The Taste of Freedom and the Scent of Money
The next morning arrived. I had worried they might harm me while I slept, but fortunately, neither Scarlet nor Rita had entered my room during the night. I opened my door and stepped into the living room, yet their bedroom doors remained firmly shut.
"....."
I raised my hand to knock but stopped myself. There was no need to wake them yet. I could do that after breakfast was ready. Heading into the kitchen, I considered what to make. After a brief moment of thought, I decided on something simple: fried eggs and toast. I seasoned the eggs with just a pinch of salt, toasted the bread until it was perfectly golden, and topped it with crispy bacon. A straightforward but satisfying meal. To finish it off, a glass of orange juice would surely earn me some points with them.
Knock knock.
I rapped lightly on the closed door.
"......"
No answer came from the other side. I waited patiently in front of the unyielding door, but Scarlet and Rita remained stubbornly silent.
"Breakfast is ready, so come out and eat."
At the mention of food, I finally heard faint movement from inside. They were awake after all. I issued my final ultimatum to get the door open.
"If you don't come out in three seconds, I'm opening the door myself."
Three... two... one... I counted silently in my head. Truthfully, I had expected this. With how guarded they still were, forcing my way in would only hurt my progress. Letting out a defeated sigh, I spoke again.
"Fine... I'll leave the food by the door. Eat if you're hungry."
After setting the tray down, I sat alone at the dining table and began eating by myself. Not bad, if I do say so myself. The fact that I'd made it so well only made my lonely meal feel more pathetic.
As I continued my solitary breakfast, I noticed one of the tightly closed doors begin to move ever so slightly. Huh... is that door actually moving?
It was moving incredibly slowly—one centimeter every ten seconds. I watched as the door crept open with painstaking care. Eventually, a slender hand emerged from the gap. It hesitated, inching forward cautiously toward the tray. I observed the entire scene without making a sound.
The delicate hand groped along the floor as if searching for the food. After wandering blindly for what felt like forever, it finally bumped into the tray. Having located its target, the hand began to pull the tray closer. But the door was opened so narrowly that the large tray wouldn't fit through. The hand had no choice but to open the door wider.
When the door swung open further, a head of vibrant red hair poked out. Scarlet's eyes landed on the food, and a tiny smile formed on her lips. She was about to grab the tray with a pleased expression when she suddenly froze—our eyes met. I had been watching her the entire time.
"....."
We stared at each other in complete silence. Scarlet's eyes widened in shock. She quickly snatched the tray and retreated back into their room, slamming the door shut behind her.
I sat there with an awkward smile, replaying in my mind the way she had cautiously reached out for the food. Well, at least they ate.
"Time to head out for work, I guess."
I stood up from my chair. Even before taking them in, I had been doing occasional adventurer work. Now that I had a family to support, it was time to get serious. After gathering my gear, I paused at the empty entrance and called out.
"I'm heading out."
Meanwhile, Scarlet and Rita were happily devouring the meal Luizen had prepared. The savory eggs, delicious bacon, and warm bread. They had assumed all bread would be hard and tasteless, but this was completely different. And the sweet orange liquid the man had given them—it was a flavor they had never tasted before, yet strangely addictive.
Rita, eating the exact same food, bounced around the room declaring how amazing it was. Honestly, everything the man had made tasted good. It was warm, filling, and the fact that he was giving them proper meals was something to be grateful for. But even so, Scarlet still couldn't bring herself to trust him.
No matter how kind he seemed, they needed to keep their distance. As long as he held their slave contract, they were still his property. After finishing breakfast, Scarlet opened the door to place the empty dishes outside.
"....."
She opened the door quietly and peered out with extreme caution, scanning the surroundings. But there was no sign of the man anywhere. It wasn't that he was hiding his presence—he was simply gone.
Scarlet poked her head out further and looked around the living room.
"He's not here..."
Emboldened by his absence, she stepped fully out of the room.
"Sister, where are you going?"
Rita's voice called from behind, but Scarlet continued forward. She carefully inspected the living room. Just as she thought, the man was nowhere to be found. The doors to the other rooms were open, confirming he wasn't inside any of them. The only place left was the room they assumed was his.
Scarlet gripped the doorknob with trembling fingers and slowly pushed the door open. The moment she saw the empty room, certainty washed over her. He had left the house. Which meant...
This was their one and only chance to escape.
"Rita... get up. We're free now."
"Huh...? What do you mean, sister?"
"Our chance to run away from this wretched life has finally come."
Scarlet's eyes burned with determination as she stared ahead. Today... I will escape from that man.
Meanwhile, Luizen was already on his way to hunt monsters. The quest he had accepted today was goblin extermination. Recently, a goblin horde had suddenly grown in number and begun raiding the village's food supplies. The angry villagers had posted the request in response.
I set out with a light heart. Goblins were weak enough that a few spells could handle them easily, so I wasn't particularly worried. As I walked, I calculated how much money I'd earn. Goblins had body structures similar to humans, which once made them difficult to hunt. But ever since rumors spread that their gallbladders were good for men's stamina, their population had been steadily declining.
A goblin subjugation quest? This was practically killing two birds with one stone. I'd get paid for killing them, then sell their gallbladders for even more money. Just thinking about the profits brought a smile to my face.
After making his way to the mountain where the goblin nest was rumored to be, Luizen spotted them. As expected, several goblins stood guard at the cave entrance.
"So that's their home, huh."
There were three goblins on watch. Without hesitation, Luizen strode forward confidently.
"Kuaaaak!! Kuak!!! Krrrrrrr!!!"
The moment they spotted him, the goblins let out threatening cries.
"Stealing food without paying? How rude."
The goblins charged at him in a frenzy. At their cries, more goblins poured out of the cave, weapons in hand. To Luizen, every single one of them looked like walking bags of money.
"You cute little money sacks."
With an excited grin, Luizen threw himself toward the oncoming horde of goblins.
Rita and I had left the man's house and were making our way down the mountain. Since his home was located deep in the mountains, we had to descend carefully. The sky was beginning to darken, but there was still enough light to see. I held Rita's hand as we slowly made our way down.
"Rita, are your feet okay?"
We were both barefoot, and the small stones kept cutting into our soles, but we kept moving forward.
"Yeah... I'm fine, sister..."
Rita's voice sounded hesitant.
"What's wrong, Rita? Is something bothering you?"
She lowered her head and whispered in a small voice.
"Is it... really okay for us to leave like this?"
Rita was asking if it was alright to abandon Luizen. She had begun to feel a little fondness for the man. I looked at her and spoke firmly.
"Listen carefully. From now on, we're not slaves anymore. We don't have to listen to that man. So forget about him."
"...Okay, sister..."
Rita nodded in agreement.
"Good girl, my little sister."
I gently stroked her hair.
"Let's live happily from now on. Just the two of us. We'll eat all the delicious food we want."
"Yeah!"
Seeing Rita's bright smile, I couldn't help but smile too.
"Let's go, Rita."
I was about to continue down the mountain with her when—
"Krrrr..."
A monster that had strayed from its pack appeared right in front of us.