Chapter 17 – Follower Girl Part 1
I was in a room at an inn, drifting in and out of sleep in order to heal my wound.
The wound was deeper than I expected, the fact that it sohow didn’t reach my internal organs is probably due to my well-built muscles and high quality armor.
I coated it in dicine, ate at, and slept.
I had already repeated that for three days since I ca here, and I can finally move about a little bit.
After the battle I was half carried by Schwarz north into Arcland’s northern neighbor, the “Gordonia Kingdom”.
Gordonia is one of the prominent nations in the central plains, with a population of 1.5 million people, and possessed of a good military and economy.
In particular, the capital with the sa na, “Gordonia City”, was the largest city in the central plains.
Gordonia is a country that boasts its military strength, but the border on its north is the Great Forest that marks the end of the Central Plains, with the Olga Federation on the other side — and it also shares borders with several other countries.
As for its political system, it’s a monarchy with strong feudal elents, it had powerful nobles even the King couldn’t ignore their clout.
The current King, Hybell the Second, adopted a peaceful, or to put it less flatteringly a don’t-rock-the-boat policy, which lessens tensions with the neighboring countries and stabilizes the country’s internal affairs.
I was in the Gordonia Kingdom’s capital Gordonia.
I who was on top of being wounded, rocked about on a horse, took the first inn I found and so here I am now.
The people at the inn looked at worriedly but took a ‘don’t bother with sothing troubleso’ attitude.
If Maria were here I’m sure I’d heal a lot faster.
The fourth night, when my wounds have healed to an extent, I was awakened by the sound of the floorboards creaking.
Still lying on the bed, I opened my eyes slightly and watched.
It seems I have an uninvited guest coming through the window.
Keeping the sound of their footsteps down, they rummaged through my belongings.
It was dark and I couldn’t see clearly, but they looked petite, maybe a child or a small woman.
“My purse isn’t there you know”
“!!?”
Moonlight shone on the small shadow, and the face it revealed was of a young girl barely past 10 years old, her hair was an unusual silver, though a bit dulled.
She sprung up and took alert by the window.
I rose slowly to my feet.
Seems the pain in my stomach was not so much that I couldn’t withstand.
“!!”
The girl took out a 10 cm long knife from her breast pocket.¹
Looks like she ans to rob even if it ant killing , now that she’s been noticed.
¹ «TN: the inside pocket where you usually see people store a bag of coins in dieval settings»
“You’re about right for rehabilitation... co here”
The girl silently brought herself down and lunged.
That was an unexpectedly fast and sharp lunge.
She looks like she’s got a rather good knack for fighting.
Even an adult would end up having their throat sliced if they don’t pay attention.
I knocked the girl’s knife down while thinking, and pushed her down on the bed.
She struggled but now without her knife, she had no way of pushing , with a better physical build, aside.
“! !!”
I was thinking I’d do her right then and there, but she’s a little too young.
I don’t find it enjoyable to rape children.
I pressed the girl’s hands down and talked.
I haven’t had the chance to talk with a woman lately, I might have been a little thirsty.
“What’s your na? Why did you sneak in?”
I already know why, but it’s still a topic to talk about, so I asked.
“..........”
“You can at least talk, can’t you? Or would you rather keep silent and I take you to the guards?”
“Soot”
“Soot? Your na is Soot?”
The girl nodded, that’s not a proper na.
“‘Cause my hair is covered in soot, target is money”
Straight to the point.
“Why do you need money?”
“It was an order”
Ooh? Now this is getting interesting.
“By whom? and what for?”
“By Miguel. Says I have to bring money”
This girl seems to be a slave of this “Miguel”.
Kidnapped when she was young, made to do all kinds of cri, and hand over the money.
“You never questioned the way you lived until now?”
A life of theft and burglary.
I shouldn’t be saying anything about how others live their lives.
But the girl said “It was an order so there’s no helping it”, which rubs the wrong way.
I was maybe seeing my younger self in her.
“If I don’t bring back money I don’t get food. I get beaten”
Using the money the girl earns for herself.
Or maybe choosing a different lifestyle.
Neither of those probably ever crossed her mind.
People won’t think they can choose for themselves unless soone taught them to.
“Do you believe you’re living a good life now? Have you ever want to eat sothing better than you are, or do sothing you like?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t do that...”
“You can, you just think you can’t. Use your head and think. It’s not about can or can’t. It’s about want or don’t want”
“Is there any other way to live for ?”
“There is. There are infinite ways to live. You just couldn’t see them”
“......”
The girl fell silent.
“Do you want to rape you here now?”
“No. Don’t want”
“Good. Then push away. If you can’t then try to talk out of it. You can also scream.”
“........ You’re telling to fight?”
