Milfie’s Past
Milfie is kind.
Incredibly kind.
And she's always smiling.
"Tabito, is your injury from the other day okay?"
"Yeah, it's all healed. But, man, tripping while running is kinda lame, huh?"
"Hehe, things like that happen sometimes."
Not only does she show concern for others’ physical and emotional well-being, but she also has a tendency to immediately run over to anyone in trouble.
Just now, there was an old lady in front of us, carrying heavy luggage in both hands.
Milfie, who had been right beside me, was already gone.
"Let me carry that for you, Granny!"
"Oh my, thank you so much, dear."
She seems to be particularly attentive to the elderly—if she sees someone staggering or carrying heavy things by the roadside, she runs to help.
By the way, she has a terrible sense of direction, so she can’t give directions.
That’s where I come in.
"Milfie, that way’s a dead end."
"Fweh!?"
I haven’t known her for long, but I really like her as a person.
That said, there’s still a lot I don’t know about her.
After we escorted the old lady home, I decided to ask something I’d been wondering.
"Milfie, why were you going solo? Have you never joined a party?"
It was a completely reasonable question.
She’s friendly and has excellent combat ability.
Like with that incident in the alley, I’ve never seen her struggle, even against monsters.
Apparently, she’s been persecuted for being a demi-human, but looking around, I’ve seen plenty of parties formed regardless of race.
She’s an A-Rank, and with her charm, she should be in high demand.
"Of course I have. The longest one lasted about a year, I think? I’ve traveled with a big group too."
"I see. Um, you don’t have to answer if it’s hard to talk about, but… why did you part ways? Is that kind of thing common?"
"Mm~... I think it depends on the people. Sometimes it's a clash of personalities, or finding a new path or purpose. In the case of my last party… I didn’t see eye to eye with the leader."
"I see…"
When she said that last part, Milfie looked a little sad.
Being an adventurer is a common job in fiction, but now that I’m actually living it, I realize how tough it is.
I was lucky to meet someone as trustworthy as Milfie, but if this had been a party arranged through the Adventurers’ Guild… who knows how it would’ve turned out?
To put it bluntly, if someone in the party has lower combat ability than you, or just isn’t on the same level, you wouldn’t even know how to coordinate with them.
You have to protect your companions, and also prioritize your own life.
And building mutual trust takes time.
Even with someone you’ve known for years, preferences in fighting style can vary, and the philosophies you encounter on the road can shift your beliefs.
There’s food preferences too.
Which countries you want to stay in, where you want to go—it’s endless when you think about it.
Considering all that, maybe… going solo isn’t that strange after all.
"What about you, Tabito? I want to hear more about your original world."
"You mean like black companies?"
"Hmm, more like stories about traveling, or friends. Maybe what you liked back there?"
"Oh, right. Well… I was a loner."
"... A loner?"
"Uh... how about we grab some tea and talk about it? I’d like to hear more about you too."
"I’m in, meow! Can I leave picking the place to you, like always?"
"Yeah, leave it to me."
I had a decent amount of money saved up, so I started looking for a place.
Walking would help with leveling up too, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Luckily, there was a shop nearby I’d been curious about, so I checked the reviews again and went in.
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[Ethereal Brutality Café]
4.6★★★★★ (7458 reviews)
Adventurer of the Capital’s Flavors
★★★★★
Uses magical beans from another world, offering deeply flavorful coffee through a unique roasting method.
Each cup is like a magical experience.
Café-Hopping Magic Scholar
★★★★☆
Inside the café, the tables have magic circles drawn on them and there's a general antique atmosphere.
You can immerse yourself in a magical world while enjoying your coffee.
However, since the owner changed from the previous generation, the customer service has worsened.
Poet of the Adventurer’s Guild
★★★★★
Among adventurers, it’s known as "a magical cup."
However, during busy hours, seats fill up fast, so visiting early is recommended.
Adventurer Barista
★★★★★
Special blends for adventurers are served inside, making it a relaxing spot for local adventurers.
That said, during crowded times, you might have to wait.
----------
While names at the hunting grounds were mostly adventurers, in the capital, the reviews seem to come from a wide variety of people.
Maybe this is also thanks to leveling up.
The interior was mainly wooden, giving it a cozy feel.
I took a seat by the window and ordered their recommended coffee.
“So, what was your country like, Tabito?”
“Well, first of all, there were no monsters. There wasn’t magic either, but there was something called ‘science,’ with machines that could make fire and do similar things.”
“Wow! What about beastkin? Are there any?”
“There aren’t… no. It’s just humans. There were differences in race, but aside from the language, not much else.”
“I see. Um… was there discrimination?”
