CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 74

A fox girl at level eleven wasn’t exactly in a position to show her full strength, but testing her abilities on the Balloons around Melromarc would’ve been stupid. So the first thing I decided was to track down a vampire rabbit — plenty of those roamed the nearby forests.

"So then, it’s all yours." I waved my hand toward the bushes where a rabbit-mutant rustled.

Well, maybe not that much of a mutant, but still... The vampire rabbit looked like an ordinary rabbit, only fluffier and rounder. And clearly a lot stronger.

"...All right."

The red-eyed fox girl drew her katana, gave it a spin in front of her, tested the weight, then, frowning slightly, slid it back into the sheath at her side. After spotting her target, she bent her knees a little. One hand rested on the sheath, the other on the hilt. It was a rather typical stance, but the way she held it somehow inspired confidence in her skills.

She stayed like that for exactly three seconds, then the bushes shook more violently — a warning before the furious ball of fur sprang straight at her.

The girl didn’t falter. In a single smooth motion, the blade flashing, she cleaved the rabbit’s body in half mid-air. Her strike was so perfectly timed that the cut landed the moment the beast’s hindquarters aligned with the tip of her katana.

Not a single drop of blood touched her.

"That’s... impressive. Did your mother teach you that?"

"Uh-huh." She slid the katana back into the sheath and nodded.

"I see. Well then, let’s build on that success."

It quickly became obvious that something like a vampire rabbit wasn’t a real challenge for her. I’d also forgotten that being bound to me as my slave granted her a considerable stat boost, so we could push much further.

Even monsters twice her level posed no real threat. Not the frogs — the same ones that once gave Night some trouble in our first fight — not the giant snakes at level twenty-three, not the wolves at level twenty-five... none of them could stand up to my battle-ready fox girl’s skill.

And when I thought about it, the Qi in her was quite "high-quality" too. Of course, compared to Atlas the difference was still enormous, but in terms of pure potential, Mia even surpassed Fohl.

Poor Fohl...

Why did I even bother figuring out her combat abilities? Well, there were still a couple of days left before the Reviving, which was plenty of time to raise Atla’s level in a rushed training regime — and, if she proved worthy, the fox girl’s too. I wasn’t sure if it was even worth taking her along and splitting experience yet again, but now I had no doubts. If the fox girl received all the bonuses from the slave crest and caught up with Sadeena in levels, she wouldn’t lose to her in raw strength. Maybe not even in skill.

The only thing left was to decide whether to reset her level. On the one hand, the eleven levels she’d already gained didn’t really matter much. On the other — I wanted to do everything perfectly, though that would mean wasting more time and troubling Mirelia again...

No, better to do it properly right away.

So I spent about an hour returning to the castle, making a somewhat awkward request of Mirelia (I really did feel embarrassed asking her again to gather people for the reset, even though I could’ve handled it earlier), and arranging the ritual itself. In the end, it went as it should, and the fox girl stood on her feet quite firmly.

"Eh..." With a sigh, I looked at Fohl with mild reproach.

"W-what?! I went through the reset just fine too!"

"Brother — liar."

"Atla!" The white-eared tiger clutched his chest as if I’d just stabbed him with the most painful knife of his life. Poor Fohl...

"Well then, I suppose we can finally start preparing for the Reviving. Since Sadeena and Fohl clearly make a good pair, we won’t split you two up." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the tiger cub’s eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, already dreading the grind of endless leveling. "As for me, I’ll take Night, Atla, and the fox girl."

Out of the other corner of my eye, I noticed the fox girl lift her gaze and give me a rather strange look.

"Something wrong?"

"...Why do you call everyone else by name, yet address me in such a strange way?" Her ear twitched, and she tilted her head in a cute, questioning way.

"That’s a very complicated issue that goes deep into the dark recesses of my twisted personality. But to put it simply, at first I just forgot to ask your name, and then I got used to calling you that."

"I see."

"You mind?"

"...No. My fate lies in your hands, master, and you have every right to call me whatever you wish."

"Ooh... Nott-chan never stops surprising her big sister. Another girl joins your side, yet once again you’re not taking me along... Should I start getting jealous?" The orca slipped up beside me, effortlessly trapping my arm between the prison bars of her magnificent breasts... ahem.

"On the islands we’ll hardly ever be apart, so don’t worry. Right now it’s just about distributing experience efficiently."

"Yes, yes, I know. But without you, Nott-chan, I feel so cold and lonely..."

"Perverted orca..." With a doomed sigh, I chose to ignore her assaults.

...

We spent the whole day leveling up Atla and the fox girl. With the first one, though, there were some minor problems in the form of her brother, who was absolutely unwilling to let his sister wander off in the company of such a shady character as me. Overall, Fohl wasn’t thrilled at all about Atla fighting.

But all his complaints were completely ignored, and his attempts to stop her were dealt with in the most ruthless and cunning way. Atla walked up to her unsuspecting brother and simply poked him with her finger right in the solar plexus. Fohl was down for the count. Literally.

According to Sadeena, he couldn’t even move properly for nearly a minute afterward. And, obviously, he couldn’t catch up with us either — since he had no idea where I’d teleported us.

