It Seems That the Slave Girl Is Actually a Count's Daughter. - Episode 13: Let’s Practice Magic

Episode 13: Let’s Practice Magic 

The next day. As planned, we arrived at a nearby forest. At the moment, I was using detection magic to stay alert to our surroundings. Meanwhile, Pamela seemed slightly down. I decided to pretend I didn’t notice. 

If she realized I had put her to sleep with magic, she would definitely protest. Yeah, I was starting to understand how Pamela thought. 

“What’s wrong, Pamela? Are you feeling unwell? If something’s wrong, don’t hesitate to tell me.” 

“It’s not that… Ahh, why do I keep falling asleep so quickly? Have I always been this good at sleeping? Or is it because I feel completely at ease sleeping next to you, El-sama?” 

Pamela muttered to herself. Hearing that, Shiro nearly burst out laughing. Hold it in, Shiro. I’m counting on you. 

“Master, you seem to be giving Pamela a sense of security. Maybe she sees you as a harmless pet rather than a wild beast? Coward.” 

“Ugh…” 

I couldn’t argue back. If Pamela was convinced by that explanation, then it was better to just go along with it. That way, I wouldn’t have any issues putting her to sleep with magic in the future. Part of me was curious about what would happen if I didn’t use the spell. But another part wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. 

Just then, I detected a small creature nearby. Judging by its presence, it was probably a Goblin. 

“Pamela, there’s a Goblin. Prepare your magic just as I taught you.” 

“Y-Yes!” 

Pamela’s face tensed with nervousness. Goblins weren’t particularly strong monsters. But for someone with little combat experience, they could still be intimidating. 

Now that I thought about it, the creatures that attacked Pamela’s carriage back then were a group of Orcs, not Goblins. However, both Goblins and Orcs became significantly more dangerous when a higher-ranked variant was present. They would begin to form groups as a survival strategy. Both Goblins and Orcs were numerous. And if left unchecked, they could cause devastating damage. 

Still, why did the Orcs attack Pamela’s carriage that time? It was common for them to raid villages for food, but a single carriage wouldn’t yield much. Could there be some unknown aspect of Orc behavior? 

I pushed those thoughts aside and carefully approached the Goblin. I made sure not to frighten Pamela. 

Peering through the trees, I spotted a single Goblin. There were no signs of others nearby—it seemed to be alone. Naturally, it hadn’t noticed us yet. 

“Pamela, aim carefully. As long as you hit it, you’ll take it down.” 

“Okay. [Ice Arrow]!” 

In a trembling voice, barely above a whisper, Pamela cast her spell. Three ice arrows flew straight toward the Goblin, striking it directly. It must have been an instant kill—the Goblin collapsed without making a sound. A greenish liquid oozed out from its body. 

“Ugh…” 

Pamela gagged at the sight. I had anticipated this, so I calmly patted her back. I had also made sure to give her an easily digestible breakfast this morning, just in case. She shouldn’t have anything stuck in her throat. 

“Pamela, if you plan to keep following me, you’ll have to witness scenes like this over and over. Are you sure you want to continue?” 

Maybe that was a bit harsh. But it was for Pamela’s own good. She didn’t have to force herself to come along. She could always stay home and wait for my return instead. 

Pamela’s gaze sharpened with determination. 

“I’m fine. I can still go on.” 

“I see.” 

Why was she doing all this for me? Was that what it meant to love someone? If she was willing to go this far for me, then what should I do for her in return? 

Should I hug her? Kiss her? My lack of experience in romance was coming back to bite me. Maybe I should have at least dabbled in love, even if just for practice. 

With those conflicted feelings lingering in my mind, we continued our hunt. Pamela threw up after the first kill. But from the second time onward, she only winced slightly. It would take time for her to fully adjust. But at this rate, she wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up. She was holding up remarkably well.

—

Not only did we use ice magic, but Pamela also tried out the lightning magic she had recently learned. Right now, it only had enough power to briefly stop an opponent’s movements. But even that was enough to throw them off balance. Eventually, she should be able to turn enemies into charred corpses. 

“This should be more than enough. Once again, I’m counting on you, Pamela.” 

“Yes! Please take care of me as well!” 

Pamela responded cheerfully. She was clearly happy to be acknowledged. Since she had made solid progress today, we decided to stop here for now. At this point, it would be better to prioritize learning summoning magic instead. 

“Alright, that’s it for today. When we get back, let’s study summoning magic. It’ll be more beneficial for you.” 

“Understood!” 

Since we weren’t too far from town, there was no need to use teleportation magic. Chatting as we walked, we made our way back. By the time we arrived home, it was midday. So we went out for lunch. We ate at a commoner’s shop. But Pamela had no complaints—if anything, she looked around with curiosity. She was fascinated by everything she saw. 

— 

Once we got home, we took a short nap before beginning our study session. This allowed us to recover some of our used magic power while also shaking off any drowsiness—a win-win situation. I hadn’t planned on napping since I wasn’t that tired. But somehow, I ended up sleeping as well. 

Pamela was clearly accustomed to studying. The lesson was fairly difficult, but she kept up without getting bored. 

Summoning magic lessons began with understanding the nature of the spell itself. It was then followed by a deep dive into the creature one intended to summon. Only by expanding one’s knowledge of the summoned beast could the magic be successfully performed. 

Technically, “summoning” wasn’t the correct term. The proper explanation was “creating with magic power.” However, for some reason, people had a much higher success rate when they thought of it as “summoning”. 

The only being capable of truly creating life was the Creator God who made this world. Since childhood, people were taught this fact. That might have subconsciously interfered with their ability to view it as “creation”. That was my theory, at least. 

“Pamela, next we’ll study what kind of summoned beast a Fenrir is. Once that’s done, we’ll try summoning magic in practice. You’ll probably end up calling forth a cute little dog.” 

“Understood! I’ll make sure to succeed!” 

Pamela’s eyes sparkled with determination. The most important factor in summoning magic was imagination. Even the “White Tiger” Shiro looked completely like a cat rather than a tiger. 

With that in mind, Pamela’s “Fenrir” might end up looking like a dog as well. Ideally, it would resemble a harmless puppy—that would make it easier to bring into town without drawing too much attention. 

Now then, will this be a pleasant surprise or a terrifying disaster?