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Chapter 93
“Holy Circle!” I shouted out, sending a ring of fire spiraling into the ghosts from behind.
They shrieked as they were swept away in a wave of fire. However, there were so many ghosts, that they immediately began pushing back, swarming us in an attempt to wipe us out completely.
“Sanctify Land!” I cast another spell. “Lydia, go! Stay within this area for now!”
Lydia lunged forward. Her sword had my Divine Aura and the Spirit Fire on it, and that made it the brightest thing in this alleyway. It only took a moment before dozens of ghosts were upon her. She managed to slice three down, but she was completely overwhelmed.
“Another fireball!” I called Miki.
“Y-yes!” She tossed her Spirit Flame to me.
“Holy Circle!” I created another eruption, blowing the spirits on Lydia off and even killing several of them.
“Refresh! Light Heal!”
I was throwing spells out like a true support mage. Sweat was dripping down my face. It was really scary, there were so many of them. I had to keep throwing out Holy Circles to knock the ghosts back. We would have been dead in the first minute had I not managed to disrupt and repel their forces so absolutely. As I noticed Lydia’s tattered appearance, taking both mental and physical damage, I realized just how dangerous what we were doing actually was. However, the rewards were also incredible!
{White Mage has reached level 16.}
{Hero has increased to level 10.}
I didn’t dare give up my White Mage abilities for even a moment. The need for Holy Circles was way too intense. I downed a mana potion and called for more Spirit Fire when it looked like Lydia was getting overwhelmed. I really wanted to gain some Slave Master levels though, so I dropped Hero when things looked safe.
{Slave Master has reached level 5.}
“Spirit Well!” Miki called out.
A sudden hole opened up in mid-air in the middle of a giant group of ghosts. They wailed as they were all sucked into it. That’s right, I could see the spirits now. I didn’t know if it was Hero or White Mage that gave me the ability. I was too concentrated on the fight to look at the leveling screen. This was particularly unfortunate because I had no clue what skills I was getting! However, my survival was more important at the moment.
“How did you get that ability?” I asked Miki.
“I had heard about it once… and suddenly I felt like I could do it!”
I looked at her and found she was at level 8 now. Her progress was truly immense. Her tails were glowing very beautifully. With spirit fire burning in each hand, she really did look like a fox spirit or goddess.
“They’re starting to flee, Master…” Lydia announced, lowering her weapon for the first breath she had since the start of the fight.
Lydia had several rips in her clothing. Ghosts could attack you physically, it was just easier to attack spiritually. Although my healing had addressed the scratches, the weariness in her eyes couldn’t be removed so easily. Even Refresh could only rejuvenate the soul. With the number of attacks Lydia faced, only rest would allow her to recover now.
“Almost half of them were still alive…” I spoke… but then started to feel a bit of an uneasy feeling. “Is this… get ready!”
The ground suddenly began to rumble at my words. A moment later, a massive ghost burst out from the ground as if he came from under the city. If there was a dungeon in the mansion, that might actually be the case. He was about ten times the size of a normal person. He was transparent, his face looking like that of some monstrous ghoul with claws.
“What is that?” I asked.
“I believe it’s an Eldritch!” Miki announced.
“Can we kill it?” I asked the next most important question.
“I don’t know, Master.”
“Lydia?” I looked at her.
Lydia was shaking, her body looked like she could barely stand. Without her, we’d have no way to keep the Eldritch at bay. I didn’t think even my magic circle would be able to repel it. We might have to flee the entire city. She smiled at me, lifted her sword, and then charged the monster. That was her answer.
The fight was just getting started.
Chapter 94
It would have been nice if we could knock this guy out in one hit, but after Miki’s Spirit Fires splashed against him like insect bites, it was clear that it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Holy Circle!” I shot out a wave of fire, and it only pushed him like a small shove.
I re-equipped Hero as my job. It was no time to worry about levels, I needed the party status boosts. Meanwhile, Lydia continued to hack away at his legs. It might have been more of a desperate situation, but this ghost seemed to move quite slowly. When it swung his arm, it had power, but Lydia was able to easily dodge it. The real issue came with time. Would we tire out before the ghost fell? I downed my third mana potion, continuing to send Refresh and occasionally heals to my teammates. Perhaps it was wasteful, but I didn’t have anything else on me. Wait, did I?
I thought back to all the skills I had gotten recently. I had six or seven more, but I didn’t know what they were. It was maddening. It must have felt like how the first people in this world felt. Every job you had, learning what skill you gained could only come through trial and error.
Neither Lydia nor Miki knew what skills they had either. People wouldn’t even know their level or job if it wasn’t for a Priest. They only learned their jobs from the work and studies of those before them. Actually, now that I thought about it, that was a lot more realistic compared to my own world.
Perhaps, given my unique abilities, this was something I could do for this world if I had time. Once I learned to read and write, I could create a proper guide to skills and jobs. Only I knew the skill names, after all. That could be my life’s work.
No, I was getting off-topic here. Prolonged fights are exhausting, and your mind begins to wander if you let it. I wasn’t the only one. Lydia suddenly slipped just as the ghost was raising his arm.
“Lydia!” Miki shouted.
I looked at her in horror as his hand was raised up. “Protect!”
It was a skill I had gained some time ago, but I wasn’t sure what it did. However, at that moment, it seemed right to use it.
The arm smashed down on her and was immediately blocked by a large shield. Then, the pressure of that arm landed on me. Instantly I felt like I had been struck by a massive hit. Leave it to the hero’s skills to be all about self-sacrifice. I felt like every bone in my body was breaking. I collapsed to the ground in a heap.
“Master!” Miki cried out.
“Master!” Lydia screamed.
