Felicia


    ...I was speechless.


    To think Milord would do something like this.


    I thought of him as a kinder soul, who could never bring himself to take the lives of others in cold blood.


    I was ready to make myself his sword, doing everything dirty that was necessary for his happiness and safety, so he wouldn’t have to corrupt himself doing so.


    And yet, here we are now, with him killing all these men on his own.


    ...I am glad. For these men, no, deserve nothing less. To feel no pity or remorse to a sickly little girl… this twisted world would be better off without them.


    “Leave it to me, Milord.” I smiled at his return. “I shall free the girl while you free the ogre.”


    I glanced at the foolish elf. Typical. She’s just a girl playing pretend. This is how you fight for justice. By leaving a trail of blood on your wake.


    ---------


    Hugo


    “Victoria, you alright?” I smiled at the knightness.


    No response. sea??h thё Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “Just let it out.” I patted her back. “When I first killed someone, I too puked my guts out.”


    “Oh, and you might want to stay away from the corpses. I’m going to burn them all. Don’t want them to turn undead after all.” In this continent, if you don’t properly burn dead corpses, there’s a chance the ambient demonic mana will reanimate said corpse into undead monsters.


    She nodded quietly, still holding her hand over her mouth. She walked away without a word towards the encampment’s exit.


    With a simple fire magic, I turned all the corpses into dust, leaving only their iron and steel weapons. I also made sure to use my wind magic to direct the smoke away, so no one would be choked by it. To finish, I gathered all the ash and any fire-resistant objects or clothing into one big lump before sending it as far as I could away from the camp, using a controlled miniature hurricane.


    And just like that, it was as if the massacre never happened.


    As I walked towards the ogre’s cage, I saw the slaves eyeing me with fear. None of them dared to ask what would become of them, and when I looked at their direction, they would immediately run away.


    Honestly, I have nothing to say to them. They’re free to do what they want, now that their master is dead. And since most of them seem to be content with passively accepting their fate…


    Arriving at the cage, there was not a single guard left. Makes sense. In the ruckus, they must have joined the fight as well.


    When the ogre noticed my footsteps, he shifted his gaze at my direction.


    "Why? Why did you do it?"


    "Nothing much.” I smiled. “Because I can. Because I’m tired of seeing people like you and her being dealt a bad hand by fate.”


    "I don''t understand."


    "Well, let''s just say it''s part of my redemption. I''ve failed to save a young girl before. And now, I have the chance to save another."


    "...I see."


    "Now please, stand back, if you would. I''m going to cut this thing right open."


    I pointed my wand at the mithril lock keeping the cage closed. Pressing its tip right to the metal, I conjured what I would call a wind buzzsaw, made out of rapidly swirling tiny wind blades acting as the teeth.


    Only to find that it was still not sharp enough to cut through.


    "Find the key. One of those guards should have it. You''re not cutting through mithril."


    "Really?" I smirked. "I''m not just a mage, you know."


    I drew my sword. Mithril vs mithril. I then tapped my wand onto the blade.


    "Enchant! Kamaitachi!"


    Kamaitachi. A myth from my old world about a wind demon who cuts its prey using blades of wind. Such a creature might actually exist in this world, though I had yet to hear about it.


    The wind transferred itself onto the sword. Now, the mithril blade has tiny wind teeth vibrating rapidly around it. Normally, it wouldn’t be possible, doing something like this without a magic sword (a sword that can act as a wand as well). However, thanks to my extended mana reach, I can keep the spell going in a stable manner as long as the sword doesn’t get too far from the wand.


    I closed my eyes, focusing my aura to the edge of the blade.


    "Staccato!"


    With a single slice, I cut through the mithril lock like butter.


    As it fell to the ground, the cage door creaked open, freeing the ogre at last.


    "...You surprise me. I never saw a technique like that."


    "Well, you can come out now." I smiled, sheathing both my wand and sword. "You''re free."


    Still eyeing me warily, the ogre crawled outside.


    Standing up, he towered over me like a giant. If I were to guess his height, he would be two meters tall, just like those foreign basketball players. Now that I got a better look at him, I noticed all the scars on his body, particularly on the back. Or so I thought, until I realized some of them were whip marks instead.


    "Thank you. You are the shadow witch''s lord, I presume?"


    "That''s right." I smiled. "My name is Hugo Greenwood. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Orluk." I bowed.


    "And here I thought you would need my help, Milord."


    Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Felicia. And she was carrying a little girl in her arms.


    The ogre walked towards her, looking at the little girl with a melancholic smile on his face. His hand gently patted her head, all the while his eyes moistened.


    "Do not worry." Felicia smiled as well. "With proper treatment, I believe I can cure her. I might look like this, but I''m an alchemist as well."


    "T-truly?" The ogre''s voice shook.


    "Truly. So please, rest easy."


    The ogre let out a long sigh of relief before turning back to face me.


    "I… I don''t know what to say. I have never received such kindness from a stranger before. And from a human no less. I have horribly misjudged your kind, and for that, I am terribly sorry." He bowed as deeply as he could.


