I heard a voice but I decided to ignore it. I mean come on, why would anyone wake up when they were being called? That was just dumb.

“Wake up.”

Again, I chose to ignore it. Beds are such an underrated blessing. If I could, I’d like to marry my bed, have kids together and grow old together.

Hmmm? Guess the disturber of peace gave up, more time for me to —

“Cold!”

As I was lying in bed, the disturber of peace threw a bucket full of cold water right into my face. It was very, very cold.

“It’s already dawn. Time for work.” Merry impassively said.

That was true. Anyway…

“Why would you use cold water to wake someone up!? Look at my bed!” My bed, now soaked with water, seemed like it was crying for help.

“I tried but you wouldn’t wake up. Twice.”

“I hardly heard your voice…Anyway, thank you for waking me up.” I stood up from the bed.

Thanks to the owner of orphanage, Ms. Arina, I was able to have my own room, though it was a striking step down compared to the previous room. This time, the room didn’t have any expensive furniture, actually there was no furniture except for the bed which was good enough. There wasn’t any window as this was in the basement, so it was hot and pitches black last night.

“Here’s your outfit. It’s an old attire a servant once used.” She put it on the bed.

“Oh, thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” She then quickly left the room.

She was not so bad at all. She could have just left me to sleep but she didn’t. She could have just pretended to wake me up but she didn’t. She even brought me my outfit and a bucket of water to wash my face and body. Wait, my face was already washed…

Still though, everything wasn’t a dream…A part of me hoped that this was all just a dream. I really wanted to finish that series.

I washed my body with a towel then I put on the outfit that was given to me which consist of a coat, tie and a pair of trousers. All colored black including the dusty old shoes. I then went outside and saw Merry waiting for me in the hallway.

“Thanks for waiting for me.” I smiled.

“Again, no need to thank me. I’m just doing what I was ordered to do.” She started to walk. I followed her.

“So, what are we going to do first?”

“Eat.”

“Then?”

“Work.”

“I’m going to need more information…”

“Be quiet and follow me.”

We ate in the hallway along with two other servants. After that, we woke up the orphans. In total, there were about four children and two teenagers.

According to Merry, there weren’t really orphans more like people who were trained to become servants to other households. Though this was an orphanage and yes, there were cases where other children are adopted but that was incredibly rare. They were mostly permanently hired into another household so they can work for their own and live for their own. The fund from the kingdom and temple was quite underwhelming and nobody was adopting anyone, so they figured this was the best way for these children.

The first thing the children did was to wash and clean themselves. After that, they ate. They then went to practice their skills such as cleaning, serving and talking properly. They had a teacher who teached them these skills.

My duty was to watch these orphans along with household chores. It was a relatively easy job and I had a roof over my head, so it was a win-win situation for me. Merry, on the other hand, was doing all the lifting. Literally.

Hygiene was prioritized in this orphanage for they want to avoid diseases and trained the children to be always clean. Unfortunately, this world didn’t have any water and wastewater service like in my world, so it was up to the servants to fetch water from nearby water supply or body of water. In our case, there was a nearby well. Merry was the one who would get the water and bring it back. Every morning, she brought ten buckets for the servants and Ms. Arina, travelling back and forth. I didn't know how she did it or where she got the strength because those buckets looked heavy.

I asked her if she needed help but she always said that she didn't need help while radiating an unfriendly aura. Another impressive thing she did was cooking. While the food in this world could never be in par with the food in my world, Merry’s cooking made the food somewhat bearable. Either way, she was really amazing person.

Right now, I was taking care of the children since Frunk was with Ms. Arina. They really weren’t shy, especially the younger ones.

“Terrin, play with me!” Said by the girl with the bob cut which was Ania.

“No, play with me!” Said by the boy, Karl.

“W-What are we going to play…?” Said by the shy looking girl, Sarah.

“How about we play hide-and-seek?” Said by the smart looking boy, Jack.

“Okay, let’s play hide-and-seek.” I said.

