Slave’s Flash of Insight

The last spider fell.

All around the sandy shore, severed spiders burned.

"Are they gone?"

Risha asked, her form returning from sword to human.

"Close by."

"Thank goodness..."

Risha looked visibly relieved.

She exhaled, hand on chest, and her feet wobbled slightly.

"Alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

She answered quickly, but her voice lacked life.

No visible wounds, at least.

"Yeeek!"

She shrieked suddenly.

One of the burning spiders twitched its leg.

Risha shrieked too.

"Scared of them?"

"Y-yes..."

Right.

Well. A giant spider, nearly human-sized, eight long legs sprouting from its body.

Risha’s reaction was inevitable.

"Oh, but I'm fine—Master's here!"

Risha says, flustered. A last-minute follow-up.

You don’t have to push yourself. This time it’s my fault.

“Huh?”

We didn’t set up Ilya’s Spring. Just the two of us—no town, so no reason to build it.

"Ah..."

Risha glanced around nervously.

The building, the palm trees, the beach.

She’s crafting all sorts of things—nothing there, though, to keep monsters out. Ilya’s Spring isn’t among them.

"Anyway, that's the gist. But first, Risha—show me the slave card."

Yes, what are we doing now?

Fix every broken part. And in the center—right there—build Ilya's Spring. Do it all with magic.

Yes

Risha nodded, and immediately set off.

Placed the slave card at Ilya's Spring and began patching repairs all over the place.

I took care of the spider’s aftermath.

Disassemble it, burn it thoroughly.

After a while, the handmade resort was fully repaired.

"Finished, master."

"Good work."

Pulling out DORECA, I saved the entire resort setup using its new feature.

"That's it then."

"Yes!"

Risha answers crisply.

"What’s with the high spirits? You’re sober now, right?"

"Drunk? Me?"

Risha blinks, confused. Doesn’t remember that, does she.

Well, if that’s the case, fine by me.

"Seems happy, aren’t you?"

I zero in on that part, repeating it.

"Yes. I’m happy… making and fixing things with you, master."

"Rather than a vacation?"

"I’m an Eternal Slave, after all."

Risha answers without hesitation. Makes sense.

Typical of her. Pure slave thinking.

That earnest, obedient slave made me want to tease her a little.

"Is that so? That’s a problem."

"Eh?"

"Can't enjoy a vacation, huh? I was trying to ask Risha what’d make this place more fun, but what’s the point of asking someone who can’t enjoy anything?"

"Ah...!"

"Ah well, guess I’ll ask someone else—how about Melta or Meya?"

Turning on my heel to walk away.

"Ah, wait!"

Risha shouted, stopping me in my tracks.

Suppressing a laugh, I turn back.

"What?"

"U-um, what about a sandbox?"

"A sandbox? Like that park one?"

"Yes!"

"But this place already is a sandbox, isn’t it?"

"Oh...!"

She looks around, eyes widening.

"Um, well..."

She thinks harder, nodding to herself, muttering "uh-huh, uh-huh."

"Wait! The lake—no, that won’t work either."

She realizes it before I can point it out. The ocean right in front of her, after all.

That forest—the one she and I built together—the lake from that place, it’s coming back to her now.

Risha grunted, hummed. Thought hard.

I started walking—away from the blazing mountain of spiders, strolling along the sandy shore at a slow, leisurely pace.

Risha followed along, thinking hard.

"Uh, how about a food shop?"

"Made for use by the sea folk over there."

Risha tossed out a bunch of ideas.

Feels like it's coming from something we've made together all along.

The first slave, after all, has been around long enough—useless at everything, yet somehow always managing the next thing after the next.

Hearing it while walking wasn’t a bad feeling. It felt like talking about memories from the past.

Even as a vacation reward for practically becoming queen, this much feels like enough.

She stops. Looks at Risha.

I patted her head, nodded, and decided to call it a day.

Bath… we can’t do that, right?

Hmm?

"There’s a sea right here—what’s the point of squeezing into a tiny bath anyway?"

"No, wait."

I stopped Risha before she could groan again.

The bath—referring to the public bathhouse, the hygiene measure every town had.

I scanned the area. There was a huge rock.

It rose higher than a person, a little elevated platform.

"Master? What’s going on?"

"Just watch."

I drew out the True Eternal Slave and flattened the rock into a smooth plane. Then, using the Road function, I shaped a bath right there.

"Yeah… good. This is perfect."

"Huh?"

"Turns out sea and hot spring—actually, they go pretty well together."

Not a hot spring, but still.

"Being in a bath while watching the sea… that’s a real luxury."

It was night, but the sea was visible from the mountain of burning spiders.

"Risha, you did good."

"Huh?"

Risha blinked, stunned.

I made a paper, folded the usual medal into it.

"Good thinking, Risha."

"...Thank you."

——Magic power charged: 10,000.

Risha cradled the medal carefully in her arms.

I pulled out DORECA and overwrote the resort save file.

Then, I looked at the bath again.

"...Guess I’ll go in."

Since I was here, I figured I’d soak while watching the sea at night.

"Ah! Master!"

"Hmm? What?"

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

She looked at me with eyes full of hope, clutching the medal tightly.

She really wanted to do something.

Maybe it’s better to keep her busy than just let her relax.

"Then bring me some wine. After that, wash my back."

"Yes! Thank you so much!!!"

Risha leapt from the rock and dashed toward the building.

——Magic power charged: 100,000.

Joy seeped out from her back, warm and bright.