"P-please… Setsuna begs you—sob—please save them… H-hero!"
Setsuna's small hands clutched at my legs like she was drowning, and I was the only thing keeping her afloat. For a second, I just froze—staring down at her trembling figure—completely blindsided. My hands moved almost on their own, hovering before settling on her shoulders.
"F-first… get up, okay? Tell me what's wrong," I said, my voice cracking.
It was the first time anyone had ever cried holding onto me like this. The first time someone had begged me for help. I didn't know what to do—panic clawed at me just watching her cry.
Roxanne knelt down beside her, her hand brushing gently along Setsuna's back.
"If you want Master's help, then explain it to him properly," she whispered kindly.
Her calm tone seemed to reach Setsuna. The tight grip on my legs loosened as she blinked up at Roxanne with teary eyes and gave the faintest nod. Roxanne and Sherry helped her up, guiding her into a chair.
Even sitting, Setsuna was shaking, hands pressed together as though she were trying to make herself smaller. Tears still welled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over again.
I couldn't stand it. I pulled my chair closer and gently took her cold hands in mine.
"Setsuna… tell me what's wrong. Is something happening in your village?" I asked, trying to soften my voice as much as I could.
Her watery blue eyes flicked up to mine. Hesitation wavered in them, like she wasn't sure if she should say something.
Sherry leaned in softly on the other side. "You need to tell Master clearly. Only then can he help."
The room had gone quiet. All the girls were watching her now.
Setsuna gripped my hand tighter, her voice breaking as she forced the words out.
"M-Master… Setsuna's village… it has been taken—taken by bandits! Sniff… if H-hero doesn't help… then everyone… everyone will be gone!"
"Bandits?" I muttered, stunned.
It instantly made me think of the bandits I had fought on my very first day in this world. They too had been attacking a village, and of course, I couldn't help but recall the original backstory of Setsuna from Redo of Healer.
"Did bandits attack your village?" Roxanne asked softly, worry in her eyes as she knelt beside Setsuna, gently stroking her back.
Setsuna nodded, sniffling.
"I… know this might be painful," I said gently, careful with my tone, "but can you tell me exactly what happened in your village? Where it is? When did the bandits attack? And… what happened afterwards?"
Too many questions were swirling in my head, but I forced myself to keep calm.
Setsuna nodded again, trying to hold back her tears.
"Setsuna's village… Nayuta, it was a small, peaceful place. The nearest town was called Braston. Even though we were from the icewolf tribe, none of us were fascinated by fighting. And that was because of our village chief—my father. He was the gentlest, most caring man ever…" she whispered, her voice soft, a trembling smile breaking through her tears.
I listened closely, committing every word to memory. If I wasn't mistaken, Nayuta had been her realname in the original Redo story, but here it was the name of her village. And Braston—yes, that was the same town the slave merchant had mentioned his shop was from.
"Father was an explorer before. Together with Mother, they used to dive into labyrinths to earn money. Even when Setsuna was little, I wanted to be just like them. But then… Mother died in a labyrinth. After that, Father stopped fighting. He gave up going to the labyrinth and stayed in the village, raising me and taking care of everyone else. It wasn't so bad… because it meant Setsuna could spend more time with him and not miss Mother so much." Her smile softened with a trace of grief.
From her tone, I could already guess that her father was no longer alive. So I kept quiet, letting her unburden her heart.
Also the more I heard, the more I noticed that her Brahim wasn't perfect—it carried a heavy dialect. And she was also referring to herself in third person. But as most girls here couldn't speak the burner language, I let her continue in Brahim.
"Everything was so nice… Father even started teaching Setsuna how to fight. We even hunted goblins in the nearby forest together." A fragile smile touched her lips, then faded. "But… it all changed when, out of nowhere, bandits attacked our village!" Her voice hardened, her grip tightening around my hands as a flicker of anger flashed in her tear-stained eyes.
"Th-they attacked early in the morning. Setsuna was still sleeping when the uncle who was our neighbour came to warn Father about Bandits attacking. And Setsuna joined him, carrying the new sword Father had given me for my birthday," she said quietly. "B-but there were so many of them… all of them with metal swords in hand. Father, Uncle, the Aunts—everyone fought so desperately… Setsuna fought too, even killed two enemies… but we still lost." Her body trembled as she spoke.
