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Hooded Man’s Store, second.

“Second” here had two meanings. First, it was my second time coming to his store, and second, this was his second store. It’s what one would describe as a double-meaning sentence.

Did it sound silly? Yeah, it did to me. But I also thought it was silly to treat the word “second” as just the number two.

Anyway, this was the third time I was meeting the hooded man, and I still didn’t know his name. Not that I really thought we needed to know each other’s names. There shouldn’t be any point in me knowing his name, right?

Anyway, I walked into the battered accessories shop and waited for him to show up.

After browsing the accessories for a while, the hooded man emerged from the back.

“It’s been a while.”
“Would you really call a few days a while?”
“Since we’ve been meeting every day, why not?”
“I guess you have a point. I came to take the goods.”
“You’re no fun. That aside, I’ve got it ready.”

My classmate being sold as a slave was something I definitely needed to deal with. I had no idea what I’d do with her right now, but nothing would change if I left her alone.

If anything, the royal family might just flip and order her killed.

That’s why I wanted to act while I had the time. Not that I was itching to do something right now, but if I didn’t, my chance at revenge might slip away. It was a real hassle.

“I’m ready on my end, but how will you carry her?” the hooded man asked.
“On my back, of course. Despite my looks, my status is quite high.”

Actually, it was the highest of any being. I didn’t know my exact status, but I didn’t need to. It would just keep going up. Once my average exceeded 1000, it wouldn’t matter how much it increased.

“That said, it’s too much trouble to go over to the other side. Could you bring her here instead? Feel free to put her to sleep if that’s easier.”
“Sure thing. Give me a moment.”

The hooded man nodded and headed to the back of the store, whistling.

A moment later, the door to the back opened. The hooded man reappeared, followed by Tsunoe in what looked like a magical wheelchair.

(Magic Tools really are quite convenient.)

The only drawback was that they weren’t suited for mass production. Despite that, life at the higher echelons was probably even more comfortable here than it was in Japan.

At least this world had magic, whereas in Japan, your phone would die when its battery ran out.

Here, you could practically use Mana as a battery, so it never ran out. Plus, the food quality was good, thanks to spirits. However, cooking itself wasn’t as developed, and dishes were mostly baked or boiled.

On the other hand, Japan had better transportation—no monsters to worry about.

Those thoughts aside, I had to focus on Tsunoe. She was asleep in the chair, likely because of my earlier suggestion.

“I’ll be taking her, then.”

I hoisted Tsunoe onto my back. The hooded man seemed surprised, despite me already telling him my stats were high.

After leaving the shop, I made sure no one was around and hopped up onto a nearby roof.

◇◇◇

After moving from roof to roof, I eventually found myself outside the royal capital. More specifically, I was inside an improvised shelter within a monster-filled forest.

The house was closer to the border town than to the capital, and the surrounding area was crawling with B Grade monsters—opponents far beyond what Tsunoe could handle alone.

Since the house was makeshift, there was barely any furniture. It had a DIY chair, a desk, and a bed, though the bed lacked a mattress and was instead made from leaves gathered nearby.

I placed Tsunoe on the bed and made myself a cup of tea in a wooden cup I’d crafted.

I’d built this house using Creation. The skill allowed me to create weapons within seconds, so I thought I’d try it out, though I never imagined I’d be able to build an entire house in just a few minutes.

And just so you know, the house wasn’t simple because I lacked imagination for home design, okay?

As I was lost in thought, I noticed Tsunoe beginning to stir, slowly sitting up.

She sat on the bed, scanning her surroundings until her gaze landed on me. When she recognized me, her eyes immediately narrowed in a glare.

“Good morning.” I greeted her, which only seemed to darken her mood.

(What does she think I am, anyway?)

Well, I’ll deal with that later. First, let me heal her. Otherwise, we won’t be having much of a conversation.

Right now, it felt like I was speaking to a doll.

(I suppose I could heal her legs if I used the Saint skill at full output.)

“Heal.” I tried a basic Healing Magic spell to test it out and ended up healing her legs completely. Even the bruises on her body vanished.

(I guess that was a bit too powerful. But I did learn something new.)

Now, all that was left was to check if her throat was healed.

“Can you try saying something?” I asked, but her glare intensified. Apparently, she was quite skilled at that.

I’d probably need to call in Fain, the expert in glaring, next time.

“Speak.” This time, I issued a direct order. As her master, I could at least give her commands.

“W-What do you want? It’s not like I can ta…” She stammered, then froze in surprise.

I, on the other hand, remained calm.

“W-Why did you help me? I wanted to die! I—I…” Her words trailed off into sobs.

But, unfortunately for her, she had no idea of my true intentions.

Besides, it wasn’t as if I’d actually helped her. If she truly wanted to die that much, so be it. When push came to shove, if she still wanted to die, I’d let her. Dying was frightening. Even as a Demigod, I found death terrifying. Though, that might have just been a personal sentiment.

Regardless, I wouldn’t interfere with her decision. If she wanted to die, she’d have to do it on her own.

If something terrible enough had happened to drive her to the point of suicide, it was fine to let her die here. Although I wouldn’t encourage it, I would be somewhat satisfied knowing she’d been driven to this point. At most, I’d say, “Serves you right,” as she lay dying.

If she still wanted to embrace death now that her body was healed, then I’d do my part and provide her the means to do so.

Using Creation, I recreated the same sword that once pierced me. I’d wondered if seeing it might trigger some kind of PTSD, but it seemed I was fine.

As I crafted it, I considered that if the sword were as long as the original, it might be difficult for her to use. So, I decided to make it a bit smaller—just the right size for her to stab herself.

In the end, I made a small sword. To be honest, it looked a bit cute.

After finishing the sword, I tossed it at Tsunoe’s feet and smiled at her. My smile probably looked serene, but it was rather menacing.

“If you want to die, then go ahead. Use that sword to stab your heart.”
“What?”

Tsunoe stared at the sword in shock. She looked back at me as if trying to confirm something, but I just smiled silently. I wasn’t going to say anything, nor would I lay a hand on her.

“If you want to die, then go ahead. You may be my slave, but I’ll make an exception this once. If you want to die, then die.”

Normally, slaves weren’t permitted to die, as they were considered property. Without the motive of revenge, no one would readily allow a slave they’d bought for five large gold coins to die.

Tsunoe reached for the sword’s hilt with trembling hands. She turned the blade toward herself slowly, but her hands froze as soon as the tip touched her chest.

Her tear-streaked face twisted as she hovered there, and just as the blade grazed her skin, Tsunoe threw the sword aside, crying out, “Waaaaaaahhhh, I can’t do this! Why did this have to happen to me?!”

“I don’t know, but please tell me—who are you? What happened to you?”

I truly wanted to hear everything from her. I wanted her to feel at least a sliver of regret. I wanted my classmates to understand what Toriyama Makoto’s death truly meant.

That she was asking why this had happened to her already suggested she knew the truth. Still, I wanted to hear directly from her what had happened to the heroes.