21. Thanks to the Destiny God

The next day, I made my way to the Adventurer's Guild before the Second Bell.

Perhaps because I was so exhausted from the previous day's events, I’d slept like a log. I hadn't felt particularly refreshed when I woke up, which made me a little slow to get moving. As a result, I reached the guild just as the bell was about to toll. The ringing started almost the exact moment I arrived, which sent me into a bit of a panic.

"Sorry, I'm late!"

"No, you’re fine," Rei said, waving a hand. "The Second Bell is just ringing now, so you’re right on time."

I apologized to Rei and the others, but they didn't seem to mind. I suppose I’d made it just under the wire.

In addition to Rei’s trio, Halfa was also waiting in front of the guild. When I greeted her, she gave me a small smile and grabbed the hem of my cloak. Wait, why?

"Is something wrong?"

I asked, but Halfa only tilted her head with a puzzled look.

Well, okay then.

The Collar of Subjugation was still locked around her neck. I wondered how the analysis was going.

"Do you think they’ll be able to break the spell?" I asked Rei.

He frowned slightly. "It seems they can find traces of where the incantation was overwritten, but they’re having a difficult time with the actual restoration."

"I see."

It didn't sound like it was completely impossible, but it definitely felt like it would take a while.

"As for what to do with her... originally, I was planning on looking after her at my house, but..." Rei looked at me with a conflicted expression.

I wasn't sure what he was getting at. Did this have something to do with me?

While I was still trying to grasp the situation, Rei shifted his gaze. He was looking at Halfa. She looked anxious, and I felt her grip on my cloak tighten.

"She seems to feel uneasy about being separated from you, Tort. You two haven't met before yesterday, right?"

"I don't believe so..."

Halfa was a member of the rare Wingfolk race. If I’d ever met her before, I surely would have remembered.

"That's the situation," Rei continued. "I want to take a break from the dungeon today so we can discuss our plans for the future."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense."

For the time being, we moved to the Wildcat Inn Dining Hall. The food there was excellent, but the location was a bit poor, so the place was usually quiet. While that might have been bad for business, it was perfect for us. Between her race and her beauty, Halfa tended to stand out, so the Wildcat Inn was the best place for a private conversation.

"Now then, regarding our future activities—"

"Oh, sorry. Wait a second."

"Hmm? What is it?"

Before we got into the thick of the discussion, there was something I wanted to try.

I thought I might actually be able to remove Halfa's collar. It wasn't exactly a conventional method, so if the specialists could have handled it through analysis, that would have been ideal. But since there didn't seem to be a breakthrough on the horizon, I didn't see another choice.

As for why I thought I could remove the Collar of Subjugation... the truth was, I’d ended up opening one of the Pandora Gifts last night!

I couldn't help it! I’d missed dinner at the Wildcat Inn, I was frustrated, and I was hungry. I’d thought maybe something delicious would pop out!

Well, it wasn't food...

Instead, I’d found an item called a "Rune Breaker." It looked like a knife with somewhat ornate decorations, but when I appraised it, it practically screamed "cheat item."

Apparently, anything slashed by this knife would have its magical effects or active spell formulas destroyed. Since items with spell formulas included things like magic tools and magic swords, it would likely work on the Collar of Subjugation as well.

If I used this, I could set Halfa free.

I felt a little bad for the people who were seriously analyzing the collar, and I really didn't want to admit I’d opened a Pandora Gift, so I’d considered staying quiet. However, my conscience nagged at me. I couldn't just turn a blind eye when I had a way to help her right in my pocket.

That said, I wanted to confirm if it would actually work on a collar first. Sally would probably know.

"Hey, Sally. Have you ever heard of a Rune Breaker?"

"Of course I have!" she chirped. "It’s a Legendary Grade magic item!"

"If someone had one of those, could they break a Collar of Subjugation?"

"Duh! They’re on completely different levels. There’s even a legend that a Rune Breaker once shattered the Guardian Barrier of a royal castle. I’d love to see one in person someday, but... they’re so rare and powerful that they’re usually kept under lock and key by the Church or the State."

"O-oh. I see."

It turned out to be way more dangerous than I thought!

But it made sense. If you had one, you could free any slave you wanted—illegal or otherwise—and even break through high-level barriers. A commoner having an item like that would be a nightmare for the authorities, and it would be a catastrophe if it fell into the hands of a villain. No wonder the Church and the government wanted to control them.

Uh oh. What do I do?

Given how the conversation was going, I needed a lot of courage to just pull it out. But the Rune Breaker was the only way to free Halfa...

While I was having this internal struggle, I noticed Sally was watching me with narrow, suspicious eyes. Rei and Mil looked equally exasperated. Only Halfa looked blankly at me, which was somewhat comforting.

"Tort-kun... you don't mean..."

I could have sworn I saw a predatory glint in Sally’s eyes.

No, don't flinch! I have to talk my way through this! Sally loves magic tools, so it’ll be fine!

"Ahaha... I actually happened to come across one yesterday. Here, look."

"This is it?! It looks just like a normal dagger! Here, lend me your Appraisal Loupe!"

"Yes, here you go."

"Thanks~!"

Oh, this might actually work! Sally was completely distracted by the Rune Breaker. If no one asked where I’d gotten it, I could probably get away with it!

Or so I hoped.

"Alright, Sally. The magic tool isn't going anywhere," Mil said, stepping in. "First, we free Halfa. Then, we give Tort his lecture."

"O-oh, right. Got it."

It didn't work!

Sally wasn't the one I should have been worried about!

...Well, I should have seen that coming.

In any case, freeing Halfa was the priority. To avoid prying eyes, we moved to my room. It wasn't very big, so five people made it quite a squeeze, but we just had to endure it for a bit.

Sally approached Halfa with the Rune Breaker in hand. It sounded like a dangerous situation on paper, but Halfa had been listening to the plan and remained calm. Or rather, she looked a little tense—probably with the nervous anticipation of whether this would actually work.

"It’s dangerous, so please stay still," Sally said softly.

She lightly touched the Rune Breaker to the collar. In that instant, with a crisp click, the collar fell away.

For a moment, Halfa stood there dazed, catching the discarded collar in her hands. Then, suddenly, large tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Thank you."

Her voice was trembling and faint. But the words had undeniably come from Halfa’s own lips.

Yeah, I was glad I did it.

I was probably going to get an earful from Sally and the others, but it was worth it. Getting the Rune Breaker really was a stroke of incredible timing.

Was this also thanks to the Destiny God, I wonder?