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n“What is Divine Aura?” I asked suddenly.

nLydia blinked. “What, Master?”

n“I’m not… never mind.” I stood back up, taking my fourth mana potion.

nI was down to only seven left. However, I was at level 6 now. I suspected that Lydia must have leveled up too, considering that skeleton was so powerful. I checked her out. Yeah, she was at Swordsman level 3. What skills did that give her? I actually had no clue. That was kind of depressing. There had to be a guide in this world of what skills people got at what levels. If we ever got out of here, I would definitely look into what was written about jobs. That’s when I remembered that I couldn’t read. Learn to read first, then figure out about jobs.

n“Lydia, are you okay?” I asked, touching her cheek where there was blood while simultaneously casting magic.

nLydia shuttered and closed her eyes. “Master’s magic… feels good.”

nI could only sigh. She was insisting on calling me master, it seemed. It was possibly from the stress of the dungeon. As long as I acted as her master, she could continue to move forward without thinking. I wanted to live, so this was probably very suiting. Had she seen me as a hero who was going to save her, like in the story, we would both be dead. I’m sorry, Lydia, but you will need to be my weapon here. I had no intention of taking the sword from her hand.

n“Lydia, you are a swordswoman now,” I explained. “You should have some innate ability to use swords now.”

nLydia’s eyes widened, and then she nodded. “I did feel a bit like I knew how to swing the sword against the skeleton. I can… I can really fight back?”

n“You saved my life and defeated that skeleton. I believe you are capable of fighting. Will you keep using this sword?”

n“Eh? This…” She looked down at the new sword in her hand. “This… it’s too much. I can’t keep something this valuable.”

n“Then, allow me to lend it to you.” It was better to work within her framework than to argue with her.

nBy all accounts, she had wrestled it away from the skeleton. In my mind, this sword belonged to her. However, it seemed like a slave couldn’t own things. In that case, I’ll take it. I’m not going to try to force her to change her behavior, especially since she was still a slave. I had no predisposition for wanting to change the system. I applauded the town for emancipating slaves, but I for one, wouldn’t put my life on the line to change this world based on my own notions of right and wrong.

n“Ah… that’s okay then.” She finally agreed. “But… these monsters are scary… I don’t know if I can…”

n“You’re faster than them, and if you get hurt, I can heal you,” I explained. “You had to face these monsters before without even a weapon. Now that you have one, I believe you have the strength to stay alive.”

nI felt immensely guilty. She was a sweet, innocent girl who probably had never fought before in her life. However, I was turning her into a weapon and admitting she’d get hurt some more, just to protect myself. This was the level I was willing to go to live. I could probably use the sword myself, but my class had no affinity for that job, and I was too afraid of pain. She suddenly broke into tears, and I lowered my head, waiting for her admonishment.

n“Thank…. Thank you… master.” She spoke as she cried softly.

n“Wh-what?”

n“You’ve given me… strength.”

nI didn’t understand it at all, but as long as she was happy, I’d put my guilt aside and continue to use her to survive.

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