Beyond the forest's edge, the horizon expanded, and we finally emerged onto the main road.
"Finally, a proper road," I remarked.
"No kidding..." the Hero agreed, stretching his arms over his head.
It was then that I spotted something.
"Wait... what's that?"
The Hero noticed it at the same time. At the edge of my vision stood a group of people gathered around a carriage. At first, I took them for mere traders, but...
"..."
I saw several figures bound in heavy chains.
"A Slave Merchant, huh?" the Hero said, his face darkening with a scowl.
"Well, they aren't exactly a rare sight," I replied.
"Isn't it illegal?"
"Nah, it's actually fairly common around here."
Apparently, this was just the way of the world. Honestly, it shouldn't have mattered to me. Or rather, it wouldn't have... except looking at them stirred something in my gut.
And then, I saw her.
A small girl. Her clothes were little more than rags, her frame painfully thin. By all accounts, she was just another slave.
And yet.
"What is...?"
Our gazes locked.
In that instant, a prickle of goosebumps crawled across my skin.
"..."
She was expressionless. Even her eyes were devoid of light. And yet—
"She’s watching me."
It wasn't just a look. It felt... different. Strange.
"Hey, Minato?"
"Yeah... I'm buying her."
"Huh?" The Hero let out a stunned, hollow squawk. "Wait, wait! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"I don't know," I answered, unable to pull my eyes away from the girl. "I just can’t leave her like that."
"Hah?"
He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. To be fair, I didn't quite understand it myself.
"Do you even have the money?"
"I’ve still got the reward from the other day."
"You're unbelievable..."
He seemed exasperated, but he didn't try to stop me.
We followed behind the carriage until it entered the city. Once inside, the girl was led into a building. I walked through the door immediately after them.
"Welcome, welcome," greeted a man with a greasy, unpleasant smile. "Looking to purchase a slave?"
"Yeah. I want her." I pointed without hesitation at the girl, who hadn't even been put in a cage yet.
"Oh? That one just came in—"
"Skip the sales pitch."
The man’s eyes narrowed. "You’ve got quite the eye, kid."
"How much?"
"Silver coins—"
After a brief exchange, the deal was struck.
"There you go. Pleasure doing business with ya."
The chains were unfastened.
"..."
The girl said nothing. She simply stood there, staring at me.
"Can you walk?" I asked.
Slowly, she stepped toward me. Her gait was light, the soft patter of her footsteps oddly endearing.
"So... do you have a name?"
"..."
Silence. I wondered if she was unable to speak.
"You don't have one?"
She gave a small, slow nod. She understood my words, at least.
"Alright. I guess I'll have to give you one," I said, thinking for a moment. "How about Nana?"
"That's way too lazy!" the Hero shouted from the side.
"What? It's fine."
"Put a little more effort into it!"
"Eh... names are things you grow into. Besides, it’s simple and sweet."
He probably thought I was just being flighty. But I was thinking—really thinking. If I had the wealth, I would have bought every one of them to set them free. I can't save everyone, but little by little, I want to help whoever I can reach. I want to live a life without regrets.
"If you've got such a problem with it, you think of something."
"Me!?" Taken aback, the Hero froze. He furrowed his brow, thinking hard.
"...What about Licia?"
"Oh, I like that."
"It wasn't lazy! I put real thought into that!"
"Then..." I looked back at the girl. "Nana and Licia."
I paused for a beat.
"How about Nanalicia?"
"..."
The girl’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"...Yes."
For the first time, she spoke. Her voice was tiny, yet remarkably clear.
"I am... Nanalicia."
"I see."
"Why'd you just stick the two names together?" the Hero complained.
"Because I'm not letting my 'Nana' get rejected."
"What a pointless ego you have."
I'd deal with the Hero's sass later. For now, the name felt right.
"Nice to meet you, Nanalicia."
"...Yes."
Her response was strangely calm. Strangely...
"..."
"Hey, Minato."
"Yeah?"
We were walking through the streets, gathering supplies for the next leg of our journey after leaving Nanalicia at an inn.
"What was it about that girl that caught your eye?"
"Hmm. Just a feeling, I guess?"
"I knew it! You are so impulsive!"
"Maybe. But you know, I don't really like it."
"Like what? Slavery?"
"Yeah. The whole system. We're all human, yet people treat each other like different species. Human nature is a dark thing, isn't it?"
The Hero went silent. "Is it? I... never really thought about it before," he whispered.
I think I would have preferred it if he hadn't said that.
That night, we found ourselves camping out under the stars. We had departed in the evening, leaving no chance of reaching the next town before nightfall.
Nanalicia sat quietly by the campfire. The dancing flames were reflected in her eyes.
"...Minato."
She called my name softly.
"Yeah?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Haha, it's fine. You remembered my name, right?"
"Mhm... Y-yes."
"Are you cold, Nanalicia? You should come a bit closer."
She pulled her small frame closer to me, remaining silent.
"Hey, can't you turn the heat up a bit? Our Nana-chan is freezing over here."
"Use your own magic..."
Magic. Right.
Her complexion was still poor from her time in captivity, but I would make sure she stayed healthy from here on out. More than that, I didn't like the shadow of despair that still lingered in her gaze.
"Nanalicia, watch this."
"...?"
I held my hand out toward her and focused my Magical Power. No Incantation was needed; this was a simple manifestation of the element.
Whoosh.
A sphere of Flame ignited above my palm.
"There. Quite a beauty, if I do say so myself."
It was a perfect, glowing orb.
"This is..."
Nanalicia’s eyes widened. She reached out a hand, almost as if entranced. I gently caught her hand to stop her.
"I figured you might not have seen it before. This is magic."
"...Magic."
As I suspected, it was new to her. To clear away the clouds in someone's heart, they need to see something beautiful. They need hope.
If she could find even a spark of interest in magic—if she could find a light to guide her through tomorrow—that was all I wanted.