Staying up all night was an arduous ordeal, yet thank goodness Roscoe kept me company this time. Hours passed, and as the sun's rays once again caressed the island, Penelope remained asleep. In a way, it was a relief; at least someone had managed to get some rest. The power of that parasite was increasing at a glacial pace, but the first thing Penelope did upon waking was to conduct a body scan, checking for any anomalies.
"…Still nothing. I seem to be fine," she murmured softly. "But you, you look as if you've been trampled by a carriage. Are you alright?"
"Couldn't sleep," I yawned in reply. "I had to make sure nothing went awry during the night. I was worried that slime creature might start hurting you, or escape, or even spawn offspring."
She looked visibly startled.
"You really didn't have to do all this for me. I'm perfectly alright."
I shook my head.
"Remus said to regard everything in the forest as lethal. Then he told me to keep an eye on you. Of course I had to watch over you."
"I… see," she said slowly, her gaze wandering elsewhere. "Would you like me to cast a little spell to refresh you? It's not a substitute for proper sleep, but it should help somewhat."
I furrowed my brow, feeling a twinge of suspicion. Why was she suddenly being so kind? Was this a trap? Yet it didn't seem so, and Penelope had never been one to scheme. Oh, damn it. Was it that slime creature? Was it controlling her mind? Did it intend to kill me? If I dropped my magical resistance, could it dispatch me in an instant?
But if I had to keep an eye on her all day, could I really refuse this magical boost?
"Sure," I said, my body tense.
Penelope approached and cast a spell. I watched her intently. Her hands moved, so it must have been a learned spell. Unless she was concealing her innate magic, or… casting some other spell I didn't understand, I surmised. Yet, my intuition told me she wasn't out to harm me, and I let her proceed. Indeed, I felt a sudden surge of energy. I gave her a relieved smile and nodded.
"Thank you."
"Oh… you're welcome," she replied, pouting slightly. "It's the least I can do after you stayed up all night for me. Anyway, don't you have things you want to do?"
"Things I need to do," I corrected. "Buy food for my family, have a chat with them, that sort of thing."
"I suppose I'll have to come with you then," Penelope said glumly.
I smiled. I was a bit concerned about taking her, with that parasite inside her, to meet my family. But I could sense the parasite, and with me watching, it wouldn't be able to transfer to anyone else.
"Hey, getting out and doing something other than tormenting rats might be good for you," I told her.
"Tormenting…?" She first looked shocked, then glared at me indignantly. "I… I wasn't tormenting rats! It was research! My magic doesn't cause pain."
"Sure. What about those rats that you messed up and they died slowly?"
"That was an accident," she mumbled. "Just an unfortunate byproduct of gaining knowledge."
I shrugged.
"Just kidding. I've killed rats for worse reasons. Come on, get dressed, and let's go."
She gave me a strange look but started changing out of her nightgown. When she took out an extremely flamboyant outfit from the drawer, I couldn't help but frown.
"Er… you might not want to wear that, Penelope."
"What? Why not?" she demanded. "I like this dress."
"Because I don't want to get robbed," I told her. "Do you have anything less… ostentatious?"
She huffed.
"I'm not going to lower my standards just because of a few ruffians. Besides, we're hunters. If anyone tries anything, they'll regret it."
I sighed. Well, we'd cross that bridge if we came to it. She put on the gaudy dress, a frilly red number that accentuated her bust. How much dye must have gone into making this? The color was like blood. She must have loved that blood-red hue. I remained in my hunting armor and made sure to bring my spear and dagger. The brown, dried stains of monster innards on my armor, though also a shade of red, clashed horribly with Penelope's dress. Still, I hoped it would give anyone thinking of causing trouble pause. As soon as she was ready, I headed out, which made her raise an eyebrow.
"You're really going to walk around the city like that?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yep," I said firmly. "Come on, I'm starving for breakfast."
She grumbled a bit but followed me downstairs to the cafeteria. There was plenty of steaming soup, warming our bellies. It was likely made from the monster carcasses I'd brought back. It had a faint taste of cave dog. I wanted to point it out to Penelope, but I was too busy eating to tease her. I knew what was important.
I wolfed down my food and, after waiting for Penelope to finish her leisurely meal, we went to the front desk. It was time to collect my pay for the day, the days since I started working, and my share of the mission rewards.
When the receptionist told me the total amount, I had to sit down to compose myself.
"Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine —"
"Vita, what are you doing?" Penelope interrupted rudely.
"How many meals could this buy?" I asked. "How… how did we earn so much money???"
"Vita, it's not that much," Penelope said flatly. "Don't make such a fuss. And this doesn't even include the money we'll get from the monster parts we brought back."
