“―So, Master, I really hope you can allow it.”
I was taken aback by Eleonora’s confession.
Knowing she had weathered her storms, I understood she was deeper than she appeared, but I didn’t think she was struggling this much.
I learned from the Ludrik incident that Eleonora sincerely wanted to help me and, despite her battered body, was reluctant to be a burden, but honestly, things had spiraled out of control.
During the Hexion incident, Eleonora was still recovering from the aftermath of the Ludrik affair, and it wasn’t her fault that I was suddenly ambushed by a human from the Luminous Kingdom on our way back.
But if Eleonora were the type to use that as an excuse for comfort, she wouldn’t have been worried in the first place.
Thus, I couldn’t simply offer empty consolation. Even if Eleonora were in perfect health, I had no intention of taking her into battle against Hexion.
‘Still, the fact that she wants to use a Blood Supplement herself…’
No matter how much magic potions differ from the ordinary medicines I knew from my past life, and even though there’s no need to worry once validation is complete, Blood Supplements were intended for those with less value than food, to begin with.
And to be honest, I had recently lost quite a bit of confidence in my self-control against bloodsucking impulses.
Although Eleonora has been providing me blood here and there until now, allowing the use of a Blood Supplement during this time felt like outright placing her on the same level as food, which made me extremely uncomfortable.
How could I turn Eleonora’s mind around?
I didn’t want her determination to go to waste. After all, she had made a commendable decision, thinking of me.
But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t find the words to convince Eleonora.
It was a bitter realization, but she was right about everything.
Despite being in a desperate situation where every hand counted, I was the one only thinking about Eleonora’s full capabilities, and that was undoubtedly my selfishness.
Initially, I would have thrown anyone away without hesitation if it meant saving my life.
If I truly felt threatened, I should borrow hands from whoever without hesitation. No one’s going to show mercy to the weak when an unavoidable threat arrives.
In the end, unable to find a justification, I suppressed my urge to grab my head and threw a glance at Lavina.
“…Just do the tests first. If you draw too much blood under the guise of other experiments, you know what’ll happen, right?”
“Come on, I wouldn’t do that. If I need more, I’ll say it openly.”
Sigh. I wish I hadn’t said anything.
It felt like the urge to slap her was very much within reach, but directed anger here would only be pointless.
While not someone I could trust 100%, that elf was, after all, a stakeholder in this situation. It wouldn’t be wise to handle things too emotionally unless I knew she was up to something sneaky.
As I was glaring at her, Lavina calmly collected Eleonora’s blood sample and went through an incomprehensible verification process.
…Is there still a chance left? Is Eleonora still too young and below the resistance threshold?
“The results are in. Look here. Her magic resistance is far beyond the required levels. She could down three bottles in one go and still not die. Although, of course, that’s just hypothetically speaking; one bottle a month is the proper dose. I mean, actually downing three at once won’t necessarily kill her, but—”
“I get it. I get it, so please.”
Ultimately, having lost all reasons, I had no choice but to give up on persuading her.
Still, just in case, I asked Eleonora cautiously one last time.
“Are you really okay? It’s clearly going to help, but it’s going to be harder than you think.”
Six hours a day, that’s the potion’s effect for 30 days.
In other words, if blood isn’t drawn from her without stopping for six hours every day, her veins might burst, and she could die.
As a living being, how could she not be afraid? Yet, Eleonora simply shook her head lightly.
“If Master does it directly, I’ll be fine. But about the others’ portions…”
“Of course, that’s perfectly fine. We can handle that ourselves with some hunting.”
As Eleonora trailed off, Stella nodded composedly.
Plona, who had been quietly sitting back to avoid intrusion, also half-rose awkwardly when she felt the gaze shift to her and shook her head vigorously.
“Well, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want my invention to go to waste. If you run out, make sure to come to me. I have the recipe organized, so I can whip it up quickly, but it does need to sit for three days.”
It seemed like Lavina was about to make another clueless comment, but this time, her follow-up contained necessary information.
Then, perhaps sensing something odd from the earlier conversation, Lavina’s head snapped around.
“Hold on a sec! If you’re saying if you can suck it directly, does that mean you can keep drinking for six hours straight? Even if you’re small, that’s thirty servings!”
“No problem.”
“Oh! A big eater, huh? If it’s not rude, may I have Aria join in the study…? No, I’m joking! I’m joking! Please don’t draw your knife at me! It’s scary!”