“I wouldn’t say there was none… but there was definitely much less of it than here.”
“Hm, were there wars?”
“My country was generally peaceful, but far away there were wars. I guess peace is hard no matter what world you’re in.”
“Yeah…”
Milfie’s questions mostly had to do with the world.
Maybe she’s been through a lot herself.
“But even in my previous world, I liked traveling. That’s probably why I’ve been able to adjust here too. I’m grateful to my parents.”
“Why are you grateful to them?”
“They loved traveling. They passed away early in an accident, but they took me to all sorts of places. Come to think of it, what about your parents, Milfie?”
“… I don’t have any. They passed away when I was little too.”
“I see…”
Maybe that’s why she’s looking for others of the catfolk.
As I was wondering whether to ask, the coffee arrived at just the right moment.
Just one sip, and my cheeks relaxed into a smile.
“Wow, this is amazing. It makes you feel all warm inside somehow.”
“Mhm, delicious, meow~”
“By the way, Milfie, do you ever get angry? You always seem so cheerful. Even in battle.”
“Do I? Hmm… I do get angry sometimes, you know?”
And right at that moment, a voice rang out.
Not quite yelling, but more like a strong reprimand from the counter.
It seemed the girl working there had messed something up.
The gruff-looking owner was scolding her.
“Hey! What’re you doing!? Hurry up and take it out!”
“Y-Yes, sir…”
Still, that seemed a bit harsh.
When I happened to glance in front of me, I was surprised.
Milfie had a completely different expression than usual.
She was clearly angry.
And very much so.
“You okay?”
“Huh? S-Sorry, meow!? It’s just… seeing someone getting yelled at like that, it’s hard to watch…”
“Yeah, I get that.”
After that, we talked about all sorts of things.
Before I realized it, I’d been talking mostly about myself.
Well, Milfie kept asking, so…
She smiled and said she wanted to try “games” someday.
Apparently, there’s something like chess in this world that’s popular for travel.
I’m definitely buying one next time.
By the time we left the café, it was already completely dark.
We walked straight back to the inn.
But just before the entrance, Milfie suddenly stopped.
“Tabito, I forgot something. Can you go on ahead?”
“Hm? Then I’ll go with you. You might get lost on the way back. Besides, isn’t the café already closed?”
“It’s probably just barely open. Go ahead and sleep first!”
She hurried off in a flustered way.
If I took her words at face value, I should just go sleep… but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
I stopped at the entrance, looking back down the road.
The capital is relatively safe, but troublemakers like before still exist.
Even if she’s strong, I don’t want to regret it if something happens.
So I decided to go back the way I came.
◇
"... Huh?"
She wasn't in front of the café.
In the first place, the store was closed.
Maybe she got lost.
I could wait here, but what should I do?
At that moment, I heard voices from the back.
Peeking around the corner, I saw the girl from earlier and the shop owner.
It looked like... a quarrel?
No, he was yelling at her.
"Hey, hurry up and take out that trash!"
"Y-Yes."
"Damn it, buying a useless slave was a mistake."
… So she was a slave.
I'd heard talk of it inside the Adventurer's Guild.
Apparently, it's normal in this world. Some kids even volunteer to reduce the number of mouths to feed.
No wonder his attitude was so cold.
While she was taking out the trash, she injured her hand—probably on a broken dish or something.
But the shop owner lost his temper, yelling at her to hurry up and clean anyway.
That’s seriously cruel.
Just as I was about to step in and say something, Milfie appeared.
"That’s no way to talk, is it?"
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
"She’s hurt."
"So what? She’s my property. I don’t need you telling me what to do."
I rushed to intervene, but then—unbelievably—gentle Milfie grabbed the man by the collar.
"... Then how about you try feeling what it’s like to be a slave, meow?"
There was killing intent too.
"Milfie, stop!"
"… Tabito? Why are you here?"
“Eek! S-Stop, please!”
She probably didn’t intend to kill him, but she clearly meant to hit him.
The shop owner was terrified.
Around the girl’s neck—hidden by her clothes—was a slave crest.
I’d learned about it from the Adventurer’s Guild. That was the mark of a slave.
“Stop it, Milfie.”
“But this guy—”
“If you hit him, you’re no better than he is.”
She didn’t look convinced, but I firmly stopped her anyway.
“Hey, old man.”
“Eek! P-Please, do something about her—!”
“Even if she’s a slave, manhandling her like that is against the law. If you pull that crap again, I won’t let it slide.”
“B-But that beastkin girl, she acted on her own—!”
“Say one bad word about my partner. Just one.—I'll kill you.”
I don’t even know where that came from—it just welled up from deep inside.