    "Hmm?" I chuckled, crossing my arms. "What do you mean?"


    "I-I thought all humans are just a cowardly, greedy race that arrogantly believe they are superior to us of the demon race. I see now that not all of them are like that. Especially not you, Master Hugo. So please! Allow me to repay this debt!" All of a sudden, he went to his knees and lowered his head to the ground.


    "Uh, what?"


    "Let me be your retainer! Your servant! Your sword and shield!"


    I smiled, kneeling down and resting my hand on his head. "I''m not doing this so you can be my slave next. You''re free. Go wherever you want, do whatever you want."


    He raised his head, moving back to a sitting position before chuckling. "...I don''t have anywhere else to go, Master Hugo. My life, my dream, my future — they all have been taken from me. Even if you set me free, I don''t have a place I can return to." He smiled darkly.


    "What happened?" I asked. I couldn''t halt my curiosity.


    "A betrayal." He gritted his teeth. "I was betrayed by the woman I thought I would spend the rest of my life with."


    "Apologies, Milord, but I have to cut this conversation short." Felicia interrupted. "I have to treat her right away and I would need some help. We need to make a tent and a bed for her to sleep with."


    "I will help." The ogre stood up with a determined expression. "Tell me whatever you need, Mistress Felicia, and I will make sure it gets delivered to you."


    "Mistress… Felicia?" She paused.


    "I am indebted to you just as much as I am indebted to Master Hugo. Not to mention the fact that you are his lover. So it''s only proper for me to give the same respect I am giving to him." He bowed yet again.


    “A-a lover?” Felicia stuttered, a tinge of redness creeping onto her cheeks. “Y-yes, that’s right! I am his lover!”


    Seeing her reaction, I couldn’t help but chuckle.


    "Master Hugo." The ogre turned to face me. "If I might ask, where is your other lover? I wish to thank her as well."


    "That elf isn''t his lover!" Felicia yelled. "She''s the fool we''re escorting! I''m the only one who''s his lover!"


    "Oh, she is not? My apologies. I was under the impression that Master Hugo would have more than one lover. In my culture, the best of males would have many wives to bed with. Is it not so in the human world?"


    Felicia fell silent as sadness swept her face. "...You''re right. Milord also has a demoness as his other lover. She''s not here though."


    "Just two?" He frowned, looking back at me. "From what you did tonight, I expect five."


    “F-five?” Felicia stuttered. “No! Absolutely not! That’s too many! Two is more than enough!”


    "That''s a terrible shame." The ogre shook his head. "You humans would be a stronger race if you allow strong, virtuous males like Master Hugo to have many wives."


    "How about you?" I smirked. "How many wives do you think you should have?"


    A shadow blanketed his face. "...None. My heart died that day."


    "U-uuhhh…"


    A tiny groan came from Felicia''s arms. The dark elf child was shifting in her sleep.


    "Alright, enough chat. Ogre, help me with the tent. As for you, Milord, can you get some fever herbs from the medicine wagon? You know which one, right?" I nodded. "Don''t worry. Leave it to me." I patted my chest. Seeing her going into doctor-mode like this, I couldn''t help but smile.


    Putting off my imagination of a nice two-story house for us (and Sherry), I made my way to said wagon, though not before I met Victoria on the way.


    "Feeling better?" I patted her shoulder.


    "D-did you… did you have to kill all those people?"


    A thin smile formed on my face.


    "...I suppose I didn''t. But I chose to. I don''t want them hounding me in the future for stealing their slaves. And I don''t like them anyway. Not only were they gleefully helping a slaver that puts people in cages like animals, they were letting a sickly little girl die, punishing the only person who stood by her. You might disagree, but I believe those are good enough reasons to kill someone. You can say that this is my justice. Dark justice, if you will." I chuckled.


    "Dark… justice?"


    "This world is too messed up for ordinary justice to fix. A dark justice is necessary — justice that is willing to do unpleasant things from time to time. Let your soul be burdened by sin, if it will make the world just ever so slightly a better place."


    "Does your beloved Lady Ashleen never take a life?" I asked.


    "I… I don''t know. The book never said that— ah!" She covered her mouth with her hands.


    "A book, eh? Was it a book you read when you were little, perhaps?"


    "...I-it was a legendary tome! It fell from the sky one day and I was chosen to be its bearer! The name ''Ashleen'' is a title, given to every woman who walks in the path of justice!" She declared with a forced grin.


    "Well..." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I''ll leave it up to you to decide what justice is. Everyone should decide that by themselves."


    With a short handwave, I left the knightess to her own. I had some herbs to get after all.


    ------


    When I returned to Felicia, she was already inside the tent, with her alchemical equipment being put outside. She had laid down the little girl on a pillow, wiping the sweat on her face gently with a wet towel.


    "Here. I got the herbs you wanted." I put the pouch near her. "I also found some potions that were labeled anti-fevers. Brought them too just in case."