"Their bandit leader, along with two of his men, ganged up on Father… and k-killed him." Her gaze fell to the floor, tears dripping freely. "Setsuna froze when that hateful bandit leader held Father's… severed head high and laughed as he declared the village chief… dead." Her voice broke into a choked whisper.
Gasps escaped from the nearby girls, their faces contorted with pain as many had started crying too.
"Setsuna couldn't believe it… She desperately ran to the Bandit leader, screaming to let go of my father! B-but Setsuna… she was too weak… too powerless. He knocked her out so easily." She broke into uncontrollable sobs.
I could only caress her trembling hands, each sob piercing me like needles. Unknowingly, an ember of hatred began to burn inside me. I wanted nothing more than to kill that bastard who had murdered her father… who had made my Setsuna cry.
"N-next thing Setsuna knew… she woke up in a small room." She struggled to steady her voice, though the tears didn't stop. "There was a collar around her neck… and a Slave Merchant told Setsuna that he had bought her to be sold at the Big Auction in three days." Her voice dulled, shoulders slumping. "He said that by selling Setsuna, he could earn enough to buy the other Icewolf villagers as slaves… and that if Setsuna wanted them to live, then she had to obey and be docile."
Now everything clicked—her empty expression, her lack of enthusiasm when I bought her. It was all because she hadn't chosen to be a slave. She had been forced into it, blackmailed into submission.
"Such a horrible man…" Anastasia muttered bitterly.
I could only nod. From the very first moment, I had sensed it—the Slave Merchant wasn't just bad… he was rotten to the core.
"What is the Slave Merchant Guild even doing, letting a man like him become a merchant?!" Erina muttered, anger burning in her voice.
"I can't even imagine something like this happening to my village…" Lilia said softly, her face heavy with sorrow.
"You've suffered so much," Yasaka whispered, stepping forward to place a comforting hand on Setsuna's trembling shoulder.
"Having your father killed right before your eyes…" Vesta choked, tears spilling as she covered her face. Kunou and Shea, standing beside her, were crying too.
"So the bandits are still at your village?" Sherry asked, folding her arms tightly.
"Most… probably," Setsuna managed, trying and failing to hold back her sobs.
"How could bandits do something this cruel, so openly?! I thought they only stole things!" Shera burst out, glaring in outrage and pity.
"That's the difference between thieves and bandits," Remu said quietly, her gaze downcast. "Bandits are far worse."
"Both sound like the worst kind of scum," Ram said sharply.
"They deserve punishment," Rem added firmly, nodding.
"This kind of filth should be left to die in the burning desert sun," Jasmine muttered, her tone like ice.
"Yes…" Nyx echoed, her eyes dark with anger.
"We should report this to the Knight Guild!" Viviana declared, her voice righteous.
"No!" Setsuna cried suddenly, looking up with wide, fearful eyes. "The Slave Merchant had warned me—if Setsuna tells the Knight Guild or even utters this to her future master, then everyone in Setsuna's village will be killed. The only way they will be spared… is if Setsuna and them become slaves and get sold." Her voice cracked, heavy with defeat.
So it's like when terrorists take hostages, I thought grimly. If the police are informed, they kill them.
"Such a twisted monster," Sherry said through clenched teeth, her expression taut with fury.
"Setsuna… had already accepted her fate… and the fate of her fellow villagers," she muttered, sniffling. Her voice trembled as she clutched her hands in her lap. "At least… at least if we became slaves, we could still live. Setsuna was powerless to change anything. Powerless to protect anyone. So… Setsuna decided to say nothing. To bury the thought of revenge forever…"
Her head lowered.
"Father had already sacrificed himself to protect the village… so this… this was Setsuna's way of protecting them too. The only way she could…"
She drew in a shaky breath.
"B-but… the Gods haven't forsaken Setsuna," she whispered, lifting her tear-streaked face toward me, her blue eyes glistening. "Because Master… Master turned out to be the legendary Hero from the stories!"
