Side: Ria (The Unawakened Hero of Love)
"Phew... Listen up, you three. I'm about to take you to the person who will become your new master. Make sure you don't do anything rude."
"Yes... Hey, Asu-san, you just called us 'you three' again."
"Oops, my bad. But rest assured. If it's him, he will never treat you poorly.
Right now, Asu-san—the slave trader who saved me—stood before the four of us, getting ready to lead us to our new master.
I suppose I am fortunate.
Even though I fell into slavery, I was given proper food and clothing, and I haven't been subjected to the horrific treatment people usually talk about. As-san didn't even put me through the training typical of sexual slaves.
Even someone like me, who had lived in a small village, knew that when a woman became a slave, she was usually treated as nothing more than an outlet for men's desires.
That's why being bought by Asu-san, who carefully chose who he sold his slaves to, was probably a stroke of good fortune.
"Asu-san... Thank you for everything up until now. I will never forget your kindness."
One of the girls spoke on behalf of all of us, and the rest bowed their heads. I followed suit a moment later.
Then, perhaps noticing me, Asu-san walks over and speaks to me.
"...Ria-chan. You may not have been here long, but this is the best possible place you could end up. So do your best. Even after what happened to your village, you survived. I'm sure everyone there would want you to find happiness. It doesn't have to be now—but someday, I hope you can smile again."
"...Yes."
"I don't know what will happen, but he's not the kind of person who would separate you four and make it so you can never see each other again. So rely on your seniors, alright? You three, please look after her too."
"Yes, leave Ria to us."
These people were all kind.
Even though I could barely respond properly, they still spoke to me and showed concern.
But my heart... my body... won't respond.
My village was a quiet little place on the border between Roshure and Gartz. It wasn't wealthy, but we never really struggled to eat. All the villagers helped each other to survive.
Asu-san would visit as a traveling merchant, and we had chances to touch clothes and rare goods from other countries.
I truly believed that this peaceful life would continue until the day I died.
But it ended in an instant.
The war between Roshure and Gartz broke out. It was all part of the Demon King's scheme. That was the cause of this conflict.
...But none of that had anything to do with me.
Only the result remained.
The village was gone—That is the truth left to me.
I don't know which side's soldiers they were. All I know is that our village was plundered. We resisted desperately, but it was useless.
One after another, the villagers were captured and slaughtered as if it were a game. The young women were pinned down, defiled, and killed. I was supposed to be one of them. My father, mother, and little sister were murdered right before my eyes. I was utterly stunned, unable to react even as a man tore my clothes.
And yet, the next thing I knew, the room was in ruins as if something had gone on a wild rampage. The corpses of my father, mother, and sister were scattered against the walls and windows in horrific shapes. Of course, the soldiers were all dead too.
Afterward, Asu-san came to the village on his usual trading route. Shocked by the state of the village, he searched for survivors.
I was the only one left.
* * *
"I'm... sorry."
I couldn't respond to everyone's kindness.
They must have gone through their own hardships too.
"It's okay. We understand."
"Yeah, after going through something like that... don't worry about a thing. Come on, let's go."
I don't resent being made a slave. After all, this was less like true slavery and more like someone looking for a proper guardian to take us in. Asu-san couldn't support me all by himself, and I understood his reasons for selling us. I have nothing but gratitude for him.
...But I still couldn't react.
Without being able to say anything in return, I entered a strange building in a city located inside a mysterious dungeon.
This place was incredibly bizarre. The glances directed at us as slaves weren't full of pity, nor were they looking at us like objects. They treated us as fellow human beings.
That alone was an incredible thing. But on top of that, there were toilets and many other things here that I had never seen or heard of before.
We were told that we were being handed over to one of the representatives of this city. Because I couldn't respond properly, I was worried that I would only drag the others down.
"Please consider this as a token of my gratitude. Feel free to use them as you wish."
"Haa... Thank you very much."
Standing there was a black-haired, completely ordinary-looking man... In fact, his build was rather slim.
It's not good to judge by appearance, but people whose levels rise naturally are usually those who have fought desperately against monsters. Their bodies tend to be muscular, but this person didn't give off that feeling at all.
And from the conversation just now, he seemed somewhat troubled. He didn't look like the representative of such an amazing city.
As I was thinking that, our eyes met.
