Martel opened the door to the room at the inn and found that Hestia was not present. He hadn’t received any information from Marty, who was monitoring the SRIN in the city, so he wasn’t worried about her safety. He went back down to the end and saw she was placing food on a table.

“Oh, sir, you’re back,” Hestia said with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I used some of the money you left to buy some food which I prepared myself.”

Martel smiled. “No, I don’t mind at all. It smells wonderful; do you cook often?”

Hestia nodded. “Ever since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed making food; it’s my hobby.”

“What level is your Cooking Expertise then?” Martel asked as he sat down.

“I just achieved Level 4 a short time ago.” She casually replied.

Martel nearly fell out of his chair. “You live up to your namesake.” He muttered to himself. Although it was theoretically possible to go further, Level V was considered the pinnacle of humanity. The levels went Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Grand Master. A seventeen-year-old Master in anything was terrifying. This meant that Hestia was a born cook as she learned and produced meals without much help from the System.

...

After eating the delicious breakfast and getting Hestia some more normal-looking clothes, the three of them made their way to the Honest Chain. When it came to slavery, Martel didn’t particularly care too much about the subject.

In this world, the slaves were not owned in the classic sense. He was entirely against turning innocent people into slaves and the cruel and unnecessary treatment toward slaves, but that was dependent upon the one who captured or owned the slaves, not slavery itself. He even felt that slavery was necessary in this world.

Because magic was incorporated into slavery, it wasn’t too difficult to regulate. Who and why they were a slave was empirically documented, which made it difficult for anyone to abuse the institution. Additionally, life was difficult, which meant that crime could become rampant. Those who broke the law or those who owed money could end up in slavery as criminal slaves and debt slaves, respectively. Criminal slaves could not be freed or were slaves for a certain period depending upon their sentences. Debt slaves were freed once they had worked a certain amount of time and paid off their debts. Compared to them rotting in prison or being executed, it was a viable substitute.

Once they reached the Honest Chain, a skinny man was wearing a suit and a top hat approached them. “Hello, Sir, and ladies. How may I be of service?”

“We’ve come to browse,” Martel replied emotionlessly.

“I see… Then I’ll show you around.” The Slaver replied, slightly taken aback by Martel’s answer before he led them into the pavilion.

Suddenly, Martel stopped and looked towards a stand filled with eggs.

The Slaver stopped when he noticed Martel’s gaze. “If you are interested, my shop has a bit of gambling. Tame and Slave Magic are essentially the same things with different types of constraints. If a tamed beast is what you desire, we have several available, which I can show you. However, if you’re willing to take a chance, you can buy some of these eggs. The beasts that can hatch may be the weakest or some of the strongest. In that case, even if the beast isn’t to your liking, you can sell it at a profit.” The Slaver replied with a smile.

Hestia pulled Martel to the side. “Sir, it’s a scam. While it is possible to hatch a decent beast, most of the good beasts are inside jobs that are done for publicity.”

Martel nodded but walked up to the stand regardless. There was something here that was calling to him. The blood in his veins began to burn. He couldn’t wonder if there was something with dragon blood mixed within these eggs. He used his Heaven Defying Eyes and instantly knew what would hatch from every egg except for one. Even when he used more mana, he couldn’t tell what was in the egg, or if it could even hatch. The only thing he noted about it was that the shell seemed to have something moving on it. He picked up the egg carefully before he turned to Hestia and Cali. “Do you notice anything different about this egg?”

The two of them looked carefully but saw nothing.

Martel took to the Slaver. “If I’m not mistaken, this egg is spoiled.”

The Slaver had a look of surprise on his face. “Sir, this shouldn’t be the case. We take the eggs in and check them every morning with magic.”

Martel nodded. “Interesting, then I’ll take this one,” Martel replied as he took out fifty gold and handed the egg for Cali to hold.

