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Why was Lucia’s hair so soothing to touch? Was it because she was a beastman? She let out soft whimpers, and her tail curled and uncurled. Her stomach gurgled again, louder this time.
“Alright, make yourself some food.” Is it just me, or did she look upset that I stopped?
“D-do you want some too?” She lowered her head, but I could still see her bright-red face. While it’s true that weapon spirits don’t need to eat, it wasn’t like we couldn’t. Most people wouldn’t feed their weapon spirits—why waste food?
“Only if you have enough.” I didn’t know how much food she brought in that bag of hers, and I didn’t know how many days it would be until we acquired more. In fact, I really didn’t know anything about the world outside of the miniature dimension. Where was it located anyways?
I watched Lucia walk on the balls of her feet while humming as she retrieved rations from the bag: potatoes, carrots, slabs of salted meat. She took out a pot and filled it with water while whistling a tune that reminded me of my journeys with the Godking in Foresia, the land of the fae. A smile crept onto my face. It really has been a while since I saw someone so happy. Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen anyone, but still.
Lucia reached into the bag and pulled out … a stack of firewood? Is that something normal people carry around with them at all times? She propped them up and pointed a rusty metal bird at the stack. A small jet of blue flames streamed out of the bird’s beak. Ten seconds later, Lucia had a roaring campfire and was setting up a stand for the pot of water to rest on.
“What was that?” I asked. I reached into her pants pocket, causing her to jump and almost drop her pot, and pulled out the metal bird. She snatched it out of my hands and glared at me with a stiff tail. Did I do something wrong?
It didn’t seem like she was going to answer my question. Maybe she didn’t understand, so I reworded it. “How did you produce fire?”
“This is a magical tool,” Lucia said and hugged the bird to her chest after settling the pot. “There’s a fire array inside of it that can be used three times a day.” Her eyes were downcast. “It took a long time to save up for it.”
Magical array? Isn’t that what the Godking extorted from that demon researcher? “Are there other magical tools?”
Lucia nodded. “But this one is mine.” She stroked the rusty bird’s wing and placed it back into her pocket. So these are the results of eighty years of progress—even a layman could cast magic. If thousands of years had truly passed, would I be able to adapt? Soon, the rich smell of stew filled the dimension, masking the smell of blood and carnage. Didn’t she have any qualms about killing people? Maybe I really did pick a psycho.
Lucia cheered when the stew finished cooking. Her eyes were sparkling as she ladled the food into two bowls. “Here,” she said and handed me one. “Be careful, it’s hot.”
My mouth watered when the thick aroma entered my nose. That asshole hadn’t left any food in the dimension. I hadn’t tasted meat in too long. Before I knew it, the stew was gone. I let out a sigh and leaned back. Eh? Why was she staring at me like that?
“D-do you want more?” Lucia asked. She hadn’t even drank a sip of her own bowl.
“You need it more,” I said. I really did want to take the pot and eat everything in it, but for the sake of my new master, I had to refrain from such actions.
“O-okay.”
I stared at her as she ate. She was nothing like the late Godking: There was no imposing aura about her. She was extremely cheerful. And her face was definitely more … lewd. What was she even thinking about while eating? When she finished the stew, including the portion left in the pot, she promptly lay on her back and began snoring before I could say anything. I guess that’s one similarity between the two. I sighed and cleaned the dishes as she slept. Then I roamed the field of slaughter and picked up anything that looked valuable. My loot included one small bag of spirit stones and a metal spear. All the other weapons had been broken during the fight. Why were these bastards so poor?
“Mom….”
I picked up my spoils and squat next to Lucia. Was she dreaming about her parents? Did people who enjoyed slaughtering others even care about their parents?
Lucia groaned as her eyes shuddered before opening. “Durandal?” she asked and blinked while sitting up. “It wasn’t a dream?”
“I’m real.”
Lucia’s mouth fell open. “Why?”
Did my new master suffer short-term memory loss? “Why what? Why am I real? I guess I never really thought about that.”
“No,” Lucia said and shook her head. Her lips pressed together. “Why me?”
“You’re not speaking clearly,” I said and sat down, resting the metal spear across my lap. “Why did I choose you as my new master?”
Lucia nodded, causing her hair to bounce up and down. Do I make up a lie and tell her I saw potential in her? Let’s tell the truth.
“Because you’re a beastman.”
“Eh?” Lucia asked and furrowed her brow. “But the Godking was human?”
Exactly. I nodded. “And male.”
“So … why me and not the prince? You could’ve become the weapon of a rich master instead of a slave.” Lucia’s head lowered.
“Humans are devious. I wanted to live under someone more honest and simple.” If the Godking taught me anything, it was to never form a contract with a human again. No way.
“Did you just call me stupid?”
“I called you simple. It’s a compliment.”
Lucia didn’t look very happy. Maybe I should pet her—petting seemed to make her happy. I placed my hand on her head and scratched behind her ear. She whimpered and clung onto my wrist. That’s when she noticed the spear and bag of spirit stones on my lap.
“W-where did you get those?” she asked with a red face. I noticed she didn’t try to move my hand away.
“The spirit stones were from the prince, and the spear was from a guard.” Her body stiffened underneath my touch. A constipated look appeared on her face. Did she need to go to the bathroom?
“They’re dead,” she whispered. I almost didn’t hear her.
“They are. You killed them.”
Her face paled. “Me?” Tears pooled in her eyes, making them glisten.
“Who else?” I asked. Did she not remember? Maybe I should’ve gone with the prince instead…. “Did you not notice?”
Lucia bit her lower lip. “I forgot because I was hungry…,” she said as she gazed upon the carnage. “What’s going to happen now? I killed a prince. They’ll hang me with my own intestines when they catch me.” Her hands turned white as she clutched my arm. Her eyes betrayed her fear. How cute.
“Then don’t let them catch you,” I said and laughed. “Calm down.”
“You’re too calm!”
“It’s not the first time I’ve killed royalty.” Honestly, it probably wouldn’t be the last either.
“Impossible,” Lucia said and shook her head. “The Godking would never kill anyone. He was a saint!”
“Oh, you poor child,” I said and sighed before rubbing her ears again. They were so soft to touch. “The Godking’s nothing like you think he was. It’s best if you just forget everything you know about that bastard.”