After my sisters left, the room fell into a heavy silence—just the three of us now.

  They continued eating, but I found myself observing them more closely.

  For six months, I had only seen them in rags, their malnourished bodies wrapped in layers of exhaustion and silent suffering. But now, wearing clean clothes, washed and somewhat refreshed, their true appearances finally emerged.

  As expected, their features were youthful, not unlike Sis Celes. But… they weren’t human. Their ages must be far older, right?

  Sis Esta had a slender yet refined physique. Her long, once-messy blonde hair, now washed and combed, cascaded down her back like golden silk. Even though this world lacked proper shampoo, and body soap was expensive, her hair still shone under the dim lantern light. Her chest was slightly larger than Sis Celes’s, complementing her graceful frame.

  On the other hand, Sis Hazel had softer, more compact features. Her thicker brown hair, slightly wavy, framed her face and ended just below her shoulders. Her chest size matched sis Celes’. Unlike elves, she had cat ears that stood upright, twitching occasionally, and a fluffy brown tail with a white tip. It wasn’t large, but it looked irresistibly soft.

  My hands itched to touch it…

  I quickly looked away before my thoughts betrayed me.

  Aza had told me that elves had a life expectancy of 600 to 1,500 years, their physical growth ten times slower than humans.

  That meant Sis Esta, who looked around fifteen, was actually about 150 years old.

  On the other hand, the catkin race lived between 400 to 800 years, with a growth rate five times slower than humans.

  That meant Sis Hazel, who looked about fifteen, was actually around 75 years old.

  Elves excelled in mana capacity, dexterity, magic and mental power and resistances, making them natural mages or archers. Meanwhile, the catkin race had high aura capacity, vitality, magic power, and resistances, making them excellent close-combat fighters.

  Both were far stronger than they looked.

  Even so, in my eyes right now, they were just two girls who had suffered too much.

  The silence between us stretched, and it felt… awkward.

  I decided to break it.

  “Umm… Sis Esta, Sis Hazel, you should eat first. I’ll wait at the bar.”

  “Ah… No…”

  “No need for that, nya! You can stay, nya!”

  I had considered giving them some privacy, but Sis Hazel insisted I stay. Sis Esta nodded in agreement.

  I remained seated on the bed.

  Then, Sis Esta spoke first.

  "Umm, thank you for your help, Freed."

  "You really saved us, nya!”

  I shook my head.

  “Ah, no… I’ve actually wanted to help you two since the first time I saw you here six months ago. But I didn’t know how. So today was just… a coincidence. If he hadn’t lost his money, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I just took the chance to help.”

  Then, I hesitated.

  “But… are you two really okay with this? I made you work here without asking first. I’m sorry—”

  “Ah, no, we’re really grateful,” Sis Esta interrupted quickly.

  “Yes, nya! We may not have survived if we kept hunting with him every day, nya!” Sis Hazel added.

  I frowned. “Was it really that bad?”

  Sis Esta nodded. “In our opinion… you saved our lives.”

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  Sis Hazel’s ears flattened slightly. “Even if we died, he wouldn’t care, nya…”

  A chill ran down my spine at her words.

  “I see…” I clenched my fists. “Then… Do you mind telling me what exactly happened?

  Sis Esta exchanged a glance with Sis Hazel.

  “He doesn’t forbid us from talking,” she said. “So it should be fine.”

  “Probably he just forgot to order us not to speak, nya.” Hazel chuckled bitterly. “So… before he remembers, I want someone to hear our stories, nya…”

  “If you’re okay with me, then I’ll gladly listen,” I said firmly.

  Sis Hazel gave a small smile.

  “Yes… it’s not like we expect you to save us. We just want to vent out our frustrations, at least once, nya.”

  “…Who knows?” I tried to lighten the mood. “I may not be able to save you now, but maybe I’ll become your savior in the next ten years?”

  Sis Esta chuckled.

  “Fufu. You already saved us. But… okay then. We’ll gladly wait for our hero to come.”

  And so, they began their story.

  Six years ago, that red-haired bastard—Matias—bought Sis Hazel when he was still a D-Rank adventurer.

  Unsurprisingly, he never invested in any weapons or armor for her, only opting for the cheapest clothes when necessary.

  From the beginning, he was reckless, constantly taking missions beyond his ability.

  The issue arises when he deems a fight too challenging. He simply ordered Sis Hazel to fight alone—while he ran away and hid to watch.

  Sis Hazel narrowly escaped death many times because of him. The scars on her body were proof of the battles she had fought.

  Two years ago, they encountered an Ogre King, a B-Rank monster.

  Once more, he hid, leaving Sis Hazel to face the formidable foe alone.

  She somehow won, but nearly bled to death.

  It's astonishing that she emerged victorious, considering the risk involved.

  Before succumbing to her injuries due to significant blood loss, he administered a healing potion.

  Instead of acknowledging her accomplishment, he scolded her for using up an expensive healing potion—telling her to work harder to earn the money back.

  Following this battle, he returned to the guild and claimed that he had slain the Ogre King alone.

  And because a B-Rank monster was required to skip the C-Rank promotion exam, the guild promoted him.

  So, he became a C-Rank adventurer—by stealing Sis Hazel’s achievement.

  A week later, he bought Esta.

  From there, they traveled across the Herrschaft Empire before settling in Lavender Town, a border town in Zieghart Kingdom.

  The treatment Sis Esta received mirrored sis Hazel's experience.

  However, she and Sis Hazel now had each other.

  They fought together, endured together.

  Today’s hunt was just one of many examples.

  Sis Hazel, sick and barely able to stand, had failed to notice the wolves approaching.

  Sis Esta, seeing her weakened state, tried to protect her.

  But her magic was too strong—if she attacked directly, Sis Hazel would’ve been caught in the blast.

  So she intentionally missed—firing a near-hit to scare the wolves away instead.

  Matias, of course, blamed them.

  He treated his slaves’ lives like they were disposable.

  “…So his real skill level should still be around D-Rank, right?” I muttered.

  Sis Hazel shook her head, "At that time, his skill barely met the C-Rank standard, so by now, he's truly a C-Rank adventurer.”

  I narrowed my eyes.

  “Then… doesn’t that mean you are stronger than him?”

  “Haha! It’s not like I want to brag, but that’s the fact, nya. He is weaker than both of us, nya!”

  I turned to Esta. “He’s weaker than you too?”

  "W-Well... Probably?" She hesitated, scratching her cheek and averting her gaze.

  It sounds like she is uncertain about it, likely avoiding bragging.

  Still, she didn’t deny it.

  "Wow…”

  I had known from my Wik*pedia—Aza, that they were stronger than him.

  But hearing it from their own mouths made my blood boil.

  I've never used my appraisal on them or people recognized as strong by Aza, being cautious not to cause any trouble.

  As their friend now, it should be safe for me to use appraisal, but I still can't reveal my skill to them.

  There's a chance Matias might inquire about what happened here, leading to my skill being exposed.

  But, still…

  I thought to fight back, one needs power…

  But the reality is not as simple as it seem…

  He treated two people stronger than him like they were nothing.

  And yet, they had no power to fight back.

  It was… infuriating.

  I took a deep breath.

  I couldn’t fully help them now.

  But…

  One day.

  I will turn my promise to them into reality.