Shadow Ruler Chapter 1 Part 2 (Patreon)

"I'm a smart guy. So?"

"Well...I heard that the lord of this place was doing something underhanded, but there was no proof, so I've been hiding in here gathering evidence. And today, when I finally had all the information and was about to act, I saw you guys, so I helped you. So...what's your name?"

I shook my head.

"Huh?"

"She doesn't have one... that damn lord didn't give Master any human warmth, a decent meal, or even a name! ...At least, if her mother was still alive...she was a very nice person."

"Well... sorry... I mean, do you know the Lady of the Estate?"

"It ain't no big deal. She used to feed me and read books to me quite often when I was visiting. That's about it."

"And that cat?"

"The same, and then we've been secretly taking care of Master since then."

"So that's it... and since we don't have much time, I'll explain quickly, okay? Are you aware of the situation?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then let's get to the story. The Lord have been working in secret to get you killed through the town's people. ...I won't let that happen to you guys. I've finally obtained enough evidence against him by today. It's not polite to say that it was a coincidence that I had to deal with those things, but I felt so sorry for the poor girl, so I helped her."

"I don't care whether it was a coincidence or not... thank you... even that kindness couldn't be given to Master..."

"Seriously...damn...that person is a real piece of crap..."

"So true."

Who is this? Who is that?

I tilted my head.

"...Just so you know, the lord is the most important person in this town, and his daughter is Master."

I was the child of this great man called Lord....

But he is always angry at me, and whenever he was in a bad mood he would hit me...

"・・・・・ Seriously, what a joke of a lord... Damn it... He shows the poor Master all kinds of disgusting things every time..."

I don't really understand what the cat and the bird were talking about.

For me, who can't speak, they are so accurate that I think they can see what's going on in my mind.

"What do you mean?"

"That damn lord is a womanizer, but he only comes to give her bread and a cup of water, which is so small that you can't even call it a meal, and is so hard that Master can't eat it... that's all in one day!"

And when I told him that I couldn't speak as a result of my father's crushing my throat, and that he had locked me up...

"Seriously... I'm going to bring you to justice..."

He became angry for me like he was doing it for himself.

He looked so scary, but he was so kind.

" So what are we supposed to do? ...As you can see, Master has hardly been allowed out of that room in the five years since she was born, so she has almost no muscles, and her nutrition is barely enough to survive on the nuts and herbs we've been giving her..."

"That's mostly what you guys raised her with."

"Even if she can't speak, we educated her to the point where she can listen and understand..."

"... Please continue to take care of her."

" I intend to."

"So, use this."

In the brother's hand was a blackish-purple, transparent, sparkling stone.

It was about the size of one of the big brother's hands.

I only thought it was pretty, but to him and the bird, it seemed to be very rare.

"What kind of magic is in it?"

"It's a single-shot disposable, but it's transfer magic."

"Huh? What's the deal with that thing?"

"Gramps found it by accident when he was young. He kept it for a long time, just in case something happened to him, and handed it to me. That's why I decided to use it this time."

"Are you sure about this? I'd be grateful if it could help Master, but I don't have anything to give you in exchange, you know?"

"I don't mind. This is the first time I've seen her like this, but she's like a precious sister to me now... don't worry about it."

He said that and hugged me gently.

It didn't hurt at all, and I felt a strange warmth deep in my chest that made me feel very comfortable.

"I'm sorry, even though you're a little girl, I can't believe I'm suddenly hugging a girl."

"It's okay. She's still young, so it's safe. Besides, that kind of thing is rather too much for Master to understand, so I'd like to thank you in return... thank you."

"I see. Gramps told me that it's enough for you to grow up healthy."

As he said this, that beautiful stone began to glitter even more.

"Where are we going?"

"It would be inconvenient if they could trace you, so is kind of random. "

"Okay... what happens to the Master after we leave?"

" I will just cover it up. I'll just fake it with earth magic or something if I have to."

"How can they be fooled by that?"

"Don't worry, they will. These guys are so predictable. Besides, I'm a specialist in earth magic."

"Okay, well, you take care of it."

"Oh, I'll leave everything to you. In fact, thanks to your existence, I now have more weapons to accuse that damned lord."

"I'm counting on you. But..."

"Oh, I'll just tell the higher-ups in private about the evidence I've gathered so far and the fact that I randomly transferred her and let her go, so don't worry, I can manage it. Our family has the kind of power to do something like that. Good luck with your new life."

The figure of the big brother who said this was gradually fading away.

A warm light enveloped us.

"Well, my little sister... I really wish I could have spent some time with you. Oh, and this! Here's a parting gift from Gramps! Take it!"

I couldn't speak, but I did my best to say thank you with my mouth full, and the big brother smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

He told me later that the bird said it was called a Thumbs Up.

Just before the light enveloped us and made us invisible, the cat caught the stick-like object with its tail.

Then we were enveloped in light and I lost consciousness.

"Master Wake~up~!"

I woke up to the sound of the bird's voice and saw that above me was not the familiar ceiling, but a blue sky and white clouds.

I slowly woke up and found the cat curled up in my lap, and the bird at my head.