The Slaver accepted the gold gleefully. “Sir, if you follow me, I’m sure you will find more things that will interest you.” At this point, the Slaver saw Martel as a fat sheep who had a lot of money at his disposal. “It will be easier if you have an idea of what you might be looking for.”

“I will require a steed. It should exceed in carrying and towing weight, but not be too slow nor flee in combat.”

“Right this way.” The Slaver replied with a smile.

The Slaver spent his time introducing Martel to several decent steeds, but none of them particularly sparked his interest. They were acceptable, but nothing more. It wasn’t until they got near the end of an area that something caught Martel’s eye. The creature was in the shape of a horse, but there were many notable differences. Its body was covered in yellow scales while it’s yellow eyes were forward-facing like a predator. Instead of hooves, there were claws, and its mouth was lined with sharp teeth, further indicating its predatory nature.

The Slaver noticed Martel’s line of sight and made a wry smile. “Sir, I would advise against purchasing this Dracolisk. It meets your desires very well, except for the fact that it’s unruly and liable to harm its owner even at the pain from the Taming Magic. It will be near impossible to get it to pull or carry anything unless you can make it submit, and none have been able to do so thus far.”

“What’s a Dracolisk?” Cali asked.

“You know about dragons, yes? Dragons are rare but do exist in the humanoid realm. They are notorious for collecting two things, wealth and mates. They’ll mate with just about anything, and a Dracolisk is the result of a Dragon and horse.”

“Oh, I understand,” Cali replied.

[Don’t say that while looking at me.] Martel thought with his face covered in black lines. “If I decide to purchase it, how much?”

The Slaver was taken aback. “Well… 5000 gold.”

Martel rolled his eyes. “Please, I understand it’s rare, but that price is a joke. You obviously can’t find a buyer for it and have given up. Tell you what, 500 gold, and I’ll buy it right now, no questions asked.”

“Sir, 500 is far too low. I can make it 3000.”

“750.”

“… 2500.”

“1000,” Martel replied. When he noticed the Slaver hesitated, he immediately turned around.

“Wait, 1000, I’ll do 1000.” The Slaver replied in haste.

“That’s good to hear, assuming I’ll buy it,” Martel replied as he walked past the dumbfounded Slaver towards the Dracolisk’s cage.

“Wait.” The Slaver said as he noticed Martel was reaching his hand inside the cage.

Just as he is expected, the Dracolisk immediately bit down on Martel’s arm. However, there was no blood as he expected.

Martel was quite surprised at the strength of which the Dracolisk had bitten down, but it couldn’t penetrate Martel’s Ki nor his arm clad in red scales. His draconic eyes glared down at the Dracolisk. Deep down, he was insulted. Such a creature had the gall to bite him? His body released a subtle Killing Intent and subconsciously released a draconic aura. The Dracolisk trembled, but still bit firm. It was then that Martel opened his mouth. “If you don’t release me, I will bite you instead, and I cannot promise you will be living after it.”

At his words, every beast immediately went silent and slowly went towards the far end of their cage while Hestia and the Slaver could help but take a step back. Only Cali didn’t move. It wasn’t because of what Martel said that caused their actions. None of them had understood a word.

The Slaver had cold sweat going down his back. Even though he had never heard the language before, he felt the guttural sounds must be draconic, the language that all those with dragon blood inherently knew. However, humans did not have the necessary body parts to speak draconic; only those with dragon blood did. This thought terrified him. This young man had gold but was very protective of it, and two beautiful young ladies accompanied him.

As for Martel, he knew full well he was speaking a draconic. He had realized it when he entered this world, but the information seemed to be a part of him already as if this world had awakened something within him. As for the other languages, he had learned many thanks to the translations in the Royal Library. The past heroes had made them gap the written language barrier between all the races, including those summoned.

The Dracolisk froze up as its eyes stared into Martel’s. Eventually, it slowly released by and lowered its head submissively.

Martel nodded with a smile. “I’ll take her.”

The Slaver nodded furiously. “I’m glad. Is there anything else?”

“Yes, I’m in the interest of finding some manpower for battle, preferably female.”

