The warrior's hand moved first. Fingers curling, then the wrist, then the arm.
A moment later he was on his feet — armor scraping against itself with a low metallic groan, the chair sliding back behind him. He turned slowly and looked at Jhed.
"Thank you, master. For choosing me." He bowed. His voice came out flat, hollowed by however many years of silence.
"Don't forget the contract, sir," Animal said, smiling.
"Right."
"What's your name?" Jhed asked.
"Shine, sir." He lifted his head.
"And what does he eat?" Jhed turned to Animal.
"That, I'm afraid, is entirely up to you to figure out."
"...What?"
Why didn't I think of that.
It hit him only now — Shine would need feeding, and in this city, food came only to those who worked.
It's been a while. I wonder if Linea and Mendriya have eaten. How would they even— I ran. I'm not going back there.
But she raised me for fifteen years. Because of that — and only because of that — I'll do this one thing. Beat this king. Free everyone. Then I'm done.
Shine said nothing through all of this. He didn't know anything about Jhed yet, so he simply waited, quiet, watching.
I don't know what kind of person he is, Shine thought to himself. But from what I've overheard, he doesn't seem like a bad one.
"Do come again, sir," Animal called.
They started walking out.
"Do come again, sir," Animal repeated under his breath, smile widening, "as if I'd ever let you forget me."
They left the shop behind. Animal waved cheerfully from the doorway until they turned a corner and lost sight of him.
The path back to the city cut through a forest of pale yellow trees — every leaf the same color, the whole world tinted gold.
Jhed walked beside Shine in silence, feeling the awkwardness build with every step.
I'm not good at this. Talking to people. What do I even say.
"What kind of trees are these?" Jhed asked, mostly because it was something to say. "Do you know?"
"They're called Mimor trees, master." Shine's sword swayed gently against his hip as he walked. His armored boots struck the ground with a steady, metallic rhythm.
"Ah. And — you can just call me Jhed. 'Master' feels strange. You're an S-class adventurer, after all."
"Understood. Jhed."
"That's better."
Silence again.
Now what.
"Thank you," Jhed said, "for getting me out of that place. I mean — out of the shop."
"I wasn't freed, technically." Shine's tone stayed even. "I'm rented. To you, for two months."
"Right." Jhed glanced at him. "How did you end up his slave in the first place?"
"He attacked my village. I didn't know anything about his power — he simply touched me, and that was enough. That's all it takes with him. A single touch, and you belong to him. Every adventurer at that table became his the same way."
"That's—" Jhed exhaled. "That's terrifying."
"If you don't pay the remaining balance," Shine said, "you'll join us. The same way."
"What's your ability, exactly?" Jhed asked.
Shine drew his sword from its sheath without slowing his pace. He reached out and let the blade barely graze the trunk of a Mimor tree as they passed — the lightest possible touch.
The tree split cleanly in two.
"My ability," Shine said, sheathing the blade again, "is this: if my sword touches something, even lightly, its death is guaranteed. And in return — no weapon, no force, no matter how strong, can leave a mark on me."
Jhed stared at him.
"So you have a hundred percent kill rate," he said slowly, "and a hundred percent defense rate."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning the lightest touch from your sword carries full force. And nothing that hits you does anything at all."
"I saw a character like that in a game once," Jhed said, almost to himself. "The kind that's the final boss."
"It seems," he added, "I picked the right one."
"Thank you, master."
"Jhed."
"Right. Sorry. Jhed."
"Now—" Jhed looked ahead, toward the city walls rising in the distance. "We need to go kill someone."
"Understood." Shine's voice carried the faintest trace of something almost like amusement. "Whoever you point me toward, I'll handle it."
They kept walking.