Chapter 52: IndoctrinationRoxanne was given a pair of shoes and we left An’s shop.

  “Thank you, Master.”

  (Roxanne’s use of that accursed word is so much worse than Sherry’s.)

  “Alina and Sherry, please take Roxanne to get personal items and casual clothing. Sherry, do you have enough money with you?”

  “Yes, David, plenty.”

  “Guys, please keep an eye on the girls. Some kids are staring, though it could just be for natural reasons. I’m going to pop over to the merchants guild. Let’s meet back here in 30 minutes or so.”

  I found a good spot and promptly warped to Curatar, thankful to finally be able to rex my face.

  Oh, Roxanne, I’m so sorry for making you wait so long. But seriously, what was that ‘only five days to get the money’ BS from the manga? Well, I didn’t see her there earlier so maybe she had been purchased. Nah, who’d return her? Well, maybe some rich fart came in looking for a nanny. The wife took one look at Roxanne and bam, right back to An’s she goes. Or, maybe An didn’t expect some fool like me to pay the exorbitant ‘boob tax’ just to use her in the byrinths. Oh well, you weren’t my responsibility and you’ve never even heard of me.

  Just like when Sherry joined us, I’m having trouble pretending that I don’t already know Roxanne, or at least the manga version of her. It’s sort of like a fan trying to keep his cool around a celebrity except that she has no idea she’s really famous in a different country (or world). Well, I learned to treat Sherry like a real person even after having to expin all those details I shouldn’t have known about her job. Roxanne should be easier — once I get used to that damn tail.

  Oh, there’s Luke. Looks like he was just getting in to work. I’ll corner him before he goes to his proper clients.

  “Good morning, Mr. Moreau. Sorry, I’m running a bit te today. Rough night.”

  “No problem, Luke. I always show up unannounced anyway. So, do you have anything for me?”

  “The auctions have been a bit slow recently, but as a result, fewer brokers came and I won bids on two Slime crystals for just 7500 Nars each.”

  “Oh, great catch.”

  “Thank you, Sir. I also won two Kobold crystals at 5400, both Lizard crystals at 3000 and all four Caterpilr crystals at 4000 Nars each.”

  “Good. Any special items?”

  “Yes indeed, dragon-leather boots.”

  Identify shows no skill slots. Nice but not worth the expected cost.

  “No thank you. Though, I would like to order three Kobold, four Caterpilr, one Rabbit, one Coral and deposits for each, including the Slime crystal commissions, of course.”

  “Certainly, Sir, that will be 53,300 Nars. Thank you for your continued business.”

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  I warp back and sneak over to where my party was waiting. No criminals in sight and the kids are gone.

  “Hello folks. Sorry for the dey. Let’s go home.”

  I lead the party towards one of our favorite alleys.

  “Roxanne, there will be a few surprises coming up. I’ll expin everything soon.”

  With a “Yes, Master”, she follows us through the portal. Once home, there’s no particur reaction on Roxanne’s face.

  “They told me what to expect.”

  “Well I hope they haven’t ruined all the surprises.”

  Alina quips, “We didn’t have that much time.”

  “I’ll help Roxanne pick out some starting gear and then I’ll take her for a quick trip to the byrinth. Meanwhile please set up a room for her. We’ll be back before lunch.”

  I have a vague recollection of some types of armor being a bit too form-fitting for women. Armor looks fine on Sherry though her heavy armor really wouldn’t show anyway. Alina’s leather armor looks good on her — actually, it looks really good. Yep, let’s not go for that look on Roxanne.

  Ah, good, we have one set of vest-type armor. It won’t exactly make her look ft but even full pte mail couldn’t do that.

  “We’ll look for better armor soon but this should be alright for today. Try it on and I’ll pick out the rest.”

  “Yes, Master, thank you. What an extensive collection of equipment you have here.”

  “It’s convenient to have extras at home. Most of it is from the brigands we’ve fought — Marcus has cleaned everything, of course.”

  “Yes, I can see that the equipment has been well maintained.”

  While she was getting ready, I took a quick look at her jobs.

  [Beast Warrior: 6, Vilger: 8, Farmer: 1, Warrior: 1, Swordsman: 1, Explorer: 1]

  Yep, no surprises here. I wonder if she should stay with Beast Warrior or prepare for the Assassin job.