“Yes, of course. Then I would recommend Demihumans. They are physically superior to humans while holding all the intellect that most beasts lack, at least initially.”

“Very well, show me,” Martel said with a nod as they began to walk towards a different part of the pavilion. “Do you have any rabbit Demihumans?” He asked, unable to suppress his… curiosity… and ignoring Cali suddenly stabbing him in the side.

The Slaver made a wry smile. “Unfortunately, we do not. You see, we cannot accept slaves without reason. They have had to either commit a crime or have a debt they cannot pay before they are branded with the slave magic. Technically, one can willingly become the slave of another or can be forced into it with the Talent’ Slaver,’ but these are extremely rare. The Usagi, or Bunny Demihumans, was part of the reason for the strict regulation. You see, they are very popular, and their land borders this kingdom, so they were hunted because of it. As such, most Usagi slaves are heavily checked and regulated to ensure that they were obtained legally. Additionally, most slavers already have deals with the casinos, introduced by the heroes, to hire all Usagi they obtain, leaving very little in the market. For a reasonable price and leave me a method of contact, I can contact you if one becomes available.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Martel replied as they reached the area holding the Demihumans.

Hestia and Cali awkwardly followed Martel as they watched many female Demihumans make subjective poses to seduce him. Hestia was especially uncomfortable and worried she did want the Shield Hero to be distracted by such a woman, purely for the sake of focusing on saving the world, of course.

As they continued to visit the slaves, the Slaver became more worried as Martel seemed completely indifferent no matter what he introduced Martel to. “Unfortunately, that’s just about all our stock.” The Slaver said.

“Aren’t there more down here?” Martel asked as Shield Goddess had told him he was getting close a short while ago.

“Down there are slaves who have some problems and won’t be worth your time.”

Martel nodded as he continued to walk down the aisle and checked his mana. He used eyes to check the stats of the slaves to see if there were any hidden gems and to increase his Expertise with them. At this point, he had become numb with all the information he read before he did a double-take when he read the information of a person lying in a cage.

Name

Kogane Randolf

Level

3.12

Title

Duchess of Hastings

Growth Level

Hero’s Assistant

Race

Kitsune(Magically Disguised Kyuubi)

Martel took a double take because Randolf was Jonathan’s last name, and Hastings was his Duchy, which meant that Kogane was his daughter! Besides the fact that he was the previous Shield Hero, Jonathan was Martel’s friend. Even though they didn’t keep in touch, Martel had come to treasure the few people who cared for him after his family’s death. Here was his friend’s daughter covered in filth and barely breathing. Anger surged through Martel, and the room felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.

Martel turned to look at the slaver. “How much.” He said through gritted teeth.

The slaver broke out into goosebumps as the previously expressionless Martel had become angry. When he thought about how he had obtained this girl, he quickly made a decision. “Esteemed guests, this girl arrived here two days ago and has been in this condition the entire time no matter how my staff tried to rouse her. I won’t lie to you, her purchase was a little sketchy as her paperwork was missing, and the replacement paper was suspicious. I decided to accept her and figure out who she was when she woke, but she has yet to. I spent fifty gold to procure her, so if you could pay me that amount back, I could- gyoh!” The slaver suddenly exclaimed as a pouch of gold slammed into his face. He rubbed his nose but did not display any discontentment at all.

“Open this door,” Martel commanded. “Nevermind. I’ll do it myself.” He continued as he turned his Ki into a key and proceeded to unlock the door.

Hestia was extremely surprised when she saw this. Ki was not something unusual to her as she had and used it herself, but she had never seen such an application. Her eyes widened in excitement as she felt as if she might have a new path to strengthen herself.

In the meantime, Martel entered the cell, knelt before Kogane, and gently brushed the dirt off her face. With his Heaven Defying Eyes, he could see that she was in a state of starvation, but her current state had nothing to do with magic. His heart nearly broke when he sensed her emotions as being extremely depressed and dark. It was evident that she had given up the will to live. [What did she experience during the first wave?] He couldn’t help but wonder as he steeled himself and extended his mind into hers in an attempt to wake her.