Ah… that was really painful. So, Protect allows you to take the next blow for someone else. I could think of a hundred names that could have conveyed that action better than Protect. Lydia was running to me, ignoring the monster behind her. Miki was throwing spiritual attacks at it. I could feel myself losing consciousness. That hit had truly been a direct one-shot kill kind of blow.
I was a White Mage though. I just had to heal. One or two Weak Heal and… I couldn’t. My mouth couldn’t open to speak the words, and even the thoughts about it disappeared like wind. I felt hot tears splashing over my face, a crying girl holding me in her arms, and then the light dimmed to darkness. Well, if I had to go out, this wasn’t the worst way to go either.
{Hero has increased to level 11.}
{Skill Analysis has been unlocked.}
Oh, you bastard. There it is.
{You have died.}
Chapter 95
I gasped, my eyes opening. Everything hurt. It felt like I had been shoved through a strainer.
“M-master! Master!” The voice came distant but steadily grew louder and louder in my ears. “Master!”
My eyes slowly opened and I allowed the light to enter my vision. There were two people holding me down. No, rather, they were collapsed on top of me. With one of them, I felt something soft and comfortable pressed against me. The other was a bit flatter. I realized it was Lydia and Miki. They were both crying and holding me tightly.
“Did we… win…?” I asked, grimacing.
“Master!” They both cried out, smiles forming on their faces as they hugged me even tighter.
“Ouch…”
“S-sorry…” Lydia and Miki finally pulled away, the pair blushing.
“We defeated it, Master. I used a Spirit Well and then it finally fell. After that, we grabbed Master and came here. We… didn’t know where else to go…” Miki’s voice broke as she was flooded with emotion.
“Here?” I looked around and then my eyes widened. “Figuro? The slave caravan?”
Figuro stepped forward. “Ah… yes, the girls gave us quite a fright when they walked through our camp, battle-worn and carrying you. Fortunately, we were able to patch you up again.”
I smiled wryly. “Yeah… it seems like the case.”
“I was so worried. I thought you’d die.” Lydia said, wiping her eyes. “I’m glad we were able to save you.”
“You girls fought hard.” I gave them both a smile and patted their heads. “Thank you for being so brave.”
“Master… I’m so sorry… I slipped. You took that hit for me.” Lydia said, sniffling. “That should have been me.”
“It’s fine.” I smiled. “Can you girls bring me some warm water? I’d like to clean up a bit.”
“Yes, Master!” Lydia straightened up.
“We will!” Miki nodded excitedly.
The two girls ran out of the tent in a rush, eager to do something for me. I felt a swelling in my heart for the pair of them. They had worked so hard in that fight, and afterward had to carry me all the way over here. It was no easy feat. My girls were truly amazing.
“You didn’t tell them?” I asked, finally turning to Figuro.
Figuro froze for a moment and then laughed. “You know then?”
“Yeah… I died… why did you bring me back?”
“Dead men can’t pay off their debts.” Figuro smiled gently. “Your slaves were so upset, that I feared telling them you died would hurt them too much. Especially Lydia.”
“Thank you for sparing them…” I sighed, but then I shot him a suspicious glare. “But I don’t believe your reasoning for why you spared me. This goes beyond a 100-gold debt at this point.”
Figuro laughed. “You got me. I’ve already said my reasoning though. I have a good feeling about you. I feel like you are a good investment. I don’t need to look any farther than your slaves to know this is true. Look at them. Look at how much they flourish. The smiles on their faces truly move me. I never would have imagined it of Miki before she met you. I admit I was shocked when I saw her walk into camp while holding your lower half. Even I had written her off as dead just a few days ago… but look at her now, so bright and active. That was all because of you.”
“Ah… so… the going rate still stands?” I asked, feeling embarrassed and wanting to just get to the crux of it.
Figuro shook his head. “This one is on the house. Just… try to be more careful in the future. You no longer are alone. Those girls depend on you.”
I nodded slowly. “I understand. Until I free them, their fate is tied to mine.”
“Free them?” Figuro asked.
I shot him a look. “Yeah? That’s the plan, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you aren’t willing to once I paid my fee!”
Figuro held up his hand. “It’s not that I’m not willing… but I have to ask, are you sure that is what they want?”
I froze, not sure how to answer. Who would want to be a slave? That was the real question, or was it? Could I imagine my life any more without these girls as mine? Perhaps that was the real question. After a moment of getting nowhere thinking about it, I shook my head.
“Thanks, Figuro. I will pay you back. All of it. 105 gold coins. I swear it.”
Figuro bowed. “I look forward to it. Then, I will give you some rest. You can stay here with the girls tonight.”
My eyes followed Figuro as he bid me farewell and then left the tent. He was polite, proper, and smart. I was almost starting to like the guy, even though he was a slave trader.
A moment later, the girls pushed their way back into my tent. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when they walked in. Seeing their beautiful faces brightened my mood instantly. They still had bruises and cuts on their own bodies, but they hadn’t even spared any time to care about themselves. However, before I could say anything, the girls surrounded me.
“Get his shirt,” Lydia said. “I’ll get the pants.”
Miki nodded and ran over to my top, bringing up my shirt over my head. Meanwhile, Lydia grabbed my pants and started pulling them down. I let out a cry, trying to grab onto my clothing.
“Oi! What are you two doing?”
“Master must be cleaned. You’re too weak, so it’s our responsibility.” Lydia declared, her eyes changing to be somewhat fierce like a tiger.
“Definitely, slave’s job!” Miki’s expression showed her usual mischievous smile as she wrestled my shirt off, a feat she would have been too weak to do if I hadn’t just been resurrected and felt as weak as a baby.
“This… wait… stop! Not those! Ahh… it’s cold! Ahhhhhh!”
Many strange noises came from our tent and filled the slave caravan that night. Whether I wanted to or not, I was cleaned thoroughly.