The Old Society Turned People into Ghosts

The next morning.

When Bruce saw Chuan Wenwu and Raphtalia come out of the same room, his canine eyes went wide, brimming with hurt. You two snuck off without me?

"What's with that look?" Chuan Wenwu scolded him with a laugh, then briefly explained what had happened last night, including why Raphtalia had been so averse to Bruce.

"I-I'm sorry, Big Brother Bruce..."

Raphtalia timidly apologized to Bruce, her reddish-brown eyes fluttering, full of remorse. The sight nearly melted his heart.

"Woof~ You've already called me your big brother, so what more is there to say? Of course I forgive you!" Bruce's gaze suddenly sharpened, filling with menace. "Besides, it wasn't your fault. Those rotten bastards were to blame. If we ever run into any more Demon Hounds that don't know their place, just watch your big dog brother chop them to pieces!"

He patted the door-sized greatsword strapped to his back, making it clang. Ever since his boss had bought him this deadly weapon yesterday, he still hadn't had a chance to properly use it.

"Big Brother Bruce..."

Raphtalia looked up in surprise. She had never expected Bruce to accept her apology so readily.

Bruce shook his head and did what he had wanted to do yesterday but never managed: he reached out with his large hand, gently rested it on Raphtalia's head, and stroked her hair.

So this is what patting someone's head feels like? Pretty nice. No wonder the boss liked petting my head before, though getting petted feels great too... Bruce's initially solemn expression crumbled into a goofy grin. (Picture a golden retriever's dopey, blissed-out expression.)

Raphtalia trembled too.

So this is what Big Brother Bruce's hand feels like? It's furry, but it's so warm. It makes me feel safe, just like the Hero...

Watching the two Demi-Humans, one big and one small, interact warmed Chuan Wenwu's heart too. He clapped his hands. "All right, seeing you two getting along puts my mind at ease. But you'll have plenty of time together later, so there's no rush. Get yourselves ready. We're going to have a chat with the Weapon Shop's owner."

After checking out of the inn, they had a simple breakfast at a restaurant, then headed to Elhart's Weapon Shop.

Along the way, Raphtalia looked around curiously, fascinated by everything outside. Although she had been down this street yesterday, she had been unconscious at the time, so she remembered none of it...

"Hey, boss, I'm back!"

Holding Raphtalia's little hand, Chuan Wenwu pushed open the Weapon Shop's door and greeted its owner, who had opened for business bright and early like an NPC.

"Ha, lad, back again! Not to complain, but aren't you coming here a little too often? Anyone who didn't know better would think this was your home!" Elhart was still tending to the equipment and dusting it off. Every time Chuan Wenwu visited, the owner seemed to be doing these chores, yet he never seemed to hire an assistant to help out.

"Boss, that's a little distant of you." Chuan Wenwu put on a wounded expression. "I thought we could call ourselves friends by now. After all, you're the person I've dealt with most since coming to this world. I haven't even dealt with the other heroes as often as I have with you~"

"Eugh-"

Elhart shuddered and waved his hands repeatedly. "Stop, stop. Those expressions and gestures are making my skin crawl, lad. Just tell me what you're here for."

"Can't I come chat with you without needing something? You're so mean..." Chuan Wenwu still looked eager to keep going, but when he saw the owner's expression darken as though he wanted to punch him, he cleared his throat twice and became serious again.

He bent down, slipped his hands under Raphtalia's arms, and whisked the stunned Raccoon Girl into the air, holding her up in front of Elhart. "Look who I brought!"

"Hm? This little girl is the one you rescued from that slave trader yesterday?"

Elhart frowned as he carefully looked Raphtalia over, then his brow slowly relaxed. "Lad, you really know your stuff. When you carried this girl into my shop yesterday, she looked sickly enough to drop dead at any moment. It's only been half a day, hasn't it? And you've already gotten her looking this lively. Impressive!"

Chuan Wenwu set Raphtalia back on the floor, rubbed her head, and sighed. "It wasn't because I'm that good. Raphtalia didn't have any major problems to begin with. She'd just been worn down by a whole bunch of minor illnesses. Treating them was simple enough. All it took was the right medicine..."

The owner picked up where he left off, shaking his head. "But that's exactly why it would never happen. How could those money-grubbing slave traders bear to spend money treating their 'merchandise'? Still, this little girl's name is Raphtalia? That's a lovely name. Did you give it to her?"

"No. Her parents gave her that name."

Feeling Raphtalia tremble slightly, Chuan Wenwu shook his head and continued stroking her hair to comfort her. At the same time, he briefly told Elhart about her past-

The village where she had lived had been swept away and destroyed by the calamity wave, and Raphtalia's parents had been killed by monsters. After barely holding on until the wave ended, the survivors had rebuilt their village amid the ruins. But one night, a group of men calling themselves soldiers had stormed in, massacred the villagers, and taken the others away as slaves...

"Tell me, boss." Chuan Wenwu slammed his hand onto the counter, his expression fierce. "Do you know anything about those 'soldiers' who storm into Demi-Human settlements, do whatever they please, and force free Demi-Humans into slavery?"

"..."

Elhart wiped away his sweat, looking troubled too.

"That's a pretty pointed question! I don't know much about that sort of thing, but I have heard about it. This is a country of 'human supremacy,' after all. Demi-Humans never had much status to begin with. With the tacit approval of the royal family and the nobles, those soldiers sometimes seize the chance to attack innocent Demi-Human villages, round them up, and sell them for money... Even if it comes to light afterward, nothing happens to them. The powerful have given their tacit approval, after all, and hardly anyone speaks up for Demi-Humans..."

People who had spent their entire lives in Melromarc saw nothing wrong with this. After all, they had always lived in that sort of environment, and they were humans, not Demi-Humans. They could not personally feel what those Demi-Humans felt, nor would they go out of their way to speak up for Demi-Humans they didn't know.

Elhart had traveled abroad to learn his craft and had dealt with adventurers from different countries. Though that let him recognize how wrong this was, he was only a Weapon Shop owner. There was nothing he could do.

Recalling the miserable state of those slaves of unknown origin he had seen in the slave trader's shop yesterday, like pitiful ghosts suffering in hell, Chuan Wenwu suddenly gained a deeper understanding of words he had once only read in books:

"A backward, rotten old society only turns people into ghosts..."