So we played hide-and-seek until lunchtime. The older orphans were not with us because they were doing their own responsibilities. One of them, Jane, would be moving in another household in a couple of days, so the children were pretty sad, especially James, the other older orphan. Apparently, according to the other servants, they were pretty close.

Since I was not allowed to go outside due to the fear of me running away, I mostly kept myself busy by doing my job and playing with the children. Though when I get the chance, I would often go help Merry on her chores.

*

It was the night of my third day working here. I was in my room, thinking about my next move.

So, it’s been three days already, huh? Time sure does fly…

By now, I’d had accepted the reality of my situation. I should focus my attention on how to save Shakna after I repay my debt here.

But how? Considering that this world was where witches and monsters exist, I had to assume that I had to fight my way in order to save Shakna. I’d never been in a fight and I’d only seen it in movies and in the internet, so I had no idea where I should start.

Come to think of it, isn’t it terrifying to be in a fight? Especially in this world where monsters exist. What should I do? I really had no idea…

As I was thinking of ways to get stronger, someone knocked in my room. When I opened the door, it was Frunk and Ms. Arina with worry in her face.

“Is something wrong?”

“Jane and James have run away. Did you help them escape?” Frunk said with a serious and threatening face.

I guess it’s only normal for them to be suspicious of me.

“No, I didn’t. I don’t even talk to them much.”

“Those two were always obedient but I didn’t expect them to actually run away…” Ms. Arina worryingly said.

This was a surprise. I never actually thought that she cared for the children.

“So what did you do to find them?”

“We sent Merry outside to find them.”

“You sent her alone? In the dark? What if something happen to her?” I said bafflingly.

“What are you talking about? Merry is always replaceable, those children are not.” Frunk said it to me like it was the most obvious thing ever. Even Ms. Arina was looking at me like I was someone stupid.

What did they mean by replaceable? As I was about to asked them what that meant, another servant showed up and told us that Merry had returned with the two orphans. We immediately went upstairs and saw Merry disabling the two orphans by locking them in her elbow.

What the heck? How can she do that? It was already hard enough to carry one person the same size as you but two of them while keeping them locked? This woman sure was something.

“Let go of us, Merry!” shouted by James.

She let them down. Ms. Arina took them and started to scold them.

“What were you thinking!? Do you not know how dangerous it is outside!?” she started to check them to see if something was wrong.

“It was my fault… I couldn’t stand the thought that she would be leaving.” James said with tears starting to form in his eyes. Jane hugged James and started to cry.

“So you think running away would fix things?” I chimed in.

James looked at me angrily and shouted “What would you know!? You’re not an orphan, so you could travel anywhere you want!”

“That’s not what I meant. At times like this, you should explain clearly what you want. Look at how much you troubled everyone.”

“He’s right.” Ms. Arina hugged them. “Come on, We’ll talk about this in the morning. For now, you should reassure the children and rest up.” The two obeyed her and with Ms. Arina and Frunk went to their rooms.

The two didn’t even check up on Merry who seemed to be cold.

“Hey, you okay? Good job finding those two.”

I didn’t know what happened but she was shivering. Her attire was light, not wearing anything for the cold night and she was barefoot, her feet and legs were full of mud and dirt as it rained a couple of hours ago.

“I’m okay…just need to make myself warm…” she said stutteringly. She was hugging herself just to keep herself warm.

“I’ll go get you something warm to drink.” I immediately rushed to the kitchen but she stopped me. She touched my elbow with her hand and it was really cold.

“I…I never told you to help me…” she brushed me off and slowly walked towards the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m being selfish here by doing what I want, so just wait here and I’ll get you something.”

I reached my limit but surprisingly she nodded and surrendered. I got her warm water and I let her wear my hoodie. She was pretty cute in it. After a while, heat was returning to her body but she still seems tired.

“Why do you insist on helping me, anyway?” she asked.

“Well, isn’t it normal to help someone when it looks like they need help?”

“Thinking like that is wrong. Even if it looked like they needed help, why would you help them in the first place? Doesn’t it look like you’re mocking them? Helping someone isn’t always the right thing.”