I let out a squeal, and Penelope rolled her eyes. How could she be so… nonchalant? This was a huge deal! The amount of money was staggering! What on earth was I going to do with it?
A few minutes later, I managed to calm down and went back to the receptionist, asking if she could hold… most of the money for me. Although I hated the idea of someone else handling my money, she was the one who'd given it to me in the first place. If she wanted to cheat me, she could have just told me a smaller amount, right?
I only took two days' worth of pay. That would be enough to buy some extra food for everyone. I didn't dare take more; with my luck, it would probably get stolen.
I set off towards the city, making sure Penelope stayed close behind me. This was mainly for her safety. As we walked towards the slums, she started muttering and complaining. When we reached the even poorer areas, she was indignant, and by the time we neared the place where I intended to buy food, she was in a state of disbelief.
The streets here were more dirt paths than cobblestones, and the half-ruined houses were cracked and 摇摇欲坠. I walked in a zigzag pattern, and Penelope quickly learned to follow suit. Along the way, we had to dodge thieves, horse manure, and occasionally human excrement. There were many vagrants crouching by the roadside, and many who'd have liked to harass the wealthy-looking young lady were deterred by my fierce glares. She stood out far too much, and she was starting to realize it too. But when we reached my favorite stall, run by a toothless old man who was boiling grains mixed with water on a stone, she started nagging me again.
"Here? Vita, you buy food here? This place is definitely not safe. What are you doing here?"
"Penelope, be quiet."
She stared at me, clearly furious. I met her gaze and stared back just as fiercely. This wasn't the time for an argument. Under my stare, she swallowed whatever she was about to say. Good. I turned my attention back to the old bread vendor.
"Dasas, sorry about her. Can I get double the usual amount today?"
"Of course, of course!" the old man smiled amiably. "You look like a servant ordering around a noblewoman! It's quite amusing, haha."
"I am —"
"Penelope, shut up!" I said loudly.
Thankfully, she did. Was she about to say she was a noble? First of all, was she? I had no idea. Second, was she crazy?
Dasas, my favorite baker (not that there was much competition), laughed again and handed me the bread I'd ordered. It was flat and tasteless, but it filled the stomach, and that was what mattered. I stuffed as much bread as I could into Penelope's hands, hoping to keep her occupied.
"I was worried when you didn't come by, Vita!" Dasas said as I picked up the food for my family. "Did something happen?"
"Oh, you know, almost got eaten by monsters a few times. But it's not as bad as here."
He laughed heartily, I paid, and then we left. At the first opportunity, I ducked into an alley to avoid being stared at. Without me by her side, she'd surely be robbed or assaulted! The people here had sunk so low that no one would even care if something happened to her!
"Penelope, this place is far from safe," I emphasized when we were alone. "You can't go around spouting nonsense about being a noble."
"Then I'd like to ask, Vita, what are we doing here?" she retorted in a hushed tone.
"I told you. I live here. We're here to bring breakfast for my family."
"This isn't breakfast!"
"Something is better than nothing," I said flatly.
"Barely!"
"But it's important!" I shouted at her, turning to face her. "Very important, understand? We usually have nothing! So stop nagging!"
I glared at her, seething with anger, but then her haughty demeanor… vanished, disappeared without a trace. She shrank back and avoided my gaze.
"Alright, I'm sorry."
This wasn't like her at all. I was so confused I didn't know how to react, and suddenly, my anger had nowhere to go. I turned and silently walked towards home, and she followed.
"Vita!"
"Vita's back!"
"Vita, Vita, Vita!"
The children rushed out of the house and pounced on me, vying to be the first to get the food. I distributed it among them, making them promise not to take anything from Penelope. I glanced at her to see her reaction, but she seemed oblivious. Her face was filled with horror.
Ah, she'd probably never seen such a sight. These children were skin and bones, just like I'd been not so long ago. They were so thin that every time they hugged me, I was afraid they'd break a bone. Their thin wrists, protruding ribs, gaunt faces… it was like looking at a group of people on the verge of death.
No, not "a group of people" — children. These dying, suffering children, whom I'd managed to keep alive, giving them a glimmer of hope. For me, this was all so normal. But for Penelope…
"By the Mist Watchers," she cursed softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "This is your family…? You're the one taking care of them?"
"No, it's Lynn and Rowan. I used to be just like them. Then I discovered I had special abilities."
I shrugged and didn't say more, because that was really all there was to it. I wasn't anything special, just lucky, though my luck wasn't all that great, but it was better than nothing.
"I… can I…" Penelope stammered, barely able to get the words out. She pointed at one of the children. "Can I cast a spell?"
I blinked in surprise, then nodded. Of course she could cast a spell. The children needed help so desperately.
"Listen up, everyone. This is Penelope. She's my teammate and a bio-mage. Listen to her, okay? She's here to help."