Kogane remained unconscious, unwilling to wake. She was haunted by nightmares, unable to extricate herself. As she once again witnessed her mama squaring up against the demon, a blast of energy struck down and shattered everything like glass. Kogane looked up and saw a pair of black eyes with vertical slits. They were very much like the Black Dragon’s eyes that had killed her parents, but those eyes seemed to contain nothing but love and kindness. From these eyes, a voice emanated. “Kogane, your mama’s fate is still unknown. You can’t give up now. If you do, you may never see her again. I will help you now and help you find her. Your sadness, your despair, I will devour it all.”

Her body burst into a black flame that condensed in front of her and shot up towards the eyes. Kogane had felt as if a weight had been lifted off her entire body. A mouth appeared below the eyes and devoured the black flame. That was the last thing Kogane remembered before she warily woke up. In her vision was a human dressed in black and with brown hair. His eyes were full of kindness and love, though he seemed to be fighting sadness. “Kogane, from now on, I’ll take care of you.” He said as he stroked her hair gently. Kogane looked at his hand that stroked her and saw a ring with a shield on it. She recognized that shield. It was the same one her father bore even until the day he died. “Papa?” she asked gently.

The man noticed her line of sight and fought to hold back his tears. “Okay, Kogane, I’ll be your papa.”

Kogane gently smiled before she fainted again.

Martel took a deep breath as he calmed himself. He had witnessed Kogane’s memories and had discovered Rio’s existence. Since she was Kogane’s mama, she was Jonathan’s wife. If she were still alive, he would find her. He looked at Kogane’s condition and couldn’t help but frown once he saw her body. She had remained in such a state for several days and was malnourished as her body was extremely skinny. Remembering one of the potions he had from the treasury was to deal with those who had suffered from starvation, he took it out. He gently fed it to her using his Ki like a straw to send it into her stomach.

[Hey, Shield Goddess, will my Restoration Spell restore her muscles?]

[Oh? Are you calling me Shield Goddess?]

[I’m serious!] Martel snapped back. [... Sorry.]

[Meenie. To answer your question, possibly. The Restoration Spell works by restoring what is damaged or no longer there. Unfortunately, muscle loss doesn’t quite fall under that category. You can reattach or even regrow limbs, but the muscles have nothing missing nor are damaged but are fragile. Because magic works based upon the caster’s intent, it is possible if you wish to try it and will cause her no harm.]

Martel nodded and quietly cast Restoration on Kogane while he focused on restoring her muscles. Martel frowned when he noticed hardly any difference in her body. It had helped a little but would take several hundred attempts to heal her if it would work at all. [Is there any other way?]

[Yes, the use of potions. Potions are inherently good at restoring illness of the body for things like diseases. Although it will not be a typical potion, you might be able to find a potion designed to meet little girls needs.]

Martel turned to the slayer. “Do you know of any place where I could buy specialized potions?”

The slaver was momentarily taken aback but nodded. “Yes, Sir, you’re in luck. A short way to the north from here, between the capital and Fallen Hero Forest, you will find a potion shop called Lily’s Potions. Lily’s Potions has existed for hundreds of years, since shortly after the founding of the capital. Many believe it is run by a hidden apothecary family. It will open just before and during the invasion with a different Lily running the shop every time. Although their prices are extremely high, there are many special potions that you can find. Additionally, you can commission something so long as they believe the effects you desire to be possible.”

Martel nodded as he continued to feed Kogane the potion. He would be making a journey to the shop in the future. Thanks to the potion, he didn’t have to worry about Kogane’s condition worsening, so he wasn’t in an immediate rush to get there.

“Is there anything else you require?” The slaver asked.