The monster slaying was mostly left to me and Night, with the occasional help from Atla who, unlike her brother, brimmed with enthusiasm. The girl relished not only the chance to walk but also the opportunity to be openly useful, making my job of boosting her level much easier.

But the oddities began later. Closer to evening, when I’d gotten a bit carried away, and the fox girl should’ve already been nearing level forty...

"Hm? I’m at forty-three."

That’s what she told me in response to my perfectly reasonable question.

"Even though I tried to help, I’m only three levels higher. My shame can’t be washed away, not even with blood..."

Atla, of course, was just as fatalistic and categorical about anything involving me. I still wasn’t sure how to react to that kind of devotion — especially since, to be fair, she was being almost completely serious.

But back to the topic. There was no way the fox girl could’ve undergone a Class Upgrade in the middle of Melromarc’s deserted swamps. So how did she manage to push past level forty?

The answer was obvious, of course — I already had two demi-humans with the same trait. But still... Could the slave merchant really have overlooked something like that? If he’d wanted to please me, he would’ve tried to push her onto me for free, the same way he had with Fohl and Atla. But he hadn’t — he’d presented her as ordinary stock.

And yet, all signs pointed to the fox girl belonging to some special subspecies of demi-human whose level cap before Class Upgrade was higher than forty.

So, just like with Wyndia, we couldn’t raise the girls’ classes that same day. Technically, the ritual was available as soon as they hit forty, but it was far more efficient to wait until they’d reached the maximum possible level.

I didn’t really need sleep or rest, but Atla and the fox girl definitely did — especially with their growing bodies. The changes from leveling had become noticeable: not by much, but both girls already looked a little older. Though honestly, it was such a slight change you could’ve missed it entirely — especially compared to Raphtalia’s growth.

Anyway, that was fine. By nightfall we finally returned to what could now be called my home. I opened the front door and stepped inside, pleasantly surprised by the smell drifting from the kitchen. And overall, it was clear someone had been tidying the place up.

The tables and chairs had been moved around a bit, not for looks but for convenience. Rugs had been laid out here and there, paintings hung on the walls... Overall, the place finally looked lived in.

"O-oh... M-master-sama. Welcome home!" As soon as we stepped into the kitchen, from where the delicious smell was coming, the tiger girl bowed nervously. "I-I mean, welcome back, Master-sama!"

"Welcome back, Master-sama," the Wolf Cub greeted me next, much more calmly. And I still couldn’t help melting a little at the sound of her voice...

"Same to you." I turned toward the third figure, who at the moment was lounging lazily on a chair, chewing on some kind of fruit. "Your doing?"

"He-he. I knew you’d be back, so I thought I’d tidy up a bit. Oh? Or did Nott-chan want us to greet him wearing only aprons? I hear men like that sort of thing." Sadeena put on a thoughtful expression, even tapping her finger against her chin. "Yes. Next time we’ll do exactly that."

The tigress blushed furiously, casting panicked glances between us at the thought, while the wolf girl — unlike the shy image she’d first given me — actually showed something like faint interest in the suggestion...

"Mm-hm. Right. Anyway, that’s all philosophy. But before I forget, we need to clear something up." Gathering the girls’ curious looks, I continued with the most serious face I could muster. "So then... what are your names?"

"Uh..."

The tigress didn’t catch on right away, hesitating before she could answer. But her fellow sufferer...

"My name is Elen, Master-sama." The wolf girl bowed again as she gave her name.

"I-I’m Risha."

"Good, that’s settled. And now..." But I was cut off by a persistent tug at my sleeve that sent me straight into déjà vu.

"...My name is Mia."

Lowering my gaze, I saw — not Night, despite the fleeting association — but the fox girl, looking me straight in the eyes with the most serious expression on her face.

"All right. I’ll remember." Matching her seriousness, I replied and, unable to resist, reached out and stroked her head, brushing lightly over the outside of her ears.

The girl kept staring into my eyes without the slightest change in her grave expression, seemingly unfazed by the gesture. But that was only on the surface. I caught the moment her eyelids drooped slightly, exactly one second after I started patting her.

"Well then. Introductions are over, pleasantries exchanged — let’s see what you’ve cooked up."

"Ooh, I assure you, Nott-chan, you won’t be disappointed." Finishing what looked like an apple and springing up from her chair, Sadeena cheerfully walked over and guided me into what was clearly the "head" seat at the table. "Elen-chan and Risha-chan are very capable girls. I only gave them the recipe, but they did absolutely splendidly!"

"I believe it." Nodding, I let her settle me down without resistance, preparing for the tasting.

And... I had to admit, it was beyond all praise. In just one evening, each of these girls — whom I had acquired purely for aesthetic reasons — managed to climb quite a bit in my estimation. Not only did they handle household chores with surprising competence, but they also turned out to be excellent in the kitchen.

At this rate, even if I didn’t actually need food, I wouldn’t mind coming home to this every evening.

Since arriving in this world, I don’t think I’d ever seriously thought I’d say the phrase "coming home."

But honestly? I don’t think that’s such a bad outcome.