The children immediately gathered around. They knew how rare an opportunity this was.
"Is Lynn or Rowan here?"
The children's answers confirmed my suspicion; both of them were out working. It was a pity, but not unexpected. I'd have to discuss the money with them another time. Meanwhile, Penelope had already started casting her spell. Her hands were steady, though her body trembled slightly. Enduring her nagging on the way here was worth it for her to cast bio-magic on all the children for free, and then some. But I wondered…
"They're in the same situation as you," Penelope said softly. "They have the same problems you did."
"Yeah," I said. "I told you so."
She swallowed.
"I… I can't believe you used to be like this," she whispered. "I've done all I can. Many of the children had hidden bruises or scabs. They were infested with lice, and I've gotten rid of them."
"Oh, thank you. That's a huge help."
"I… I can't do anything more," she continued, ignoring my thanks. "Unless we get them more food, and I come here every day, and…"
I shrugged.
"We're working on the food situation."
"Well… you need to get them something else. Bread alone isn't enough," she replied. "If they only eat bread and water, they'll get sick."
I stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I think so. Bio-mages are still researching the details, but… they need vegetables, meat, and something acidic once in a while."
I nodded. There was no reason to doubt her. She knew far more about this than I did. The children already looked much better, and unlike Penelope, they were now free of parasites. Damn it, that food would cost a fortune… but I seemed to have a lot of money now.
"I owe you a huge debt," I told her. "Truly."
She snorted, and a bit of her old Penelope arrogance returned to her face.
"Come on. I'm a bio-mage. This is what I do."
"I've never seen another bio-mage offer to help on their own," I said frankly. "You did, so I owe you."
She just looked away, her expression so complex I couldn't read it. I stood up and swatted away the hand of a child who was trying to steal my dagger. Some of these kids were pretty sneaky, but it wasn't so easy to get close to me now.
"Well, I think we should go," I said. "I've pretty much done what I needed to —"
I suddenly stopped and frowned, as I sensed some familiar auras enter my range of perception. It was Squiggs and Friggs. Judging by their route, they didn't seem to be heading towards my place. I wondered what they were up to. If Penelope hadn't been here, I might have tried to talk to them. But now, it didn't seem like a good idea. I didn't want to anger them, especially now that Penelope was finally starting to open up to me a bit.
I mentally noted the direction they were heading, but as we left, I deliberately led Penelope in the opposite direction. They didn't follow and went about their business, probably going to kill someone or something.
"Well, that's all I needed to do," I said. "Do you have anything you need to do?"
"Hmm?" Penelope snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at me.
"I mean, if we have to stay together until Remus gets back, if you have things to do, I can follow you instead of the other way around."
"Oh. Well, actually, I do have a few things… er, but you… sigh. We should…"
"Hmm?" I urged her to be clearer.
"Well, maybe we should… go back to the guild. I want to see if Nora is there. She wasn't in the dorm last night."
I nodded.
"Sure, let's head back. This way."
I turned into another alley, avoiding potential robberies in the next two blocks.
"You know these streets really well, don't you?" she asked.
"Of course," I affirmed. "I have to."
"Yeah, the layout of these streets isn't great. Must be hard to memorize them all, right?"
I shrugged. The layout of these streets was indeed a bit strange, but once you got used to it, you could see the logic. I sensed the robbers changing positions, trying to find another place to ambush us. Could they see where we were? Or hear us talking? There were only six of them, and they were all cowards. Penelope and I could probably take them out easily, but it wasn't worth the trouble.
"…Okay, I know these streets are complicated, but I'm sure you're leading us in circles," Penelope said.
"Yeah, there are robbers up ahead. They're probably trying to track us, and I need to lose them."
She stared at me, wide-eyed, and nodded, letting me do things my way. We fell silent, and it seemed to work. After a few more turns, our pursuers went in the wrong direction and finally disappeared from my range of perception.
"We're safe," I whispered, just as I did when signaling safety in the forest.
Penelope shivered and shook her head.
"I'm starting to understand why nothing scares you, Vita."
"That's just the way it is."
The rest of the journey back to the guild was uneventful. Before we even saw the guild building, I sensed that Nora was inside and informed Penelope in advance.
"What did you call us here for?"
"You'll see when we get there," she replied, forcing a smile.
We found Nora in the courtyard, practicing with a double-bladed stabbing sword. She had shrunk her shield a bit and was practicing thrusting and slashing while blocking with the shield.
"Hi, Nora," I waved.
"Vita, Penelope, hello," the tall woman merely glanced at us and continued practicing. "Are you here to train?"
"Not this time," Penelope said. "We came to see you."
That caught her attention, and she stopped her air-slashing motions. She shook her head,