The Night of That Day

Yohane-sama was looking over some documents.

He was probably thinking about what work to assign us.

"Go ahead and rest for today. You too, Azu, get some proper rest."

"Understood. Excuse me, Master."

I left Yohane-sama's room.

My face felt a little warm. My heart wouldn't stop pounding.

… That night kept replaying in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about Yohane-sama.

I'd always wondered what he really thought of me. He praised me plenty, but he rarely ever put his feelings into words.

Ever since the day he first bought me, I'd told myself I didn't want to be thrown away again. I just didn't know how to make that happen.

I was a slave, so I figured doing as I was told should be enough.

That night, the statue that appeared at the end of our patrol terrified me. But Elza-san stepped forward, so all I had to do was attack from the sides.

It took not just us but all the adventurers working together to finally bring the statue down. That had gone well.

But then, when the lord's son showed up, a terrible feeling gripped me.

With Temple Knights at his back, the lord's son furiously condemned us for destroying the statue.

But that statue had already killed animals, and I'd watched it try to kill a person.

So I couldn't understand what he was saying, and neither could anyone else.

The lord's son refused to listen to us and ordered the Temple Knights to move in.

… And then Yohane-sama stepped in front of us.

That he'd shielded us — shielded me — made me so happy, yet the dread only grew worse.

One of the Temple Knights, Evris I think, pointed a sword at Yohane-sama.

And the words the lord's son spoke next hit me like a blow to the head.

Twenty thousand gold coins.

My own price didn't even come close. I couldn't begin to imagine how anyone could prepare that kind of money.

Choose between that money and the three of us.

The answer was obvious.

Yohane-sama had always valued money above all else. I believed he cared for us because we earned him money, and I felt that was true.

As long as I kept earning, I had value. I could prove my worth.

And yet they were making him choose between that fortune and us. An enormous sum. The thing most precious to him after his own life.

I thought my heart would stop.

He wouldn't choose me. There was no way Yohane-sama would choose me.

I'd be thrown away again.

The instant that thought crossed my mind, my body turned cold, even though I was still burning from the fight with the statue.

The sensation crawling up my spine was so unbearable that I reached for my sword.

But Elza-san stopped me. Her grip was so strong I couldn't break free, and I was forced to listen to Yohane-sama's answer whether I wanted to or not.

I was scared.

When my real parents did it, I'd known they resented me. I could see it coming, so at least I'd been able to prepare myself.

I didn't want to hear it from Yohane-sama.

I wanted to cover my ears.

… And then Yohane-sama opened his mouth.

I think my heart stopped.

My worth. Oh… so that's how it was. He'd already acknowledged me.

Tears had started falling before I realized it. They carried so much heat I thought they'd scald me.

And then my right eye burned hotter than anything I'd ever felt. A searing heat spread from it through my entire body, and I simply raised my sword.

That was all it took to sever the Temple Knight's right arm.

The turmoil tearing through my heart went quiet, and my resolve settled into place on its own.

I remember deciding to give my life. To kill anyone who threatened Yohane-sama, for his sake.

The thought came naturally.

Evris looked terrified when she saw me.

I didn't care.

If it meant Yohane-sama getting hurt, I was ready to kill the lord's son and the rest of them right there.

Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

When the statue moved again, I cut it in two without needing Elza-san to tell me. The moment flames erupted from its head, I felt an enormous power surge from my right eye.

They explained it to me later, but I still didn't really understand.

As long as it helped my master — Yohane-sama — that was enough.

Sitting on my bed, I pulled a single silver coin and the gold hair ornament from the pouch around my neck.

These were gifts from Yohane-sama.

I'd kept the very first silver coin he ever gave me all this time. It was a keepsake, and I'd been storing it in the pouch.

Just looking at them made my chest feel warm.

(… I'm allowed to stay here. Okay. I'll do my best.)

Yohane-sama, who almost never spoke his true feelings, had said all of that for me.

I could finally believe in myself.

I would pay back as much of this debt as I could.

That would surely help my master, too.

As I thought about these things, drowsiness crept over me. I lay down on the bed. Ever since my right eye changed, I'd been sleeping a lot more.

During the day I felt fine, but maybe I was more tired than I realized.

Almost the moment I lay down, my eyelids refused to open.

I didn't fight the drowsiness. If I just let go, sleep would take me.

Starting tomorrow, I had to be useful to my master again.

And for that, a good night's rest was essential.

It was early, but I decided to sleep.