a lovely smile. She started writing again.

"I'll heal your other injuries too. Please remove your clothes."

"Ah, okay. Then please, go ahead."

If she could heal my injuries, it would be helpful. I was a little surprised, but I'm not interested in her background anyway.

Well, unexpectedly, my injuries were completely healed with healing magic. After readjusting my clothes, Joana arrived with food. Surprisingly, she brought enough for three people, not just two.

"I thought you'd want to eat with us, big sister... Don't make such a displeased face."

"I'm not. I'm happy to join you."

Oops, it seemed like a bit of annoyance showed on my face. We gathered around the table, the three of us, for mealtime. It's the first proper meal I'd had since last night's dinner.

...Last night, huh? It felt like it happened a long time ago.

Now, the meal that was served...

"...Fried snow rabbit."

"Oh? Don't you like it?"

"I do. Yeah, I like it, but..."

As I remembered that warm moment from that night, my eyes couldn't help but well up. That time that would never come back. Oh no, I'm about to cry. But if I cry here...

"Did something remind you of something?"

"——!"

"It's okay, if it's too spicy—"

"It's not spicy! Thank you for the meal!"

I forcefully held back my tears. That's right, I would put off crying until after I kill King Brutogyu. Now is the time to eat a lot and replenish my energy and strength.

I stabbed the meat with my fork and took a big bite. Mmm, the meat juices were dripping, so juicy. I devoured it greedily, stuffing it into my stomach.

"....! ...!!"

Beato was eating with the same fervor. She must have been hungry with that body of hers. All skin and bones, so thin. She probably hadn't had a proper meal in a while.

After finishing the meal, Joana initiated the conversation. I thought she would explain about the Resistance, but it turned out to be about Beato.

"Beato-chan, right? We have to clean you up properly, you know."

It seemed like the detailed discussion would happen tomorrow directly with Balge. Joana was new, so she didn't know much about the Resistance.

"She'll shine if you polish her. I guarantee it."

"....?"

"Yeah, well, you can polish her as much as you want. I want to sleep... I haven't slept since last night."

Once my stomach was full, the next thing that came was sleepiness. Joana looked at me as if she wanted to say something.

"At least participate in the conversation... Sigh, never mind. The pajamas are in that closet, use them freely. Come on, Beato-chan, come with big sister."

"! ...! ...!"

Beato reluctantly followed as she was led away by Joana. With the two of them gone, the room became quiet. I changed into my pajamas and collapsed onto the bed. Ah, it was a long day. Finally, my body could rest. But my mind... it couldn't rest.

As I closed my eyes, I immediately embarked on a journey to the world of dreams.

***

"Big sister, sleep together with Claire!"

"Oh, you're such a clingy little one. Alright, come here."

"Yay! Hehe, it's big sister's bed. It smells like big sister!"

"You're going to sleep, so don't get too excited."

"But big sister and I are together!"

"Hey, if you keep shaking the futon... Claire? What's wrong? Claire?"

........

The lively sister who was playing around a moment ago opened her eyes wide and fell silent. She bled a lot from his body and stared at me.

"Ah, aaaaahhhhhh!!!"

I jumped out of bed. Covered in sweat, I screamed.

"Haah... haaah..."

My fingertips trembled. It was just a dream, I knew, but tears overflowed uncontrollably.

"....?"

Someone tugged at the sleeve of my pajamas. It was too dark to see, but someone was beside me.

"W-Who...?"

My head felt hazy since I was still half asleep, in a dreamy state. I was pulled closer and embraced.

Warm, a nice scent. The person felt a bit bony and firm. I remained in their arms and drifted back into the dream. This time, I wouldn't wake up until morning.

And the next morning, when I woke up, I realized that I had slept while being embraced by Beato. Well, I wouldn't have noticed since she didn't smell at all. Did Joana give her a bath? I see, that must be it.