Martel thought for a moment but was about to shake his head as he had no interest in anything else at the moment, at least not while he wore the red mask. He was about to turn to begin and leave, but suddenly stopped when he heard the sound of a harp. A little surprised, he stopped to listen. The song was beautiful, but something felt off. It should have been a happy tune, but Martel could hear the sound of sadness and loneliness, and something seemed wrong with the performer. Martel turned to look at the slaver. “Who is playing the harp?”

“One of our slaves, a rare high elf. She’s quite good at playing the harp, and I pity her after previous buyers returned her… damaged.”

Martel became interested as an Elvish slave was extremely rare as they were a prideful race. “Can you take me to her?”

The slaver’s complexion slightly changed. “Sir, even though she’s an elf, her body is not complete. I’m afraid she will not be to your liking.”

“That will be for me to decide,” Martel said coldly.

The slaver quickly nodded and led the four of them, Kogane being carried by Martel, towards where the music originated. Eventually, they came to a room where Martel saw a woman playing the harp within. She had green hair and had body parts missing. Martel couldn’t help but frown and feel slightly disgusted at her sight.

[] Marty said through his mind.

Martel had given the android Marty a direct connection to himself to monitor his situation. Should something abnormal occur, Marty would immediately inform Martel.

Martel suddenly broke out into a cold sweat. Marty was right; he would typically not have such thoughts. He quickly checked his status and found that he was under the effect of a curse.

Mirrored Emotions

This curse is originally cast upon a source and will continue to curse those who interact with the source who will suffer its effects. Those affected by the curse will have their emotions towards the source mirrored to a similar opposite emotion while remaining at the same intensity.

Martel sucked in a cold breath. This curse was quite terrifying. It affected those around the target while making it seem like it was completely natural, as Martel hadn't noticed in the slightest. He quietly cast Remove Curse on himself, and he quickly removed the curse as it was still quite weak due to limited exposure. After checking a few times, he affirmed that he was not cursed again and cast Remove Curse on the other girls. Either the curse would only affect a person once, or once he entered a specific range from her.

The slaver walked up to the young elf as she stopped playing. "Laelynn, this young man wanted to meet the person playing the harp."

Martel narrowed his eyes at the slaver who was feeling pity, an emotion mirrored by the curse.

Laelynn made a slight bow. "Hello sir, I hope my music was to your liking."

"It was quite lovely."

Laelynn bit her lip in contemplation before she looked back towards Martel. "If Sir likes, he can purchase me so he may listen whenever he wishes. I could be useful in other ways too."

"Laelynn, you're more of a hindrance in your condition." The slaver scolded.

"How did you originally become a slave?" Martel asked.

Laelynn broke out into a smile. "My father needed money, so he sold me. I was finally able to be useful to him."

Martel frowned when he heard this answer. What kind of parent sells their child? The curse became even more terrifying in Martel's eyes. He turned to look at the slaver. "How much for her."

The slaver was slightly taken aback. "Because she was returned in such a manner, I didn't return what was initially paid for her, so five gold for formality sake is fine."

"Here's 50," Martel replied, handing him a bag of coins.

The slaver quickly accepted the bag, afraid that Martel would renege before a smile was plastered on his face. "Is there anything else to look at? Or should we finalize the deal?"

"This is adequate, for now," Martel replied. The slaver nodded, and they went to his office while Martel handed him the remaining money. He took out a piece of paper that Martel noticed was magical. Then the slaver proceeded to touch the paper to the magical black collar tattoo on the necks of Laelynn and Kogane. He set them down in front of Martel, which revealed a bunch of words on the paper. On them were the terms for the slave contract. It revealed that both of them were debt slaves and the amount that they owed. According to the contract, Laelynn owed Martel 50 gold while Kogane owed far more.

"Why the difference between the prices here?" Martel asked.

The slaver made an awkward smile. "I was afraid of this. In the little girl's case, it seems as though she was not a legitimate slave. You see, the slave magic automatically keeps track of how much money they owe based upon the conditions provided during the finalization of the contract. It should show that they owe you the amount of which you purchased them in labor. The fact this hasn't changed means that she was most likely forced into slavery."