The shop owner had nothing more to say.
Milfie was silent too.
I turned to the frightened girl and spoke.
“Are you okay too?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Even if you’re a slave, you can report any abuse. If something happens, make sure to do it, okay?”
“Th-Thank you very much…”
Milfie pulled out some bandages from her pocket and treated the girl’s hand.
Then, to my surprise, Milfie offered to buy her freedom.
She asked for the price and was ready to pay it.
But the girl declined.
Apparently, working here gave her some degree of safety, and without it, she’d be in trouble.
So in the end, we warned the shop owner one last time.
Don’t ever do it again.
On the way home, Milfie wore an expression I’d never seen before.
She looked apologetic, and somehow… sorrowful.
I was surprised too.
It was the first time I’d seen her show that much emotion.
Maybe we need to learn more about each other.
"Milfie, if you don't mind, can we talk for a bit?"
"... Okay."
We sat down on a nearby bench.
As I waited for her to speak, she quietly opened her mouth.
"When I was little, I almost got taken away by slave traders."
It was shocking. I never imagined she had such a past.
So that's why she was angry.
"... I see."
"But back then, my parents protected me. They fought for me. But there were too many of them... and they died."
"... That's awful."
"It was really painful, and I was so sad. After that, I was all alone."
"Weren't there any others from your tribe?"
Milfie quietly shook her head.
"We lived in the mountains, and there were a lot of demi-humans around. But we were the only ones from the catfolk tribe. I found out later, but apparently demi-humans were traded at high prices in that region. I think we were targeted because we were rare."
"... That's terrible."
"People around us moved to safer places, but I'd only ever lived there, so I stayed and lived alone in the mountains. And then I met Grandma."
"Grandma? Was there another catfolk?"
"No, a human grandma. I guess she felt sorry for me. At first, we just exchanged a few words, but before I knew it, we were living together. After that, every day became fun."
I was surprised.
I never would've guessed she had such a past, always being so cheerful and lively.
"Grandma raised me with so much love. But one day, slave traders who heard rumors about me came to capture me. I managed to escape in the end—I'd been running around the mountains every day, after all. But the house I lived in with Grandma got burned down, and I had nowhere to return to."
As she spoke of her past, she looked truly pained.
After that, she said she and her grandma moved to the nearest country and managed to live modestly together.
But it seems that country was terribly harsh toward demi-humans. She witnessed many slaves there too.
"I didn't mind how hard things were for me. But it hurt that Grandma's precious home was gone."
"That must've been really hard..."
"I stayed with Grandma until the very end, until she passed away of old age. She was kind, but more than that, she was really strict. No matter how hard things were, she always told me to smile. If you keep smiling, life will become happy, she said."
"So that's why... you alway smile."
"Yeah! That's right! Ehehe."
So even Milfie, who was always smiling, had her reasons.
People have a past, and that shapes their present.
And the same goes for me.
"But being alone was still really hard. That's why I started looking for more catfolk. I wanted to know how others like me were living."
"So that’s what it was."
"Some things were hard to do alone, so I joined a party too. But in the end, we always clashed over the issue of slavery. And so... I often ended up leaving."
And now everything made sense.
She must've felt heartbroken when she saw that girl being yelled at in the café.
You can’t simply say everything about slavery is evil.
Even that girl said she became a slave to survive.
And I still don’t know enough about this world.
But—
"... In my country, there weren’t any slaves. But apparently, they used to exist a long time ago."
"Does that mean they disappeared?"
"Yeah, I think more people started speaking out, like you—saying it’s wrong, that they hate it. I still don’t understand this world’s laws and morals. It’s a difficult topic. But I respect your beliefs, Milfie. You’re not wrong."
"... Thank you. Tabito, you're a good person, meow."
Milfie probably hasn’t told me everything either.
I’m sure a lot more happened during her journey.
But still, she smiles—just as her grandma told her to.
She’s really strong at heart.
I will definitely help her find her people.
"I hope you find your fellow catfolk someday, Milfie."
"Ehehe, that makes me happy, meow! I’ll look into you too, Tabito! … But let’s keep it relaxed. If we smile and have fun, good things will come our way, meow."
"Haha, yeah. Let’s take it easy and enjoy ourselves."
Milfie and I are companions.
But today, I felt like we truly became partners.
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Milfie
★★★★★
Even when bad things happen, as long as Tabito is here, I'm happy, meow.
My heart's kind of pounding.
… I wonder what this is.
Tabito
★★★★★
Today, I really got to understand Milfie.
I absolutely want her to be happy.
I swear I'll help her find her people.
What do you think about this chapter?