“If you want to”
As I got up from the bed the girl jumped and rolled towards the window.
I threw a steel knife and it stuck a few centiters from her head.
Unlike the one the girl took out earlier, it was 30 cm long, a knife for killing people.
“I’m giving you that. Think and choose for yourself, will you co at again with it, will you sell it off for money, or will you use it to break the chains that bind you”
The girl held the knife in silence for a while, but she then left through the window just like how she ca.
Doesn’t look like she chose to co at again.
If I were to be careless now I’d be done for if she picked up the courage to co here again.
While I thought that I closed my eyes.
...... that girl probably never took a bath, ever.
The bed stank where I pushed her down.
When I was about to fall asleep, the window opened again with a creak.
I was surprised that she’d co again, but unlike before, she made no attempt to hide herself, her footsteps loud and clear.
Otherwise, I who had totally let my guard down probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“What’s wrong..... I see, you chose that, did you...”
The girl looked just like before, she was holding the knife I gave her drawn.
The difference is that she was covered from head to toe in blood, the knife was also bloody.
“You cut the chains?”
“The chains.... crumblier than I thought”
She cut away the chains that bound her.
But there’s just one problem.
“Why did you co back to ?”
“I don’t know anyone else. So I want to ask”
“Ask what?”
“Am I worth anything? Do you want ?”
She doesn’t know enough words and cut straight to the chase.
But her feelings went through to .
“Of course. You moved very well, but most of all, as a cute girl you’d have so value”
“I see. Then I want you to rule ”
“What?”
“You were the one who taught to resist, to choose”
“What’s that got to do with rule?”
“I broke the way I live until now. Your responsibility to teach a new one”
That’s not how it works.
Or so I thought, but well, yeah, it was who incited her to destroy her way of life.
I don’t mind taking her in, but there’s one thing on my mind.
“Isn’t that totally no different from how you lived until now?”
There’s no aning to breaking your chains if you’re getting new ones.
“Not the sa”
She spoke in a clear tone.
“You ruling . living with you. That is my own will. My own choice. Choosing to be ruled by soone, isn’t it choosing my own way of life?”
The girl chose to wind the chains and fasten the lock on herself.
Then all is well.
She’ll co to know the world one day, I can release her lock when she wants to fly away.
I’ll keep her nearby until then.
I’ll also raise her and have a little taste afterwards.
“I don’t plan on staying here. You might even die if you co with ”
I thought about threatening her a little, but the girl no longer had any doubt.
“I don’t mind. Here is the sa. I want to follow you. I want to go where you go”
I offered my hand.
My intent was a handshake, but the girl knelt and gave my hand a kiss.
Seems like this is what she ans by rule.
“Then I will obey you.... umm”
“Aegir”
“Aegir-sama”
I told her the ‘-sama’ isn’t needed but she won’t hear of it.
“You’re teaching how to live and letting stay with you. Saying -sama is obvious”, she says.
It doesn’t sit right with to have others obeying but I gave up since this is what she herself wanted.
“So what’s your na?”
“Soot”
“That’s not a proper na”
Does anyone ever even gave anyone a na like that.
“Other than soot, there’s ‘you’ or ‘this kid'”
None of them are actual nas.
“Those aren’t people nas. ..... Okay, from today on your na is “Celia”, you’re Celia”
“Celia.... Celia.... from today I’m Celia”
The girl muttered Celia, Celia several tis, as if savoring the taste.
It’s actually the na of a girl I bought at from before but let’s not ntion that.
She had a set of top of the line huge chests. If I wasn’t injured I would’ve tried courting her.
The na cos with a prayer that your chest will grow that big, so don’t think badly of .
I thought the conversation was over, but Celia seems to still have sothing to say.
“What will I be to you?”
“Hm? What do you an?”
“How will Aegir-sama be ruling ? A mistress? A slave?”
She wants to know where she stands, she’s serious about the weird things.
‘Mistress’ is interesting but Celia needs to grow a little.
Her height didn’t even reach my chest, so it’ll be impossible to even enjoy her attending to at night.
That said, unlike Carla and Mireille she doesn’t give of the feeling of a ‘companion’.
“You’ll be my follower. You will do as I say, and be of use to . In return I’ll be looking after you”
“Follower....... very well. I’ll do my best”
She spoke politely.
That seems to be the image of ‘follower’ in Celia’s mind.
“Then I’ll give you your orders right away”
Celia stood straight.
“Go fetch water from the well! Wash yourself with that! Don’t forget your hair!”
It’s going to be winter soon and a bath would be a little painful but she’s too filthy.
I’ll ask for hot water in the morning and thoroughly wash her then.
Celia’s clean silver hair will be really beautiful.
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