"So, what happens now?"

"Nothing, unfortunately. Slavery magic cannot be dispelled as it was a gift from the Dagger Goddess. Perhaps the goddesses could do something about it, but your best bet is to let her work off her debt. When it comes to debt slaves, they work off their debt at a rate per day, based upon their money, or both depending on what you have them do. Money spent on necessities is added to their total."

"What decides these?"

"The rates are already on the paper. This paper was blessed in the temple of the Shield Goddess and Dagger Goddess, so it is as fair as possible. It's specifically called Contract Paper, and it is often used to enforce deals, slaves, and tamed beasts magically. It can be used in anything that can be considered a contract."

Martel nodded and decided to go through with it. He would find out later from the Shield Goddess if it were possible to dispel the slavery magic on Kogane, at the very least.

"May I see my paper?" Laelynn asked.

The slaver nodded, seemingly unsurprised, as he handed her the paper. Laelynn put a trace of her mana into the paper before she handed it back. Martel glanced over the paper and saw a single change that left him dumbfounded. Underneath rate was now the word 'indefinite.' Martel looked back up at Laelynn.

"I will serve Sir for as long as you'll have me," Laelynn chirped.

Martel's heart nearly broke when he saw her expression. This girl had gone through so much, yet she could still put a smile on her face.

The slaver nodded as if he expected this outcome. "Now that everything is in order, we can move onto the next step. Have you ever purchased the slave before?"

Martel shook his head.

The slaver nodded as he brought out a different magic paper, magic ink, and a quill. "On this paper draw a sigil or a unique mark which will identify you. It will appear upon the slave tattoo of any slaves your own to that they may be easily identified. If you don't feel confident in your ability to do so, I can draw something, or we can hire an artist."

Martel nodded as he took out the quill. The sigil he drew was an incredibly detailed shield with a sword impaled from top to bottom. The hilt of the sword was a Dragon breathing fire.

"That's quite impressive." The slaver said, speaking everyone's thoughts as the sigil was incredibly detailed and realistic. "Now put some mana into the paper."

Martel did so in the paper, burst into flames. The ashes came to the back of Martel's hand before they eventually turned into a tattoo identical to the one Martel had drawn before it disappeared a second later.

"You can prove your identity and ownership of the slaves by making that sigil reappear by putting a little bit of mana there." The slaver added.

Martel nodded, tried, and the sigil immediately appeared.

"Now, you simply need to run some mana into these two contracts."

Martel did so, and the pages also burst into flame; the ashes rushed towards the necks of Laelynn and Kogane. Their solid black callers suddenly receded a blank space in the center of their necks where Martel sigil appeared.

Martel watched what was occurring with interest, but his expression soon turned dumbfounded when he read the notification he just received.

"Master," Laelynn said politely to Martel.

"Will that be all?" The slaver asked.

"I believe so," Martel replied.

"Wait a minute," Hestia interjected. "I would like a slave contract."

Martel looked at Hestia, confused, but the slaver suddenly smiled. "It will be a gold piece."

Hestia nodded and headed the gold to the slaver in exchange for a magical piece of paper. Hestia ran her mana through the paper for handing it to Martel.

Martel, who was perplexed, saw a slave contract for Hestia for an indefinite amount of time. Confused, he turned to look at Hestia.

"Sir, you asked me to decide if I want to go home, pay you back, or fight by your side. This is my answer."

"Hestia, are you sure?" Martel hesitantly asked when thinking of the notification he had just received.

Hestia turned the slaver. "Can you give us a moment?"

The saver obliged and walked out with a smile.

Hestia brought Martel to the side of the room away from Laelynn, who also turned a blind eye. "Sir, you are aware that joining a hero's party increases their growth rate, yes?"

Martel nodded.

