Episode 5: Game Knowledge

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"I-I'm not in pain at all! I can't believe it..."

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Milia, staring at her hands now free of black spots, was visibly shaken.

It seemed that her astonishment overshadowed her joy at being cured.

Well, well. I did tell her in advance that I would cure her... but I guess it was too incredible to believe.

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"The self-inflicted magic used by the demons converts a massive amount of single-attribute magic power to simulate all-attribute magic. Therefore, you can't dispel a status effect caused by all-attribute magic with single-attribute magic. Conversely, as I just demonstrated, all-attribute magic can dispel it."

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"......?"

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Milia was left with her mouth agape, unable to grasp what I was saying.

Oops, perhaps that explanation was too complex without some foundational knowledge.

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"A-Anyway, thank you very much!"

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Milia bowed her head deeply to me.

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"I never thought I'd be able to move again from that state... I had given up hope..."

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"You're welcome. Well, I'm glad it was something within my current capabilities."

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If it hadn't been for the fact that I could use Divine Heal at my current level, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

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"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet! I'm Milia Frail. Actually, I was once in the Hero's party—"

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"Ah, no need to explain. I know. You were in the Hero's party fighting demons, shielded the Hero Sieg, and contracted 'Cursed Magic Disease.' After being abandoned, you were captured by thieves, passed around by slave traders, and ended up here, right?"

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"W-What...? H-How do you know that?"

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I refrained from making her explain her painful past, thinking it would be hard for her, but it only made her more surprised at how much I knew.

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Well, of course.

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"Whether you believe me or not, the truth is—this world is identical to a game I played in my previous life. Milia's story was part of the game's scenario... and that's how I knew."

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"A game...? Previous life...?"

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Milia looked bewildered.

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It seemed she didn't understand the concepts of games or past lives.

But explaining it might be tricky, as this world didn't have equivalent concepts.

Oh well. I'll simplify it to make it easier to understand.

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"Just think of it as if I had a very realistic dream."

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"Like a prophetic dream...? There are such mysterious things, aren't there?"

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"Yeah, something like that."

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Alright, that should do it.

Now, let's get to the main point.

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"Milia, I have something important to discuss."

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"W-What is it?"

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I took a deep breath before starting to speak.

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"My name is Rain Shadow. I plan to become an adventurer as a healer. I bought you because I wanted a companion to take on adventures."

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"I see... Alright!"

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I don't like asking for something in return, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

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"So, for a while... I want you to join my party and lend me your strength. I'll pay you. Is that okay?"

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I was nervous about her possible resistance—

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"What? Is that all you want?"

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"Huh?"

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"You saved my life, so I thought you would demand something outrageous. But you're giving me a job... Rain, you're so kind..."

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Milia looked at me with sparkling eyes.

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"Uh... What kind of outrageous demands are we talking about?"

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"Like selling me to a brothel, or demanding lifelong servitude... things like that?"

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"I would never ask for such things!"

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"That's why you're so kind, Rain!"

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Uhh...?

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Isn't her threshold for kindness a bit too low?

Milia might have experienced so much mistreatment that her sense of normalcy is skewed.

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"So... you'll lend me your strength, right?"

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"Of course! I've come to really like you, Rain! I'll do my best!"

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With that, Milia hugged me tightly.

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"O-Okay..."

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By the way, she means as a companion, right?