“Maybe you’re right. How about this? Consider this as a small payment for everything you have done for me.”

“That is fair…but this is the last time. I don’t need help from you or from anyone.” And with a barely audible voice, she added “Just like I’ve always done.” She then stood up and left.

That woman sure is a problem and oh yeah, she took my hoodie. Thinking that I can get it tomorrow, I went to my room and slept.

*

The next day was the day Jane was being adopted into another household. According to the other servants that were present to the meeting, it was agreed upon that James and Jane would be both adopted. This made the two happy that even James cried himself. I guess this was a miracle for the both of them. But apparently, Ms. Arina made a deal that she would give a huge discount if the other party bought another orphan, which I didn't know if I should be happy or if I should be disgusted on how they buy the orphans.

The children were pretty unhappy as they mostly spend their lifetime with them and were sad to see them go. It was the same for the other servants, as they took care of them since they were young. Ms. Arina and Frunk secretly cried when the two of them left. I guess even these two had a heart.

As for Merry and me, it wasn’t that impactful. I hadn't spent much time with them and Merry seemed about the same.

Since everyone was pretty depressed, the other servants prepared a huge amount of food to make the night lively. It was Frunk’s idea and it went great. Ms. Arina and everyone seemed to forget about those two for a while.

“Hey, do you need help?”

After eating, Merry was cleaning the table and about to wash the dishes when I asked her.

“No need. You’ll only get in the way.” She coldly replied.

“Why won’t you let me help you, anyway?

“As I said last time, I don’t need your help. If I ever have to choose whether to die or receive help from you, I’d choose the former without hesitation.”

She was being stubborn, so I tried to help her by putting the dishes in the sink but then the unexpected happened. My hands slipped and a bunch of the plate that I was carrying fell and broke.

Suddenly, Ms. Arina and Frunk came back to the dining hall and saw the broken plates that were on the floor.

“Who did this?” The room suddenly became quiet and with a heavy atmosphere.

“It was —“

“It was me.” Intercepted by Merry.

What?

“No, it was me.” I corrected.

“No, I heard that correctly. You don’t have to defend her, Terrin.” She whispered something to Frunk and he abruptly left.

“No, seriously, it was me.” I started to sweep the broken plates.

“Merry, you know what to do.” Ms. Arina was smiling when she said that.

Whatever she meant, Merry was very reluctant to do it. She had a terrified look on her face like a child knowing that she was about to be whip. Though whatever it was, a light was shining on her back, more specifically the back of her neck. And then suddenly…

“Agh!” Merry screamed painfully.

“You’re disobeying me?”

What is happening? Why is she in pain? As I stood there clueless, Frunk returned with a whip in her hand.

A whip? Don’t tell me!

Merry turned her back towards Ms. Arina. With the whip in her hand, Ms. Arina whipped Merry. The sound of the whip hitting Merry echoed throughout the hallway while Merry’s grunt overlapped with it. Then Ms. Arina continued whipping her as I stood there, baffled.

“What are you doing!?” I screamed, demanding a sense in this surreal situation.

“What?” Ms. Arina stopped and looked at me like a nuisance. “Haven’t you seen a slave being whipped before?”

“Slave…?” another word that bewildered me.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Merry, show her the crest.” Merry unwillingly turned her back towards me and lifted her ponytail. There was the crest that I saw when I first met her.

“Now do you understand? I’m just punishing her. This is within my rights as her owner.” She smirked and continued to whip Merry.

“Stop! I told you, it was my fault!” I shouted but my voice didn’t reach them. No, they chose not to hear it. I was right, there was something wrong with these people. She was willingly hurting her; I wouldn’t be able to persuade her to stop.

Merry, at this point, was screaming. Her scream had attracted the other servants and was now watching happily as if this was a zoo. As I was watching, I couldn’t take it anymore. My body moved on its own before I could think of anything. As Ms. Arina’s whip was about to hit Merry, I took the brunt and shielded her from the pain.

The hit was hot. It was incredibly hot. It was so painful that it was enough to make me run and cry. Merry was experiencing this ten times more than me. How could she handle this?

