'Daughter of Luck: Sherry (Half-Awakened)'
'Specialty: Taming'
'Special Talents: Heart of Communication, Power of Affinity!'
'She is a tamer who is close to nature. Once she grows into an excellent beast tamer, any magical beast will willingly obey her.'
This Daughter of Luck was still only half-awakened. She could not use her talents, and Dark Creatures could sense her presence. A potion could be used to complete her Basic Awakening.
Basic Awakening Potion recipe: one portion of White Jade Flower, one portion of Earth Lotus Grass, two white tulips...
"Hm, so there's a Daughter of Luck with this kind of talent? And the recipe's different, too!"
Nalant was surprised as he looked at the girl the villagers had brought in.
He had assumed that the second Daughter of Misfortune would have a combat-related talent as well. He hadn't expected her to be a tamer.
However, one line in the handbook's description of the girl's profession had caught Nalant's attention: 'Once she grows into an excellent beast tamer, any magical beast will willingly obey her.'
Nalant thought this girl named Sherry had great potential. In the future, she should be no less useful than someone with a combat profession.
"My lord! Should we... should we prepare the pyre now?" Kenbi Cowdung asked, his expression complicated, as Nalant silently studied Sherry.
As a resident of Misfortune Village, Kenbi Cowdung had also seen his loved ones sent to the stake.
He had never believed that his daughter was someone abandoned by the gods, but the arrival of the Dark Creatures had left him no choice but to believe it.
The girl named Sherry was only fourteen, but now that she had become a Daughter of Misfortune, he could only harden his heart and follow tradition by carrying out the execution as quickly as possible, sending the misfortune back to hell.
"No need! Kenbi Cowdung, your main task right now is to keep watch over the coast. I'll take this girl named Sherry back to the castle and deal with her!" Nalant shook his head.
"Yes, my lord!" Kenbi Cowdung breathed a sigh of relief. Sherry's death was inevitable, but not having to carry it out himself or witness it would make things easier for him.
Kenbi Cowdung watched as the guards escorted Sherry into a carriage and headed for the castle.
"My lord, you're back!" Now that there were enough people, the castle's security needed attention too.
So whenever Nalant went out, he had to leave a squad of guards behind to watch over the castle.
Vivian was on duty today. When she saw Nalant returning, she had opened the castle gates wide well in advance to welcome her lord.
"Mm, I'm back!" Nalant dismounted, in a rather good mood.
Just then, Vivian looked toward Sherry in the carriage. Though her hands and feet were unbound, Vivian could see a ring of golden runes in Sherry's eyes.
Vivian was startled, and couldn't help worrying about the girl.
"Vivian, take Sherry to the study and wait for me!"
"Yes, my lord!" Vivian didn't know whether Sherry would be as lucky as she had been. With mixed feelings, she led Sherry toward the inner keep.
After the two women left, Nalant went to the storage room.
It didn't take long for him to find the ingredients for the potion Sherry needed to awaken.
To keep the recipe from leaking, he still planned to prepare it himself.
"Greetings, my lord!"
"Greetings, my lord!"
When Nalant entered the study carrying a teacup, he broke the heavy silence in the room.
"Mm!" Nalant sat directly behind the desk, then studied the fourteen-year-old girl, who looked like a little girl.
But as Nalant studied Sherry, she was secretly studying him, too. That was a rare sight among the serfs.
"My lord, are you going to burn me to death?" To Nalant's surprise, Sherry spoke before he could say anything.
"My lord, could you please not burn me to death? Or you could hang me instead!"
"Why choose hanging instead of burning?" Nalant was curious. He hadn't expected the little girl to be so interesting.
Vivian, standing off to the side, was quite worried. Bargaining with the lord was out of line, but she held her tongue, since everything depended on what her lord decided.
"Because I'm afraid it'll hurt, my lord!" Seeing no sign that Nalant was angry, Sherry explained. After a pause, she added, "And after I'm burned to death, I'll turn all black and charred. I don't want to become so ugly that even my mother won't recognize me!"
"Mm, afraid of pain and worried about looking ugly. Those are fair reasons!" Nalant couldn't help laughing.
Perhaps because they had awakened as Daughters of Luck, he had noticed that both Vivian and Sherry had unusually fair, delicate skin for serfs. They were also among the few serfs with such refined, beautiful features.
After all, serfs could barely get enough to eat, and they had to work outdoors in the sun and rain. Their skin might not usually be pitch-black, but rough and darkened skin was the norm.
"Then, my lord, does that mean you'll grant my request? You'll hang me instead?" Seeing Nalant laugh, Sherry assumed he had agreed.
"Sherry, hanging may not hurt, but your tongue will grow long and stick out of your mouth, and you won't be able to stuff it back in!" Nalant said with amusement, planning to tease the little girl.
"Ah! Really? What should I do, then?" Sherry covered her mouth at once.
"Mm, but I do have an idea. I could give you poison. That way, it wouldn't hurt, and you wouldn't look ugly!" Nalant pretended to think for a moment before suggesting it to Sherry.
"Huh? Drink poison?" Sherry thought about it. She couldn't remember hearing of that way to die, but if the lord suggested it, it must be even better than hanging. Delighted, she thanked Nalant. "Sherry thanks you, my lord. You really are a kind lord!"
"..." Seeing Sherry's reaction, Nalant didn't know what to say. "Don't thank me. Drink this cup of tea! Then I'll agree!"
This was death, yet the little girl was overjoyed just because she'd been offered a different way to die. Nalant was curious about how her mind worked.
But he was only teasing the child. Once the joke was over, he handed her the potion.
To keep others from noticing, Nalant had poured the prepared potion into a porcelain cup and disguised it as ordinary tea. Even Vivian hadn't suspected anything when they entered.
But when she heard Nalant's words, Vivian's eyes lit up. She immediately remembered the medicinal soup she had drunk in her bedroom that night.
"All right, my lord!" Sherry didn't hesitate. She took the porcelain cup, sniffed it, then gulped it all down.
A moment after drinking the potion, Sherry began to sway.
"Vivian, take her to the maids' room to rest. Mm, explain everything to her once she wakes up!"
"Yes, my lord!" Vivian couldn't hide her delight. She was happy for the sweet, lively girl, Sherry.
"My lord, you truly are a kind and great lord!" Just as she was leaving the room, Vivian suddenly said to Nalant.
Without waiting for him to reply, she happily left.
"Heh!" Nalant shook his head with a smile.
Even if it wasn't for the girls' abilities, being able to cure them and keep them from being sent to the stake was enough to warm his heart.