The arrival of the legendary slave and her master was no coincidence; they had come to assess the chaos caused by the hunter, whom the city now branded a serial killer.
Master Se had confirmed the hunter's presence. The mysterious master and his powerful slave, Magnolia, were prepared to handle it, but things took an unexpected turn when they crossed paths with Ficky.
"You have no idea what a slave mark truly signifies," Magnolia said, her voice sharp. "You should never have bound her like this."
"It wasn't my doing," Ficky countered. "It was the Kingdom of Aurora—King Gorgeous."
Ficky admitted to himself that he had underestimated the weight of the mark. He had been careless, but the damage was done. He vowed to be more cautious from now on.
"King Gorgeous VIII, huh?" the master mused from the shadows. "Their kingdom is small, mostly comprised of cities they can barely control because of the monsters and adventurers who are equally ferocious."
Magnolia bound Aya's shoulder with a clean cloth. Under her care, Aya's condition improved rapidly. Slowly, Aya's eyes fluttered open, her consciousness returning in waves.
"I don't care who you people are," Ficky growled. "I just want her to recover quickly."
"You certainly are stubborn," Magnolia remarked. "I never expected a girl like this to have a master like you."
"Stop the bickering, Magnolia," the master's voice drifted from the darkness. "The hunter is closing in on us now."
"Master, I will handle it."
"Hey, wait!" Ficky called out.
"What is it? Just stay there. Look, she's awake," Magnolia said dismissively.
Ficky remained deeply anxious about Aya's state, but Magnolia's master calmed him. Thanks to Magnolia's healing magic, Aya was out of immediate danger.
"I still find this hard to believe," Ficky muttered. "Are you really helping her? I've met people more cunning than foxes. If anything goes wrong with her, your life is forfeit on the spot."
Ficky stared them down, his eyes glowing with intensity as he held Aya close, long claws extending from his fingertips.
Magnolia's master offered a thin smile, turned without a word, and walked away.
"Hey! Good grief," Ficky sighed. "People in this other world are so strange. I can't believe I've been stuck here for days."
"Ficky?" Aya called out softly. Ficky looked at her, startled.
"Hey, you ugly girl! How are you feel—"
Before he could finish, a heavy object plummeted from above, nearly crushing them. Ficky instinctively leaped back, shielding Aya.
"Who's there?!"
"Put me down, Ficky," Aya pleaded. "I'm afraid I'll only be a burden to you."
"I can't. You're still hurt. I'm afraid you might die."
"Don't be so dramatic! Do you think I'd die that easily before getting home?!" Aya shouted, her face flushing with embarrassment. This was the real reason she hated being carried constantly.
"Fine, whatever. But if you die, I'm taking all your assets back to my hometown."
Ficky set her down, and Aya immediately stepped behind him. The hunter was already standing before them.
"Where is that dog-kin woman and her group? And the legendary slave? Aren't you going to catch them first?" Ficky asked.
"Do not speak such nonsense, you lowly beast-kin," the hunter hissed. "Your every word is a sin. I suggest you stay silent."
"This conversation is clearly going nowhere. Let's go," Ficky said, turning to Aya.
In that split second of distraction, the hunter lunged. Faster than the eye could follow, a long sword thrust forward, nearly piercing Ficky's torso. Ficky blocked it with all his might, but he felt his strength draining. He looked down to see several paper talismans binding his movements.
"Fi— ukh!"
The sword should have pierced Ficky, but strangely, the impact hit Aya instead.
"Spatial magic?!" Ficky roared, his anger reaching its peak. "You said I was your only target! Who the hell are you!"
Enraged, Ficky swung his claws at the hunter's neck. With a sickening sound, the hunter's head was severed, flying off his shoulders. Ficky thought the battle was over, but the hunter had no true physical form. No blood sprayed from the wound—only a thick, black smoke.
"Damn it! Aya!"
Panic seized Ficky. The hunter had used spatial magic to fold dimensions, redirecting the attack meant for Ficky onto Aya.
Magnolia's master reappeared and supported Aya's failing body. He applied healing magic, successfully halting the bleeding for the moment.
"How can someone like him possess so much mana?" the master wondered aloud. "How many wounds has he endured to generate such a flow of power?"
Ficky grumbled, but his hands didn't stop pressing against the wound on Aya's abdomen to prevent further bleeding.
"Werewolf, behind you," the master pointed. "He's not down yet."
Aya saw it clearly. The severed head was emitting black smoke filled with glowing specks, looking like a miniature galaxy in the night sky. The hunter took a slow, deliberate step toward them, weapon in hand.
"How incredibly annoying," Ficky muttered.
He rose and charged, delivering a brutal kick to the hunter's chest. The blow sent the hunter flying, crashing into the wall of a nearby house. As he hit the wall, the starry smoke vanished.
"Where did his head go?"
Aya remained conscious through it all, though she had to close her eyes several times. She was terrified. She had seen Ficky's brutality before, but watching him fight like a wild animal was overwhelming.
"Ugh... I'm going to be sick," Aya whispered, turning away and covering her mouth. She felt nauseous, even though no blood had been spilled except her own.
Finally, Magnolia returned. The sky was beginning to brighten, signaling the arrival of morning in the City of Slaves.
"Wow, that was brutal," Magnolia said, standing over the hunter's remains.
"Hey, ugly! You still alive?" Ficky asked with his usual lack of tact.
Aya couldn't stand because of her injury. Even though the wound was closed, her body was weak. She simply nodded, trying to hide how truly afraid she was of Ficky at that moment.
"I'm sorry," Ficky said, his voice unusually soft with guilt. "I didn't know he could use that kind of magic. I'm not experienced with mages. Let's get out of here." He picked her up again.
Ficky turned to Magnolia's master. "Your slave is useless. Why didn't you defeat him yourself?"
"I apologize for that," the master replied. "The 'hunter' we were referring to was actually a group of rogue adventurers who trespassed into the city."
Magnolia's master extended a hand with a faint smile. "Come. I will take you to a safe place where your slave can be treated properly."