I Made a Contract with a Devil, but the Price is Strange

“Master.”

A woman’s voice reached my ear. The feeling was like a bird chirping beside me, and I slowly opened my eyes.

Instead of the inn ceiling, I saw a woman’s face. She smiled gently and greeted me.

“Are you awake?”

“Yeah…”

I was dumbfounded by the unfamiliar sight. I had just remembered that I had purchased a slave. I rose from the bed.

How long had it been since I’d started a morning with someone’s smile? For some reason, my mood became soft.

“Your personality seems quite different from yesterday.”

“You gave me a reason to live, Master. How could I be the same? Yesterday, I was like a walking corpse.”

At least she was aware of it herself.

“But is it right to say that I gave you a reason to live? After all, it was Lady Egun who bestowed the blessing.”

“Without you, Master, I wouldn’t have even been able to meet Lady Egun. The reason she gave me an opportunity was because of you.”

It wasn’t wrong, but somehow it felt awkward. I thought I hadn’t really done anything.

“…How’s the blessing’s effect?”

Having nothing appropriate to say, I changed the topic.

“As you can see, I’ve regained a lot of vitality. I can handle daily activities without problems, but I’m not sure if I can be effective in the dungeon.”

“What about your leg?”

Inis walked around the inn room. I was slightly surprised to see her walking normally.

“Is it completely healed already?”

“No. Walking is fine, but running is still quite difficult. That’s why I’m doubtful about my effectiveness. Oh, and Master.”

She approached me and knelt before me.

“Please speak informally to me. If someone sees you speaking formally to a slave outside, people will gossip.”

“…Alright.”

This was my first time having a slave, so I had unconsciously been speaking formally. Perhaps it was all because I came from the land of eastern courtesy.

“First, put on your equipment and try moving around. Acting in bare body versus in armor would be quite different.”

Still, I had lived so roughly until now that adapting wasn’t that difficult.

“Understood.”

Inis rose from her seat. She took out armor from the box we brought yesterday and undressed. A woman’s naked body appeared before me, but I didn’t feel any lust. It was because she was so thin.

“It’s still a bit difficult.”

She moved her body around and then shook her head. It looked uncomfortable even to me.

“Should I remove the armor when we go?”

“No. Keep it on. The reason I bought a slave was because I needed someone to protect me. You don’t necessarily need to attack enemies.”

“Ah. Master can use Lady Egun’s power.”

“Yes.”

“Then I understand. I will block all enemies that come toward Master. Fortunately, since my weapon is a longsword, I think I can hold a shield.”

Inis was actively giving her opinion. It was good to see that she now truly had a will to live.

“But for that, we’ll need a shield…”

“…I don’t have money right now. Let’s buy what we need after going down to the labyrinth today.”

“You’re planning to go to the labyrinth right after breakfast, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll prepare before we go.”

She walked around the room wearing the sword and armor. Inis looked around.

“Excuse me, Master. Where are the items you take to the labyrinth?”

“Right there.”

I pointed to the top of the drawer as I spoke. There were only cigarettes, jerky, and a water pouch.

“…You’re not seriously only taking these, are you?”

“That ‘seriously’ is correct though?”

“You really only took these? How on earth have you survived until now?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“There’s a lot wrong with it. When entering the labyrinth, you need simple food and water, a magic compass to find the stairs, and bandages and potions for injuries.”

“Magic compass?”

I didn’t know such an item existed. In the game, I could find stairs without such things. Of course, that was because they were marked on the mini-map.

“Yes. It’s an essential item for finding labyrinth stairs. You’ve never carried one until now?”

“I could find them by wandering around.”

“That’s because you were lucky, Master. Unlucky adventurers might never find the exit and eventually die of starvation or become monster food.”

I frowned at those words.

“Then I should probably get one.”

“Yes. It costs 10 silver, which isn’t that expensive. I think it’s best to buy one as soon as you have the money.”

“Thanks for the advice. Let’s buy the other items you mentioned after we return from the labyrinth today.”

“That sounds good.”

It was indeed convenient to have a slave who knew about the labyrinth. The labyrinths I had encountered were all in games, so many things were omitted, and some might not even apply to this world.

“Then, let’s go down. Keep the robe over your head.”

“Yes.”

Inis and I put robes over our heads. She looked at me and smiled slightly.

“Why are you smiling?”

“It feels like we have a secret between just the two of us.”