Finally, the clattering sound coming from Plona’s side ceased. However, not one to give up easily, the elf, having ensured her safety, shifted her target and began her questioning assault.
“Now that I think about it, I should definitely hear the opinion of the one getting sucked. It’s nice to have such a commendable thought for your master, but six hours? Especially if you’re doing that every day, it doesn’t seem straightforward to endure just on willpower alone… Is this decision something you’ve thought thoroughly about?”
Was it because she had narrowly escaped death? For some reason, Lavina made a common-sense statement.
While I secretly hoped Eleonora would rethink her decision upon hearing those words, both Lavina and I were struck down by Eleonora’s confident response.
“Oh, that’s fine. If you can drink for six hours every day, it would be a huge reward for me—”
As three pairs of eyes, excluding mine, converged on Eleonora, she went “ah!” and promptly shut her mouth. She coughed lightly afterward, but the mood had become subtly awkward.
…Eleonora, I respect your tastes. For this occasion, I guess it’s better to endure rather than refuse, right?
Yeah, it’ll be fine. Probably. Let’s think of it as a good thing now that it’s come to this.
Thanks to this, I can build my strength relatively safely here until humans detect my fake death.
As long as I do well, there shouldn’t be any problems. I just need to make sure I’m not devoured by my bloodsucking impulses.
*
Having brought back a box of Blood Supplements from Lavina, the group now returned to what we should call our home—a blue-doored house for some time.
While Aria chatted with Stella about where to store the Blood Supplements, Eleonora quietly called Plona aside.
As far as Plona could remember, this was the first time Eleonora had directly summoned her.
Though they had started moving together, they only knew each other through Aria and were merely acquaintances.
While Stella, who had functioned as a guide after they left the elves’ forest, might be different, there had been no opportunity for Plona and Eleonora, who had been in a subordinate position, to engage in direct conversation.
Though publicly Eleonora was regarded as Aria’s slave, Plona knew they shared a relationship more akin to that of sisters with an age difference.
And since she was Aria’s sister, she was almost a sister to Plona as well.
Since the chance had presented itself, she thought it’d be nice to get a bit closer, so Plona asked gently and softly.
“What is it?”
Nervously stiffening her shoulders, Eleonora looked up at Plona.
Her expression was generally faint, and she appeared relaxed beside Aria, revealing that she was unexpectedly shy.
‘…She did say she was captured by a slave trader.’
If you think about it, rather than being shy, it might be more instinctual for her to be wary of strangers; for a slave, others had likely always been a threat to them.
As I pondered this, Plona, who had been human until a few weeks ago, felt her emotions become a bit complicated.
Among humans, especially when it came to knights, were they not the sworn enemies of Ain?
Just because she became her sister’s subordinate, her past as a knight wouldn’t vanish, and if Eleonora were to condemn her now, she’d have no retort.
But, luckily or unluckily, Eleonora hadn’t called Plona over to blame her.
“Ms. Plona Moonlight… Is it too awkward to call you that? What should I call you, then?”
“Just call me however you like. If you’re my sister’s family, you’re family to me… as well.”
Wavering slightly, unsure if she had the right to say such things, Plona hesitated as she spoke.
“Family… that’s true. If you’re Master’s younger sister, that’s how it is. Hmm, but what does a slave call Master’s younger sister? Little Master?”
“No, that’s a bit…”
While it wasn’t wrong, that title felt uncomfortable from Plona’s perspective.
It’s only in words that they were master and slave; in reality, it wasn’t true.
Hearing the term “Little Master” during such a time gave a sense of distance, and simultaneously, she couldn’t ignore the cry of her conscience that she wasn’t deserving of being treated with such respect.
The two girls were momentarily struck dumb by an unexpected hurdle. It was a seemingly trivial matter, but the more they thought about it, the more it wasn’t easy.
That title, “Little Master,” felt off, but at the same time, wouldn’t it be strange for Plona to call Aria “Master” while referring to herself as “sister”?
If they just called one another by name, it wouldn’t seem courteous to Master’s sister, turning the whole thing into a rather peculiar situation for anyone looking in.
Surprisingly, the one to propose a solution was Eleonora.
She had intended to explain properly but sighed and murmured. The Dragonkin Girl straightened her posture, the seriousness evident on her face contrasting with moments ago, prompting Plona to instinctively straighten herself.
“Then I’ll call you Teacher. But in return, could you teach me how to wield a sword?”
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