Maybe He's a Good Person?
Rita's voice trembled. "U-Unnie..."
Facing the massive variant goblin, Rita was frozen in terror, clutching Scarlet's hand so tightly her knuckles turned white. The younger girl's shaking traveled straight into Scarlet's own body.
"Krrrhahaha..."
The variant goblin loomed over them, its bulk so overwhelming it seemed to swallow the light around them. It licked its lips while staring at the two sisters with hungry eyes.
I have to run, but my body won't move...
They desperately wanted to flee, yet their feet felt nailed to the ground. The goblin took another heavy step toward them.
Please... someone, anyone, help us...
Scarlet stared at the approaching monster, her heart screaming for salvation.
Luizen walked home with both arms loaded with fresh ingredients. The village chief had pressed them on him right before he left, a collection of vegetables he had tried hard to refuse. The old man had insisted so earnestly on repaying kindness that Luizen finally accepted. They were clearly harvested that same day—the quality was outstanding.
Just thinking about cooking for Scarlet and Rita with these made a smile bloom on his face without him realizing it.
They'll definitely like this, right?
He pictured all the dishes he could make and the way their faces would light up as they ate. By the time the warm images filled his mind, he had already reached the house.
"I'm back~"
He stepped inside with a light greeting, only to feel something off the moment he crossed the threshold. The house was too quiet. And the door to Scarlet and Rita's room stood wide open.
"Are they in the bathroom?"
He knocked gently on the bathroom door. No answer.
"I'm coming in?"
He turned the handle and opened the door, but the small room was empty.
"Not here either...?"
A dark premonition began to coil in his chest. Their bedroom door—always kept tightly shut—had been left open. And the girls were nowhere to be found inside the house.
"No way...!"
The terrible possibility slithered into his mind. Luizen burst out of the house and pulled the slave contract from his pocket. While it didn't have many functions, one of them was a tracking ability that could reveal exactly where his slaves were located.
"Damn it..."
The moment he confirmed their position, a heavy sigh escaped him. They were deep inside a restricted zone teeming with monsters. The girls had already wandered far into the forest. There wasn't a second to lose.
Luizen broke into a dead sprint.
"Ah..."
Scarlet could do nothing but stare at the goblin. Its sheer presence alone was enough to crush them. Given its enormous size, there was no doubt this was a mutated specimen. The creature strode toward the paralyzed sisters with heavy, deliberate steps.
Thud. Thud.
Each footfall made the earth tremble. Saliva dripped from its mouth as it gazed at them with ravenous eyes.
Scarlet wanted to collapse right there and give up, but then she felt Rita trembling against her chest. She forced her frozen legs to move and began to run.
"GRROOOAAAR!"
The goblin roared and gave chase. Scarlet and Rita pushed their unwilling bodies forward, fleeing desperately through the rough mountain terrain. Every barefoot step sent sharp stones digging into their soles, but stopping meant death. So they kept running.
They fled blindly down the slope, losing all sense of direction, until they suddenly found themselves at the edge of a cliff. Despair crashed over them. An enraged goblin approached from the front. Behind them yawned an endless drop.
"Ugh..."
Scarlet clutched her leg and groaned. Their feet were shredded, blood flowing freely from countless cuts.
"Krrrhahahaha..."
The variant goblin drew closer, its disgusting laughter echoing. Scarlet regretted leaving the man's house. The thought that Rita might die because of her selfishness tore at her heart like claws. The goblin reached out its massive hand. This was the end.
"......?"
They had closed their eyes, expecting death, but nothing happened. When they opened them again in confusion, they saw—
"Where do you think you're laying your hands on my family?"
The man stood there with an ice-cold expression, the variant goblin sliced cleanly in two at his feet. Having dispatched the enormous creature in a single strike, he walked toward them. Then he smiled gently and extended his hand.
"Let's go home."
Scarlet couldn't possibly refuse that hand. And so they returned to the man's house—Rita riding on his back, Scarlet walking beside him.
She kept replaying his words in her mind.
Where do you think you're laying your hands on my family?
The word "family" wouldn't leave her alone. It was a word she had never once used in her entire life. A completely foreign concept.
Scarlet glanced up at him carefully. The man climbed the mountain with Rita on his back, his steps steady and strong.
"Um..."
While she was watching him, Rita—still perched on his back—spoke first.
"Thank you for saving us... and I'm sorry..."
Rita offered both gratitude and an apology. No matter what, running away from home had been wrong, and her gentle heart couldn't let it pass without saying something.
Luizen gave a small smile. "Aren't you hungry?"
"I am..." Rita answered in a tiny voice.
"When we get home, I'll make you something delicious. Just hold on a little longer, okay?"
"Yes..."
Rita pressed herself closer against his broad back. It was more than wide enough to cradle her small frame. Watching the entire scene, Scarlet quietly inched a little nearer to his side.
After everything that had happened, we finally made it back to the man's house. The moment we stepped inside, a strange sense of peace settled over us.
"Let me treat those injuries first."
He carefully lowered Rita from his back onto a chair and began healing the wounds on their feet.
"Eek...!"
Rita squirmed and twisted. It didn't look pleasant, but her feet healed completely in moments, as though they had never been hurt.
"Scarlet, you too. Come here."
He beckoned her over. As his hands moved across her skin, Scarlet finally understood why Rita had been writhing.
Eek... it tickles...
She had no resistance to tickling. She barely managed to hold back the laughter threatening to burst out, but soon enough, her battered feet were completely healed as well.
"Stay in your room. I'll bring food in once it's ready."
He stroked both their heads with gentle affection. His hand was warm—the same comforting warmth she remembered from the first day when he had held their hands. Every time his palm brushed over her hair, her heart grew calmer, more at ease.
Then he pulled his hand away.
Ah...
Scarlet felt a quiet pang of disappointment.
I wanted to feel that warmth just a little longer...
"Alright, I'm off to cook."
As he turned to leave, Scarlet called out urgently.
"W-Wait!"
He looked back at her.
She hesitated, then asked softly, "What's... your name?"
He broke into a bright smile. "My name is Luizen. Feel free to call me that."
Luizen...
She repeated it silently in her heart.
They ate the meal he prepared. For some reason, his cooking tasted even more delicious than usual that day.
Scarlet kept thinking about the word he had used. Family. Why would Luizen call slaves like them family? Strictly speaking, he was the master and they were his slaves. They were supposed to obey him without question. If they did something wrong, they should be punished.
Yet he hadn't scolded them for running away. Instead of getting angry, he had healed their wounds and carried them home. The more she learned about him, the stranger he seemed.
Knock, knock.
While she was lost in thought, Luizen tapped on their door.
"I'll leave a present in front of the door. Open it later."
Scarlet cautiously opened the door. There, neatly arranged, were a pair of red shoes that matched her hair and blue shoes that matched Rita's.
Rita hugged hers to her chest at once.
He's such a strange person...
Looking at the gift, Scarlet let out a small, quiet laugh.
He really was strange. But strangely enough, she didn't dislike it.