Half a month has passed since Cenomi was rescued from that demonic den.
Originally, Cenomi might have been sold to those cultists by slave traders, treated as a common sacrifice, her throat slit like a chicken, and bled to death.
However, whether by luck or misfortune, she recently encountered a group of strange people and was saved by them.
Afterward, she moved into this somewhat cramped small house—compared to the landlord's manor where she worked as a maid in a mobile city during her wandering days, this place was arguably ten thousand miles apart.
But it was hard to imagine that such a dilapidated house housed five extraordinary individuals.
The most prominent, of course, was Lady Margaret Nearl.
When Goki drove Cenomi home, Cenomi nearly sat down in fright upon seeing that the golden-haired girl who appeared most frequently on billboards along the way was currently training with a sword, her hair tied in a single ponytail.
The other two, Miss Shining and Miss Nightingale, were Sarkaz people Cenomi often saw during her wanderings in the wilderness; it was hard to imagine that those Sarkaz bandit mercenaries, who mostly engaged in robbery and murder in the wilderness, would have two such beautiful and elegant compatriots.
Of course, another kind of prominent figure was Miss Skadi.
She was an innocent and pure girl, so lacking in common sense that it made one wonder if she was an alien, but she was still exceptionally cute; it was hard to imagine her dismembering enemies without a change in expression—of course, they deserved to die.
However, Miss Skadi also had an even cuter side: her vigilance towards herself; that flustered expression when one approached her was irresistible.
As for that'someone'... it was only Goki.
The fellow who saved Cenomi rudely stole her first kiss—well, actually, Cenomi gave it to him willingly.
In short, he was a complete eccentric; even now, Cenomi only understood a part of him.
"Master, drinking that strange blood every day will affect your appetite for meals, you know. I used to drink a lot of that stuff, and it was both disgusting and sickening. These are the meals I, your slave, prepared, so please eat them with gratitude, okay?"
"Alright, alright, I told you to just call me Goki. Besides, a hunter's blood vial isn't digested by the stomach, so it won't affect my enjoyment of your meal. Where did you get those tsundere maid lines? Did you learn them from TV again?—Let's go, Skadi, Margaret."
Sitting up from the floor, Goki helplessly explained to the little maid, who was a slave in name but a master in demeanor, then took Skadi's hand and walked together to the dining table in the inner room.
"Oh, wait, I'll put on my clothes."
Margaret also shook the two ponytails on her head and behind her, completely unconcerned about her image, shaking off large drops of sweat, and walked towards her clothes.
Ever since Mr. Goki arrived, she felt that she was paying less and less attention to etiquette.
"Hmph, who told me I'm just a poor little slave, my dear Master? Since you saved me, then be a proper Master, seriously~~"
Watching Goki's retreating figure, Cenomi wagged her short, slender pink tail behind her, her brown eyes full of teasing.
And in her tone, there was no trace of a slave's respect or humility; instead, it felt as if she was the one in a position of advantage.
Cenomi was certain that, ever since she could remember, this was the happiest period of her life.
From a young age, she was trained as a courtesan; although her body was kept intact and complete to fetch a good price, the mental torment she endured was never small—it was a 360-degree, all-encompassing PUA behavior that could crush anyone's self-esteem.
Later, her life wandering in the wilderness was not much better than being a slave; as a commodity, Cenomi at least had food and clothing, but in the wilderness, she even had to compete with wild dogs for food.
To be honest, in some ways, Cenomi believed she was meant to be like this, always struggling at the bottom of society, fighting for survival without dignity, and eventually dying somewhere unseen on some random day.
But that was still much better than being a slave; at least she was free.
And now, Cenomi was free; one could even say it was the life she had always dreamed of.
When Cenomi was brought to Miss Margaret's house by Goki, she initially thought she was merely changing her identity to be a slave, but the result... was not so.
After being brought home, no matter how Cenomi struggled and resisted, Goki and Skadi directly used irresistible force to push her onto the bed, and then—
Slept for an entire day—of course, only Cenomi slept.
Having drunk an unknown amount of that strange, pitch-black liquid, and not having eaten any oil, salt, rice, or meat, Cenomi, though seemingly able to endure, had long since entered a state of extreme weakness.
Cenomi was not a Vouivre after all, who could punch a child after a month of starvation. So, for the entire next day, Cenomi was strictly forbidden from getting out of bed and was personally supervised by Skadi—even if a god were lying in bed, Skadi could ensure she absolutely wouldn't get down.
Afterward, just like treating a patient, Goki cooked various foods for Cenomi for several consecutive days, all easy to swallow, from pimple soup (flour lump soup) to various pasta dishes, to help her stomach function recover.
And... it was exceptionally delicious. The seemingly ordinary dishes contained such tenderness and care that Cenomi almost cried the first time she tasted them.
In the more than ten years since she was abducted to Kazimierz, no one had ever cared for her like this.
And for Mr. Goki, it seemed to be just something that should be done.
Not just Mr. Goki, Miss Skadi also possessed an innocence that seemed to exist only in children.
Previously, Cenomi always thought that this incredibly strong hunter Miss would be hostile to her out of jealousy, but later she discovered that Skadi's heart was as broad as her chest.
Skadi's feelings for Goki were pure and clear, with both friendship and bonds between them, lacking the jealousy and quarrels found in ordinary couples. It would probably still be some time before she truly understood the meaning of love.
However, Cenomi herself was also a half-baked person and naturally couldn't deeply understand these matters. She was just somewhat glad that she wouldn't be targeted; instead, she was carefully looked after by her.
Moreover, Miss Skadi had also emphasized to Cenomi, "Although you're allowed to kiss Goki, you can't kiss him more times than I do."
Who would do that! Do you think this is some kind of kissing score competition? I wouldn't want to kiss him unless forced by the situation—at least, that's what Cenomi said at the time.
Of course, besides that, after Miss Shining and Miss Nightingale returned home and heard about it, even though the latter had difficulty walking, they immediately began to examine and treat her without hesitation.
Cenomi also learned for the first time that those Sarkaz people, who were cursed as robbers and thieves, actually had doctors who could heal the sick and save lives. Their Originium Arts could even directly heal Cenomi's body.
And as the owner of the house, Margaret Nearl also unhesitatingly joined the ranks of treating Cenomi. Even as a knight of the purest and noblest Nearl Family bloodline, she showed no disdain for Cenomi, instead readily agreeing to her stay and even sharing a room with her.
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