The way he stared intensely at me was incredibly sharp, as if his previous demeanor had just been a facade.
"Cough—gah... tea went down the wrong pipe..."
No, maybe it was just my imagination. He was just choking on his tea all by himself.
But apparently, it was a big deal. Suddenly, three beautiful women rushed through the door, surrounding the man as if to shield him, and glared at Asu-san.
No, he really just choked on his tea.
"It's a misunderstanding. I just choked on my tea. My apologies, Asu-san. My wives tend to overreact."
He calmly explained to the women.
Eh? Wives!?
These beautiful women are his wives?
To think that two of them are his wives... just what kind of person is he?
After that, the negotiation with Asu-san ended quickly, and Asu-san left.
We were left behind in the room.
"For now, everyone, have a seat on that sofa."
"N-No! We couldn't possibly!?"
Being told to do that so casually was a problem. Slaves couldn't possibly sit where the master and Asu-san had just been negotiating.
Just like the other three, I shook my head vigorously at the sheer absurdity of the idea. Seeing us like that, the man smiled wryly, and the three women behind him stepped forward to reassure us.
"It's alright. Just because you're slaves doesn't mean we'll mistreat you here. We treat everyone as a person."
"There are no whips for slaves here. Though we might scold you on occasion."
"...So, don't worry."
If these women, who were probably also his guards, said so, then it should be okay.
Reassured by their words, we cautiously sat down on the sofa.
It was an amazing sofa... It had a softness and comfort I had never experienced before.
"Now that our numbers have grown, I'll prep some tea. Listen, ■■■. These girls apparently have skills like Arithmetic. I think it would be better to give them direct instruction for immediate deployment rather than sending them to the training center. Hear them out first."
"I see. If they've already acquired Arithmetic, we might be able to skip the training center."
The representative himself was going to make tea for us, but more than that, one thing filled my head.
I... still couldn't hear his name.
That's right... Ever since that day, I stopped being able to hear people's names... Just what exactly broke inside me?
"Welcome to Weed. I am ■■■, the representative in charge of the entertainment district in Weed. May I hear a little about all of you?"
I couldn't hear it.
That's why I couldn't respond properly.
Yes, that's why I can't answer properly. My mind and body are broken, and even my ears can't hear right.
Faced with the questions of another representative, I managed to give simple replies, but...
'Am I even allowed to be alive?'
I asked myself the same question I had asked countless times before.
In front of me, perhaps trying to be considerate, the male representative handed out tea and explained things gently. And then, as if to clear the heavy mood, the three women took a sip of their tea and spat it out, just like the male representative had done before.
And on that day, after some light small talk, we were guided to an inn and told to return tomorrow.
* * *
"Um, Representative ■■■■■. I have something I'd like to ask."
"Yes, what is it?"
On the way to the inn, one of the girls asked a question to the female representative.
"Um, about our master... He mentioned his wives earlier. Are there others besides you, Representative ■■■■■?"
"Oh my?"
Perhaps surprised by the question, the female representative's eyes widened.
"I-I'm sorry! Was that a rude question!?"
"No, no, it's fine. You're right, when someone says 'wives', you'd usually think of maybe two people."
"Eh? Which means..."
"Yes. Including myself, the three of us who were there are all ■■■■-san's wives."
"Eeeeh!? A-Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything bad by it..."
"It's fine. So, how did ■■■■-san look to you all?"
"Well..."
"Don't worry about it, just tell me your honest impressions. You won't be punished for it."
Being told that, we said exactly what we thought.
He looks just like an ordinary person.
He seems a bit weak-willed.
What kind of ruler pours tea for others himself?
He's a strange person.
"He's a wonderful man, isn't he? In these troubled times full of conflict, he can still be so kind to others."
Hearing that, I couldn't help but agree. And I also understood just how much love she held for him.
If there was someone called a Hero, perhaps they would be someone like him. He had lost nothing, while I had lost everything. Even though I was saved, I couldn't even respond properly.
That's why I couldn't help but think:
'Is it really okay for someone as useless as me to keep living?'
* * *
"I wonder what it is. Is it two characters? Three characters? Maybe it's just one..."
That night, as I looked at the moon, I found myself arbitrarily superimposing the image of a Hero onto him.
And I spent my time wondering what his name was.