  “That fits you well, Roxanne. Of course, it magically conforms, but I mean, overall. Please sit and lift one foot.”

  “Um, yes, Master.”

  “This is a Cord of Substitution. Please wear it at all times and check that it is secure before going to the byrinth.”

  “Is this for me?”

  “Yes, Roxanne, Sherry makes them and I require everyone to wear one. Here’s an empty charging crystal and I picked out a short sword and small shield for you.”

  “Thank you, Master. That is exactly what I prefer.”

  “Theo, the thinner man, suggested it. Let’s go.”

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  “OK, here we are on the 4th floor of Nordselm’s Labyrinth. The main monsters are slugs that spit sticky thread, which can capture you. There will also be some rabbits and trees. This isn’t a test. I just want to see your fighting style.”

  Roxanne probably hasn’t been in a byrinth since st season, perhaps even earlier. Still, she moves gracefully and is certainly fit so maybe she’s been running or following the sve shop’s fitness program, whatever that is. As expected, nothing could touch her. Her hits are rather light but accurate. Considering her style, Assassin is looking like the best option.

  Oops, I let that tree hit me. Meh, barely felt it. That Slime skill really helps.

  “Master, are you not injured?”

  “No, Roxanne, this armor is much better than it looks.”

  “Still, I’m sorry I couldn’t block it.”

  “We’ll be part of a full party. I’ll need you to block some of the attacks, not all. Anyway, it’s my fault for not paying attention. I was too focused on figuring out the best position for you.”

  “Oh, in what position would you like me, Master?”

  (Don’t think about the manga. This isn’t the manga. Roxanne is a real person.) [1]

  “We’ll talk about that ter. Guide us to the next set of monsters.”

  “Oh, you know about wolf-kin having a good sense of smell?”

  Oops, maybe that’s not common knowledge. Well, she has hound ears so it shouldn’t be that surprising.

  “Yes, I’ve read that. Is it true?”

  “Yes, Master. It’s my specialty.”

  We go through a few more sets of monsters and then warp back home.

  Sherry showed Roxanne to her room and helped her get settled. Alina quickly came up to me and whispered in my ear.

  “So, is she the one?”

  “It’s just a story, Alina.”

  “Sure looks like you believe it.”

  “Just don’t fill her head with any weird ideas.”

  “I’d never do that.”

  At lunch, everyone gave longer introductions though I remained quiet — I’d rather have them talk behind my back.

  “Roxanne had no trouble on Nordselm’s 4th so we’ll start on the 11th and possibly go higher.”

  “Want us to come with you, Boss?”

  “Yes, we still have a few weeks together so may as well be at full strength till then. We can do the tests without you ter.”

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  “Roxanne, stay back with me for a while to observe the others.”

  With the guys up front in standard formation, she studied Theo with the intensity of a professional athlete reviewing the tapes. Of course, she watched Marcus too, but mainly in his interaction with Theo. After a while, I had Sherry join them and ter had Alina repce Theo. Roxanne watched them all seriously, even moving her shoulders in sync with Alina at times.

  Eventually, Roxanne repced Marcus and Sherry stayed in the middle. The three women didn’t take up much more room than the two rge men. With the improved symmetry, the front felt better guarded. Having a shorter front line, made spell targeting easier. Of course, we’ll experience a drop in party strength when the guys leave. Another dwarf up front would be ideal for symmetry and maybe I’ll find a Mage for extra firepower.

  If Rutina fails to become the next count, and has nowhere better to go, I’ll invite her to join us. In the end, she really turned out to be a nice person and has the potential to become a good addition to the party. Well, better that she keep her position and getting another fighter might be more useful. While I was daydreaming, Theo reminded me that it’s time for a little break. May as well introduce her to the chief so I take us to the edge of the vilge.

  “Bernhard is my friend and the chief of this vilge. Roxanne is our newest party member.”

  They greeted each other politely and some of the children came to do the same, though the boys were a bit intimidated. Bernhard gave me a wineskin of mead for some reason and went back to the fields. The rest of us stayed to eat a little bread and water.

  “Roxanne, have you ever defeated a monster with poison, such as the poison spikes from ants?”