Then I slowly looked around and saw that I was in the middle of a meadow full of grass and small flowers, and when I looked farther away, I saw a bunch of trees, big magnificent plants.

I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by trees.

The place with all those trees is called a forest or woods.

The bird told me that this place was like a field surrounded by a forest.

It seems to be a very peaceful place where demons rarely come.

To a normal person, this place would be boring and empty, but to me, experiencing the outside world for the first time, it was so wonderful that I could see the world shining brightly in every direction.

"But you know what? If you don't pay attention to your surroundings in a place like this, you'll be eaten by demons while you sleep. Do you understand?"

He told me that there was a lot of danger out there, so I had to be careful even when I was sleeping.

It's amazing how difficult it is for adults to be careful while sleeping.

"Most of the time, people form teams and take turns to watch their surroundings, and it's quite rare for people to be able to pay attention while sleeping."

There are a few people who can do it alone, but they're few and far between.

A team was a group of several people working together, and one of them would fall asleep while the other was looking around, another would look at the timing, the one who was looking would fall asleep, and so on.

Oh, by the way, what was the last thing the scary-looking guy threw?

The cat gave it to me.

Is that a stick?

"That's a cane."

A cane? I tilted my head and he told me.

"It's a tool to help you use your magic powers, or to swing and strike when you fight. In other words, it's there to help the Master and protect her when the time comes."

He also told me that with this stick, I can work as hard as anyone else.

Also, walking normally is not something I have the strength or muscle power to do. But with this stick, I can walk longer than usual.

The stick is as long as an adult person, and it's extremely simple, according to the bird.

The color is made of wood, but it had a natural green color, retaining the gentle color of the beautiful wood.

The bird told me that it looks green, but they use young wood, so they call it blue even though it is green.

To me, it's not exactly a grass-like green, but it looks kind of soft green.

Also, when I hold it, my body feels warm, and I feel a little more energetic.

Moreover, it is so light that even I can hold it with ease.

It feels so light that I don't even feel its weight.

"It looks like it contains magic to strengthen your body and magic to increase your magical power."

He explained that body strengthening is a magic that can make you more energetic than usual when you use it, and magic skill increase is a magic that can make you better at manipulating magic power, which is the basis for using magic.

Well, I don't know what magic is, but I find it mysterious.

Magic itself is a mysterious power that can do many things, depending on the individual.

I wonder if I can do it too?

I hope to find out someday.

"Let's just get out of here, okay? It's not good for us to stay here too long... I want to go to a town for now."

We're going to a town, a place where people gather.

But as far as I can see, there are only trees everywhere.

Which way do we go?

When I was tilting my head, the cat pointed with its tail.

After seeing that, a bird climbed up into the sky and looked in that direction and came back.

"There was a town-like place over there. Let's go over there for now... We'll take frequent breaks, so hang in there."

I hugged the bird, who said he was sorry he couldn't carry me, and the cat, who looked apologetic, with a gentle but not painful hug, and then I walked slowly, step by step.

The bird flew at the same pace as me, and the cat walked with me at the same pace.

I'm too weak to walk normally, but with the help of the cane, I can manage to walk... I have a lot to thank the big brother and grandpa for.

However, I was tired after walking a few dozen meters, as the bird said.

I was tired, but I couldn't stop walking as hard as I could.

I was more energetic than usual thanks to the cane, but I couldn't go any further...

"It can't be helped. You haven't been able to exercise for a long time. Besides, Master is still young. Why don't we take our time? There's no need to panic. Master can do whatever she wishes, wherever she wishes, however she wishes. You're free now, you know?"

Freedom?

"Yes, freedom. Master needs to be happy. We're here for you. Let's just find a place where you can be happy and have fun together, okay?"

Is it okay... is it okay for me to seek happiness?

"It's okay. We love you, Master. You want the person you love to be happy, right? You want them to smile a lot, right?"

(Nod Nod)

"It's the same in reverse. We love you too, so we want you to smile a lot. See?"

I think I understand the feelings of the bird and the cat.

I'm really tired, but I'll do my best.

Let's move forward.

We still have a long way to go, but let's move forward.

The outside world is something I've never been able to see or feel before.

There are so many new things to experience.

I'm sure there will be hard times, but I'm sure I'll be all right with the help of the cat and the bird.

I'll do my best.

Ugh... But I can still see the forest, and I can't even get to it... Ugh...

And I heard that the forest is a lot bigger than the meadow we're in now. Or rather, the bird told me.

Ugh... I have to move around and find something to eat.

I'm so tired, my legs are getting sluggish, I'm losing my senses, I'm getting dizzy, and I'm starting to feel light-headed, but I try my best to walk.

I have to do my best.

The cat and the bird will be bothered, so I'll do my best to walk.

That's all I can do for now.

"Master, come on, we should get some rest, okay? I know how you feel, but don't overdo it."

The bird said in a very concerned voice.

But I didn't hear it at the time.

I was so desperate that all I could think about was walking.

When I finally got out of the meadow and into the forest, I caught my leg on a tree root, fell down, and passed out instantly.