Chapter 6 – Cheeks

“L-Labyrinth?”

I couldn’t help but ask back.

I remembered that during the auction there were boastful phrases—something about having ventured into labyrinths and being able to use a bit of magic. From her tone, it was clear she was no slouch. But wasn’t that a bit sudden?

“I’m not very smart, so that’s about all I can be of use for.” “That’s not true…” “It seems dark elves aren’t held in high regard around here, so it’d be tough to find regular work.”

That was… indeed true. Just being a dark elf gets you turned away from most places. I suppose there are a few acceptable spots if you look hard enough, but a warm welcome is definitely out of the question.

It seems the labyrinth idea is entirely Ati’s own.

“I’m fairly used to it, so if it’s just the shallow part, I’ll be absolutely fine.”

Casually, she picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it into the sky. A few seconds later, a bird came crashing down.

“…No way”

I looked up to see a bird flying far away. Taking it down with a thrown stone would require an incredible amount of skill—something I certainly didn’t possess, nor did any of the local hotshots. Yet Ati made it look effortless.

“One bird is too few. It might sound like an excuse, but with a gun or a bow, I could take down three in one shot.”

With that kind of weapon, taking down three birds with one shot would normally be considered a miracle move… And now that I think about it, there was also some talk about having a knack for magic, or something like that…

I see. With skills like these, maybe it really is possible to make a living in the labyrinth.

“Understood. I’ll do my best to prepare as soon as possible.”

I said so. Knowing that she had the ability—and that she wanted to try—it wasn’t a problem to start preparing. But,

“However, no matter how skilled you are, it’s still dangerous. Please be extremely careful. If it gets too tough, turn back immediately—your safe return must be your top priority.”

I made sure to stress that point. To me, Ati was the slave I had painstakingly acquired. If she were to recklessly die, I’d be devastated. After all, I spent my entire fortune on her, and I probably wouldn’t be able to recover. That’s why I set the condition that she only take on ventures that are unquestionably safe.

“I don’t want to die either, so I’ll be careful. I promise to protect Harold-sama properly.”

At that, Ati smiled. I saw her smile naturally for the first time—her smile was simply adorable.

But then again… what exactly does “protect” mean? Could it be that I also have to enter the labyrinth?

※※※※

We arrived at the cabin at the foot of the mountain around evening. Glad we made it before nightfall, we went inside and turned on the lights to welcome the night.

“…The cabin is surprisingly clean for a place that no one uses.”

“I drop by every now and then to check on it and do some maintenance,” she explained.

I had discovered this cabin while gathering wild mountain vegetables and medicinal herbs. It had proven extremely useful, so I never knew when I might need it again. Even when it wasn’t in use, I would stop by occasionally to check on it and perform some upkeep.
By the way, I left some tools there as well.

“Anyway, let’s prepare dinner. We even have that bird we acquired, after all.”

I was starting to feel hungry. I decided to prepare the bird that Ati had shot down with a thrown stone earlier. I knew there was a knife among the tools stored in the cabin, so I wasn’t about to leave the downed bird untouched.

“I’ll do it,” Ati offered.
“Are you sure?”
“I can manage.”
“Alright, then, please go ahead.”

If she was willing, I had no reason to refuse her offer, so I readily accepted her help. However… it did leave me with a slightly reduced workload. Well, I would still need water for the bloodletting process, so I decided to fetch some from the well at the back.

※※※※

Dinner was ordinary—just plain bird meat. Naturally, there were no seasonings or anything of the sort; even if I had prepared it myself, the result would have been the same.

The night had grown deep. Ati was sound asleep, curled up quietly. I thought I should cover her with a blanket so she wouldn’t catch a cold—
—but then, Ati’s eyes slowly opened.

“…What’s wrong? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything strange. You can sleep peacefully.”

Maybe she was so alert, even in her sleep, that she thought she might be attacked. After all, as a slave she might be somewhat prepared for it, but fear is still fear. Still, I reassured her there was nothing to worry about—I’m not one for forcing things.

“…Thank you.”

After I finished covering her with the blanket, Ati said only that before drifting back to sleep. This time, she seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Since she appeared to be in a deep slumber, I poked her cheek. It was soft, smooth, and firm. And it smelled really nice. Perhaps because of that, I felt an urge to keep touching her—but I managed to restrain myself. I had no intention of becoming a despicable person by violating her trust, especially after assuring her she could sleep in peace.

“What am I doing…?” I wondered. Sighing at my own behavior, I laid down.