Her voice cracked with a fragile hope.
"Setsuna is powerless… but the Hero is strong! Surely… surely Master can save the villagers. Surely the Hero can avenge all the wrongs those people did!"
Suddenly, she dropped to her knees again, holding my hand tightly with both of hers.
"Please, Master… please, Hero… hear Setsuna's plea!" Her voice broke, almost ragged from sobbing. "I beg you—save them! Avenge Father! Setsuna has nothing… nothing left. I already belong to you. But if you grant my wish, then Setsuna will devote everything—my body, my heart, my soul—only to you, for as long as I live. I won't ask for anything ever again… so please… Hero… save them!"
Her heart-wrenching plea pierced the room like a blade.
"…Of course!"
The one to answer wasn't me.
It was Roxanne.
She had already moved beside Setsuna, wrapping her arms around her, gently cradling Setsuna's crying face into her soft bosom.
"Don't you worry," Roxanne whispered soothingly, stroking her hair. "Master is very strong. He will definitely save your village. I promise," her voice full of unshakable confidence.
She hadn't even asked for my opinion—she simply declared it on my behalf. But I didn't mind. I wasn't angry.
Because even before Setsuna begged me… even before she dropped to her knees and poured out her heart—
—I had already decided.
From the moment she began her story, my answer had been chosen.
In her tale I could see echoes of her "canon" story from Redo of the Healer—forced into slavery, her people and village destroyed. But that had only been lines of text on a screen. Flat drawings in two dimensions.
Now… she was right in front of me.
A living, breathing girl.
Crying her heart out.
Opening her wounds.
Sharing every horrible thing that had happened to her.
And I couldn't stay detached.
How could my blood not boil, hearing such despicable people existed in this new world?
This wasn't some story I read on the internet. This wasn't a tragic anime backstory.
This was real.
And as she spoke of her father's death, I couldn't help but think of my own parents.
What would I do… if someone murdered them in front of me?
I knew the answer.
I'd go to any lengths. I'd burn the world if I had to.
And so… my answer had been decided long before she finished.
"I have already told you, Setsuna," I said, leaning forward and gently cupping her tear-streaked face in my hands. "You're part of my family now. Your problems are my problems. This has nothing to do with me being a Hero—because even without that job, I could never sit still while someone hurts you… So yes, I will help you. I will save your village. And the ones who made you cry…" I said in my gentlest voice while looking into her clear blue eyes. "…they will pay in blood."
"Master… thank you… thank you so much!!" Setsuna sobbed, pressing her face against my lap as she clutched my hands with desperate strength.
"Not just Master, but I will help too!" Roxanne said warmly, rubbing Setsuna's back.
"Scum like that deserves to be erased," Sherry added with a sharp nod.
"I'll help save your village as well!" Lillia said energetically, wiping her tears.
"I also… want to do something," Anastasia whispered, her eyes damp.
"I'm strong! I can fight!" Vesta declared, still sniffling.
"I'll stand for justice too," Viviana said firmly as she stepped forward.
"I have no doubt I can cut down such worthless trash," Jasmine spat, anger in her eyes.
"Me too. Even as a Rabbitkin, I can't just run away from this," Shea said through her tears.
"They deserve death for something so horrible!" Shera exclaimed, pumping her fist.
"I'd also like to help rid the world of such bandits," Remu said seriously.
"I… I'll fight as well," Kunou whispered, wiping her cheeks with her sleeves.
"I may not be a fighter, but I'll support Master and Setsuna in every way I can," Yasaka said with quiet confidence.
"They must be punished," Erina said softly, secretly brushing away her tears.
"I'll join Master in battle too," Ram declared without hesitation.
"I'll stand with my Nee-san… if I'm not a burden," Rem echoed softly.
Nyx simply clenched her fist, her fighting spirit blazing in silence.
"Thank you… thank you, all of you," Setsuna said, wiping her eyes as she looked around. "Setsuna is truly blessed."
Watching them rally one by one, I couldn't help but think again—these girls were far braver than the girls back home, they were even braver than me.
…Well, except for the one still asleep, mumbling about fish, blissfully oblivious to everything happening around her!
***
[MN01 has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]