"This is common knowledge which makes many people desire to become a hero's party member, but it also means that they get used. It is not entirely uncommon for heroes party members to leave them right before a Wave as they have gained an increase in strength but are unwilling to risk their lives. This is to avoid that; I want to make sure that you trust me completely."

"… Very well." Martel replied. He accepted the piece of paper and put his on mana into it. Soon, a slave collar appeared on Hestia's neck, along with Martel sigil. He trusted Hestia, but the notification he read was far too tempting. He inquired the System why it happened.

The hero cannot fight alone. Those that have been bound to the hero either through marriage or through slavery will obtain a Hero's Growth Rate.

*It is possible to lose their Growth Rate if they do not participate in The Invasion.

**If a person marries or becomes a slave of a hero with the intent to obtain this Growth Rate, they will not obtain it. If the hero wishes for others to obtain the hero's growth rate, it is recommended not to tell them.

[System, is it possible to reset Levels back to 0? Will it cause any pain or problems if possible?]

Resetting a person's levels is possible praying to the goddesses with a church for a restart in life. It is also possible for the hero to do this. There is no pain or problems associated with receding levels other than the weakness they will experience from suddenly losing their strength provided through the System.

Martel turned to look at the girls. “I’m going to add you all to the party. Because of the increase in growth rate, I’m going to reset your levels back to 0, so you can obtain maximum growth.”

The girls nodded, and Martel did as he said. In Kogane’s case, because she was his slave and he was a hero, he could forcibly do so although he obtained others’ consent first.

Hestia nearly collapsed from a difference in strength she experienced. Curious, she opened up her Status as she was unable to do so before. She hardly went down her Status before she read something she thought was wrong. After double-checking, she looked up at Martel. “How is this possible? I have a Hero’s Growth Rate?”

“I do too!” Laelynn said in shock as she had also checked her Status. “Wait a second, parties can’t be created without the blessing of a goddess except for the hero. Are you a hero?” Laelynn asked with sparkling eyes.

Martel smiled as he revealed his shield and told them the circumstances of their growth rate and his circumstances to Laelynn. Her angry face was adorable when she heard that the King had falsely accused and imprisoned him but soon turned to one of depression.

“Master, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you much in battle. I do know a little magic, but I will only be a burden.”

“We’ll see,” Martel replied as he intended to see what he could do about her situation. If his magic was ineffective, then he could see if Lily’s Potions could help.

He then led the girls outside to see that several people were struggling with the Dracolisk, who was trying to bite them.

Suddenly, Martel let out a deep and guttural growl, which caused the Dracolisk to stop and become submissive as he approached her. “You can understand me, yes?” He asked, speaking normally.

The Dracolisk nodded her head up and out affirmation. Thanks to its dragon blood, it was very intelligent, and the System could act as a translator.

“You are not to hurt anyone unless I tell you otherwise or to protect yourself and my companions. Do I make myself clear?”

The Dracolisk nodded her head again.

“From now on, your name is Terra. Besides myself, you will also listen to these girls, understood?”

Terra nodded her head as Martel looked at a notification that caught Martel’s notice as it had updated.

(Updated) The party member, Terra, can be designated as a mount. Mounts, like regular party members, can obtain all the party benefits, but will not take up one of the ten party slots. A party member can only have one mount, and one mount can only be assigned to one party member, but this can be changed at any point in time.

After taking in this information, Martel helped saddle Terra with a saddle provided in her purchase as the slayer brought a contract paper. Additionally, Martel also bought a small stack of slave papers in case he needed them to make contracts in the future.

The way the papers worked, it was impossible to coerce others into slavery. For example, threatening to kill someone unless they became a slave wasn’t possible. However, if someone willingly became a slave, committed crimes, was indebted to (like saved by) and couldn’t reward them, or was purchased from another, the paper would allow for the transaction.

Martel helped Laelynn onto Terra’s back as walking with her crutches would only slow them down. He took Kogane in his arms, and they went back to the Inn. Martel originally intended to go get equipment, but he wanted to take care of Laelynn and have Kogane wake up beforehand.