“We’ll have to keep hiding like this until we gain enough strength. It might be uncomfortable, but bear with it. Don’t talk about my abilities either.”

“Yes. I don’t have anyone to tell anyway.”

I chuckled and went out into the hallway. Going down the stairs, there was no one around, as expected. It was probably because it was still morning.

“You’re coming down early today.”

Muffin waved at me when she saw me.

“It’s morning. Breakfast is free, right?”

“Yes. And it’s free for the slave next to you too, since you’re sharing a room.”

“Got it. Ah, and prepare one meat dish as well.”

I took out 10 copper from my pocket and handed it to her. Muffin glanced at the slave beside me and then took the coin.

“Alright.”

She went into the kitchen. Shortly after, stew and bread came out. When the grilled meat arrived, I pushed it toward Inis.

“Master?”

“This is for you. To regain your original weight, you need to eat a lot.”

“But if you’re not eating it, Master, how could I…”

I cut a piece of meat and put it in my mouth first. Then I cut another piece and placed it on her bread.

“Now it’s fine, right? Eat quickly. We need to go to the labyrinth.”

“Thank you…”

Originally, I wasn’t one to eat much breakfast. Or rather, my overall food intake had decreased since coming to this world.

“Tsk.”

“H-have I done something to displease you…?”

When I clicked my tongue, Inis flinched and watched my reaction.

“No. Just remembered something unpleasant.”

I recalled nearly being killed when I visited the town with my hair uncovered.

They put sleeping mushrooms in the stew, so I couldn’t even resist. If a goblin horde hadn’t attacked then, I probably wouldn’t be here now.

I looked at Inis eating in front of me. The way she chewed slowly was quite pleasant to watch.

According to Egun’s story, she seemed to have fallen to the bottom after being betrayed. Her life probably wasn’t smooth either. People in the same situation should help each other.

“I-I’ll eat quickly!”

When I finished my meal and just sat watching, Inis hurriedly ate the food in front of her. She must have thought I was pressuring her.

“Eat slowly. It doesn’t matter whether we go early or late.”

Despite my words, she increased her eating speed even more. Thinking it would be useless to stop her anyway, I remained quiet.

“I-I’ve finished.”

“Let’s go.”

“Have a good day~”

Muffin greeted us as she came out of the kitchen. I waved my hand and went out to the road.

“Press the robe down more. Your hair is showing.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

We walked together on the street toward the labyrinth. The feeling was somewhat new, walking a path I always went alone with someone else. No, how long had it been since I had someone beside me like this?

“Should I cut my hair? It’s hard to manage when it’s this long. Also, someone might see my hair.”

“Hmm.”

I imagined it in my mind. What style would suit her better? I thought a bob cut might not be bad.

“It would be inconvenient to fight with long hair too. Let’s cut it when we get back later.”

“Yes. I think that would be good too.”

We talked about various things as we headed to the labyrinth. Though they were trivial conversations, it made me happy. Inis seemed to feel the same way, with a smile continuously appearing on her face.

When we arrived at the stairs leading down to the labyrinth, we naturally fell silent. We knew it was time to be serious now.

We descended the spiral staircase. We passed the goblin cave where miners always set up.

『4F』

Past the goblin holes, we arrived at the cave where goblins formed groups. Originally, I had planned to head straight to the 6th floor where orcs were, but I changed my mind.

“Inis.”

“Yes, Master.”

“I want to see your skill. Can you handle goblins?”

“Leave it to me. Although I’ve injured my leg, I can still handle goblins sufficiently.”

I nodded and looked around for goblins. Before long, we found a goblin group.

“Keruruk.”

One goblin leader with four subordinate goblins. A standard goblin group.

“Fire.”

I summoned flames. She looked at it with wonder.

“It’s still such a beautiful flame no matter how many times I see it…”

“I’ll help if it gets dangerous. Go ahead.”

“Yes. Please watch me.”

Inis clenched her fists and headed toward the goblin group. Looking at her back, I wondered if I was being too harsh.

Inis had just started life as a slave. Moreover, her body hadn’t fully recovered yet. I had given her a difficult task.

But it couldn’t be helped. The labyrinth doesn’t care about anyone’s circumstances. Having decided to see the end of the labyrinth, I needed to steel my heart even more.

“Kerururuk!”

The goblin group noticed Inis approaching. The creatures shouted. Soon after, they began to rush toward her.