“You don’t need to protect her, Terrin. She’s strong enough. You might not notice it but she’s half-beast. Merry, show him your tail.” Merry reluctantly agreed and showed her tail to me. It looked like a cat’s tail and was colored the same as her hair, which was navy blue.

Obviously, I was bewildered but also at the same time, it made sense. She had literally been working non-stop and carrying heavy objects every day. But apart from her tail, she looked exactly like a human being.

Her back was in front of me so I couldn’t see her face but at the same time, I almost didn’t want to. Who knows what emotions I would see?

Though she told me that I didn't need to protect her, I still chose to protect Merry from the whippings. Not only because it was the right thing to do but I truly believe that she was my friend and I didn't want her to be hurt.

Surprisingly though, Ms. Arina stopped.

“I’m already tired of this.” She yawned. “Terrin, tomorrow’s your last day, right? You can leave early in the morning if you want to. The debt is settled. Good job.” She then looked at Merry nonchalantly and said “Merry, don’t do it again, okay? Next time I wouldn’t be so kind.” Ms. Arina, along with Frunk and the other servants, abruptly left.

You call that kind?

I immediately went to Merry to check how she was. The merciless whippings left her clothes to be torned and parts of her back were red but it was not enough to leave scar. Maybe because she was half monster? Though she might have immense strength, she couldn’t stand still from the hit she took.

“Hey, sit down for now.” I offered my hand.

“I…don’t need…your help.” She whisked my hand away. She was still being stubborn.

“Enough is enough!”

She must have been startled because she closed her eyes like how a child does when a lightning strikes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout on you…” I said while putting my coat on her.

I looked at Merry and saw her eyes. She wasn’t crying but her face said she was in pain. Her eyes were devoid of any emotions, she was just staring emotionlessly as if this had happen many times.

“Do you need anything?” I said after a short moment of silence. I’d never really been in a situation where I saw people got hurt like this, so I didn’t know what to do or what to say.

“I’ll be okay…the body of a beast heals faster than a human. I just need some rest.”

“But…”

“Don’t worry, you’ve done enough.” She stood up, her fragile body staggered.

“Then I’ll take you to your room.” I grabbed a lantern and escorted her to her room but what I found out made me angry.

Her room wasn’t a room but a stable. Animal here and there made sounds as we passed by them and the smell of the animals lingered in the air as if marking that this was their territory.

When we got into her place, I saw a straw bed that seemed like her bed, an old desk and a mirror.

“You live in this place?” I tried to stay calm but my voice betrayed me.

Not only was it filthy, it was also cold as there were barely any walls. Thankfully, she had a pillow and blanket. My jacket was also lying there as if it was a person in the dark.

“Yes, it’s not much but it’s home. The sound of the animals is relaxing to me and this straw bed is comfortable enough.” She sat down on the bed.

That fat woman…

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” My voice filled with worries.

“Yes, I am. Now leave. I’m going to rest.”

"Are you sure...?"

"Yes."

“Before that…why did you say that it was your fault?” If she hadn’t said that, she wouldn’t have received such beating.

“If she had known that it was you, she would have charged you and you’re stay here would have taken much longer because those plates aren’t cheap. I just did it because I didn’t want to see your ugly face anymore.”

This woman was really kind. Probably the kindest person I had ever met. Though she could have phrased that ending better.

“Besides,” she continued. “Even if she had known it was you who did it, she would have still blamed me. That’s just how deep these humans hate us.”

”Yeah, I’m starting to get a grip on how a human thinks here.”

“You mean you still don’t?”

“Maybe.”

“You really are strange…”

“Anyway, you should rest for now. Lastly, thank you for helping me out again.” I smiled.

“I didn’t help you, I just wanted to get rid of you. Know the difference.” She said coldly.

I’m glad that she was somehow getting better. I left since I knew that she knew her own body more than me.

As I walk the dark hallway with only a lantern in my hand, I wondered what I should do next. The darkness made it hard to see what was waiting for me but I had decided on what I should do.