My Master

“I’ll get straight to it――Rin, I want you to swallow the Magic Inscription Stones we bought earlier today.”

“Huh?”

Rin and I ate at the restaurant attached to the inn’s first floor, then returned to the room.

Ekarraat was minding the room, resting her head on the arm of the long sofa like a pillow while eating the apples we bought in bulk earlier.

I took out three Magic Inscription Stones and placed them in front of Rin.

Each one had a spell engraved: 【Fire Enchant】, 【Ice Enchant】, and 【Thunder Enchant】.

“Am I supposed to use these…?”

Rin looked bewildered as she stared at the Magic Inscription Stones.

“I’ve put you in danger many times because of me. There may be situations in the future where I can’t protect you completely. So tomorrow, I plan to level you up in a dungeon.”

There have already been multiple precedents: the palace knights’ attack on the mansion and Annise’s raid on our hideout.

Considering the possibility that Rin could be exposed to even greater danger in the future, I decided to level her up.

These are Rin’s stats.

Her class is Thief――a front-line role.

But I couldn’t send a Level-1 Rin to fight in the front lines and risk her getting injured.

That’s why I bought the Magic Inscription Stones so she could learn support skills.

Experience points are gained by defeating monsters.

However――even if you don’t directly strike the monsters, if support actions like casting healing or buff magic on frontliners are judged to have “contributed to defeating the monsters,” experience will be shared with the supporter.

“Rin will use attribute-enchanting magic to strengthen my weapon. Then, when I defeat the monsters, Rin will gain experience points too—that’s the idea.”

This way, I can safely raise Rin’s level.

‘Feels a bit overprotective, don’t you think?’

“(Shut up).”

I brushed off Ekarraat’s teasing casually.

Even if you just raise levels, without natural physical ability to back it up, she’ll be sure to be caught off guard someday.

Still, raising her level for self-defense alone is a useful measure.

“Um… do I swallow these?”

“Just think of them as slightly oversized pills and it might… or might not work?”

Rin panicked――I could certainly understand how she felt.

They’re about the size of a small dumpling, and they look like small stones.

She’d naturally be reluctant to swallow them.

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

“I-if my Master says so…”

“As expected. Good girl, Rin.”

“Nngh!”

Rin grabbed the hem of my coat with one hand, put one Magic Inscription Stone in her mouth with the other, and swallowed it with water.

Gripping the coat until it creased, Rin swallowed all three Magic Inscription Stones.

I also made her drink the 【MP Capacity Break (Limit Up) 】 potion the magic goods shop owner had given us as a bonus.

“Haa… haa…”

It looked pretty rough; a trickle of water had dripped from the corner of her lips down to her chin, and her large purple eyes were tearful.

“Amazing, Rin. You did great.”

“Ehehe… yes, because it’s for my Master.”

I patted Rin on the head.

Rin smiled shyly and kept letting me stroke her head.

“Kep… ah… ugh…”

Perhaps from swallowing three foreign objects at once, Rin let out a small burp and hung her head in embarrassment.

I pretended not to hear it and continued to stroke her head.

＊＊＊

Rin’s body began to change an hour after she swallowed the Magic Inscription Stones.

“Ugh… M-Master…”

“Rin!? Are you okay!?”

Rin lay on the bed, her face contorted in pain.

“Rin is a Thief class who doesn’t use magic――and yet she swallowed three Magic Inscription Stones at once, so it seems she’s being tossed about by the whirl of mana flowing inside her body.”

Ekarraat answered as she examined Rin.

“If you knew that, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have given her three at once.

“She won’t die or anything, so it’s fine. By tomorrow morning the skills will have fully settled and the pain will be gone.”

‘You really are like that in these situations, huh…’

Because we’re Undead――to us, unless it’s death, it’s practically a scratch.

According to Ekarraat――it takes about half a day for the skill engraved in a Magic Inscription Stone to become fixed to the body.

During that time, I stayed by her side and nursed Rin.

The symptoms were similar to a fever.

Since it wasn’t an external wound or injury, Windine’s healing magic was useless.

I changed the damp cloth on her forehead to lower her temperature and wiped the sweat from her body.

“Rin… it’s my mistake, I’m sorry.”

“Haa haa… Master… I’ll be f-fine… I don’t want to… be a burden…”

Dazed, Rin mumbled like someone in a feverish delirium.

It would be easier on me if she said she hated me or something like that…

Her stomach rumbled――so loud it could be heard from here.

The Magic Inscription Stones were dissolving in her stomach, and an enormous amount of mana—by Rin’s standards—was probably rushing through her entire body.

――At that moment, a distant memory came to mind.

Back before I became a slave.

I remembered living in a Shikai Tribe village, working the fields.

When my stomach hurt, my mother would gently rub my belly.

Strangely, I recalled how the pain would ease when my mother stroked me.

“I already told you it’ll be fine by tomorrow even if you leave her be. You’re strict with yourself but ridiculously soft with those close to you.”

Ignoring Ekarraat’s words, I gently stroked Rin’s stomach.

Just as my mother had done for me long ago.

“Haa, haa… phew.”

And then what do you know.

Rin’s breathing seemed to stabilize slightly.

After that, I continued stroking Rin’s stomach and nursing her.

Late into the night――until Rin finally fell asleep――I stayed.

＊＊＊

――The next morning.

Rinrin Ringland woke up on the soft bed.

“Ma-Master…?”

Beside Rin’s bed sat Sid, who had fallen asleep in his chair.

“You stayed there… the whole night, didn’t you?”

She reached a hand gently to her abdomen beneath the blankets.

Her stomachache had completely healed, and thanks to acquiring new skills, she actually felt invigorated by an unfamiliar energy.

“Master… thank you… I adore you… my… my very own… Master.”

Rin looked at the sleeping face of the beloved master who had stayed up all night to care for her and wiped the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes with her finger.