    "Thank you, Milord." Felicia smiled. "Might I ask you to stay here and keep watch over her as I make the potion? Just make sure she’s comfortable. It won''t take long. About an hour or so."


    I nodded. “That sounds easy enough.”


    "Then, if you would excuse me—"


    The alchemist stood up, tiptoeing her way out of the tent. I sat down where she once was, which was just above the little girl’s head.


    "U-uuhhh…"


    A small groan escaped the dark elf''s lips, bringing me back from my thoughts. Slowly, I touched her forehead. Quickly, I grabbed the towel, conjured cold water into it, and placed it on said forehead.


    ------


    Felicia


    With Milord safely watching her, I can finally start my work.


    First, the fever herbs. I need to brew them for maximum efficacy. These potions Milord got—they''re not good enough. Whoever made them wasn''t that great of an alchemist.


    "I''ve finished setting it up, Mistress Felicia."


    I was greeted by Orluk once I arrived at my makeshift lab. Using my Dimensional Storage, I could lug around all these heavy, fragile tools around. And after I brought them up, I instructed the ogre to put them up just the way I wanted. There was a wagon full of furniture in this caravan so he could use the tables from there. With those muscles of his, it shouldn''t be hard to lift all that heavy wood.


    "Well done." I smiled. "Now, leave the rest to me. How about you talk to those slaves that have been watching us?”


    Oh yes, they did not escape my attention. Afraid of me and Milord’s actions, none of them had the bravery to talk to us. They instead watched at us from a distance, hiding behind the wagons. I suppose I cannot blame them, what with Milord being such a terrifying mage and all.


    “It’s quite annoying, you see, and I would rather have them go out and talk to us. Or thank us. After all, Milord has freed them as well.” I smirked.


    “At once, Milady.” He gave a short bow before he left.


    I started grinding the herbs with my mortar and pestle, making sure they would be at the correct state before I entered them into my cauldron. Speaking of that, I already filled it with water by my magic, before lightning up the firewood underneath. I needed the water to be at boiling point before I entered the herbs.


    But, as fate would have it, I was interrupted before I could move on to that stage.


    A crowd of twenty or so gathered around me, consisting of the slaves I was talking about before. Leading them was Orluk. It seemed they had concluded their talk.


    And then, one by one, all of them lowered their heads to the ground.


    “T-thank you! Thank you very much, o great mage! You and your partner both!” One of them spoke. He was another ogre, just like Orluk.


    I halted my work, dampening the burning fire with a quick water spell before I walked over to them.


    “Oh, really? Are you happy now that you are free at last?”


    “Y-yes! Very much so!”


    “Then, go away. Leave us alone. I have no desire to see the faces of those who saw a little girl being whipped and proceeded to do nothing.”


    He couldn’t respond.


    “Oh, you don’t think I didn’t see those scars on her back? Only the man standing over there is willing to help her. The rest of you simply abandoned her, all too content to fall in line with your master.”


    “W-we’re sorry!” Another slave spoke. This time, she was a dark elf. “I-if we disobey, then he would punish us as well!” As she pleaded her case, her eyes locked into mine,


    It was the beady eyes of a loser, of one that had given up their hopes and dreams.


    I didn’t not know how this woman, or the other slaves, got broken like this, but just that one look was enough for my anger to swell into my chest.


    “It’s not me whom you should ask for forgiveness. It’s him and Fia, the child you left to suffer.”


    Their gaze traveled towards Orluk. He crossed his arms and shook his head. “I don’t care. And Fia wouldn’t care either. She’s still gravely ill and you’re disturbing the alchemist who’s trying to cure her. So leave. The goods in all these wagons — feel free to do whatever you want with them once my master and mistress are finished with them. All my mistress asks is for you bunch to leave her alone and not stare at her from a distance like a ravenous wolf. That’s alright with you, right?” He turned to look at me, presumably asking about the wagons.


    “Yes, that will be fine.” I smiled. “And, in exchange, I only ask for you all to keep your mouth shut. Never speak to anyone about us. You wouldn’t want me or Milord to come knocking on your doors, would you?” I put up the evilest smirk I could muster. And judging by the expression on their faces, it would seem to be sufficient.


    “O-of course, Milady! N-none of us would dare to defy your command! Not after all you did for us!” The man bowed again.


    “Now that’s settled, leave. Unless any of you wishes to volunteer to help me make the cure, that is.”


    The crowd quickly dispersed, no one wanting to be with me for a second longer.


    “I’ll keep watch on them,” the ogre declared. “I would help you with the cure, but I know I would only be getting in your way, Mistress Felicia.”


    “You have no knowledge whatsoever about alchemy, I take it?”


    “None whatsoever.” He sighed. “I should’ve studied more. Never cared about books, only how to swing my club. Maybe that’s why I got tricked by her. I am a fool. Always has been.” He chuckled.


    “Then, you do that. I’ll handle things over here. Don’t worry. She’ll be fine. I promise.”