  “Um, yes, Master, I did that in a game I pyed when I was a child.”

  “Good. That’s required for one of the jobs I have in mind for you.”

  “I am a Beast Warrior, Master.”

  “Yes, it’s a good job, but it emphasizes strength. For your speed and agility, Assassin might be a better match.”

  Alina confirms, “Exactly what I was thinking.”

  Others nodded.

  “Alright, what would I need to do?”

  “Using poison was one requirement. The other is to gain enough experience as a regur Warrior. Would you mind switching jobs now?”

  “If you say that I should, I’m ready. Is there a temple nearby?”

  “No need. I can do that directly for party members. Here, show me your left hand.”

  “Huh?”

  “See, you have the Warrior job now. In a few weeks, you’ll be able to switch to Assassin or one of the other jobs that rely on Warrior, like Knight.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible! You really do have special powers.”

  “Well, they are convenient. Anyway, let’s move on to the 18th floor to fight flying monsters. These will be harder to dodge and I’ll be using a lot more magic. Roxanne, cover the rear guard for now.”

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  This floor turned out to be a bit of a challenge for the level 1 Warrior. Of course, she was wearing her lifeline and had the rest of the party to protect her. I switched from Priest to Monk so I could focus healing on her. This was especially important since she was still using inferior equipment. Keeping Roxanne as the rear guard made it easier to keep track of her health and she seemed happy to be able to guard me directly.

  Was it her sense of duty to want to protect the presumably defenseless Mage? Did it feel like higher status to be needed by the boss? Maybe it just felt good to be back in the byrinths or just to be useful. One thing that’s certain is that I was wasting brain power on something that wasn’t actually a problem. Roxanne is happy and she’s a good addition to the party. That’s it.

  We continued this way for a few hours. I called a stop and we went home for light chores and cooking. I showed Roxanne around the yard and told her about the vilge square, some of the people we’re connected to and an abbreviated summary of what I’ve been doing since I came to this world, without mentioning that st detail.

  We ate dinner and I decided to set up the baths. Seems that we’re one short. Even with the girls being on the small side (in some ways), the four of us wouldn’t be comfortable. I didn’t want to send one of them to the guys’ bath any more than I would go there myself.

  Marcus walks up to say, “Theo and I are going for a run. We’ll bathe sometime ter.”

  Just a moment ter, the three gals walk up to me, but I just can’t let Alina speak first.

  “The guys are going to bathe ter. Alina and Sherry, you can take their tub tonight. Roxanne, come share mine.”

  While not as cartoonish as the manga, the real Roxanne’s figure wasn’t exactly subtle. [2] Her tail was practically invisible in the presence of such overwhelming beauty. I’ve never been one to get overly carried away purely by physical appearance, but Roxanne was on a completely different scale.

  This is too much. We can’t have our first time and quite possibly her very first time in a damn bathtub! I’ll just stare at her tail for a while to pull myself together. Nope, doesn’t help.

  “Roxanne, I’m feeling dizzy. Please come up to my room ter so we can talk.”

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  “Master, I think I know why you called me up here.”

  “Yes, Roxanne. I know that it should be very simple, but I can’t help feeling conflicted.”

  “It’s because I’m a wolf-kin, right? Alina told me about the tail. It’s not her fault, though. I was concerned about why you sometimes look away from me.”

  (Crap, this is terrible. Why would Alina do this? Um, wait, I never told her about my aversion to tails. Oh, she said tale. Yeah, those words are completely different in real Brahim. Let’s go with ‘the tale’ instead of ‘feeling too lustful towards my sve’.)

  “Back in my homend, I read a story about a young man who found himself unbelievably far from home. He was helped by a young wolf-kin woman who was described as being strong and beautiful, very much like you.”

  “And that makes you uncomfortable?”

  (Take a deep breath. This is the right thing to say.)

  “I imagined what she’d look like, sound like, even smell like. The problem is, in that story, she was his. I don’t like that. I want you, the real Roxanne, to be mine.”

  “Yes, David, make me your Roxanne.”

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  [1] At least David didn’t see the anime.[2] Roxanne looks very different in the manga and LN cover art. In this story, Roxanne looks more like the LN’s description, which is somewhere in between the two.