"Th-thank you."
Dozens of women huddled together, barely clothed.
Even though Noah looked like a child, he was still male, so the girls felt a little shy around him.
Noah politely looked away.
When Alise, Ryu, and the other girls from Astrea Familia arrived and saw the women in that state, they quickly took off their own cloaks and mantles to cover them up.
"R-really, thank you so much… hiks…" A human girl covered her face and started crying.
She looked about fifteen or sixteen, the same age as Alise and the others.
Before Noah healed her, several whip marks had been on her back and the wounds already turning black.
Being women themselves, the Astrea girls understood their pain better than anyone and kept comforting them softly.
Seeing there was nothing more for him to do, Noah turned to leave.
The moment he took his first step, a small hand suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Noah stopped, feeling the tug from behind.
He turned around and saw a small figure holding on tight.
The girl wore a cloak, but the ears poking out told Noah she was a beast human.
"Don't worry, the sisters over there will help you. Listen to them and you'll be able to go home soon." Noah spoke gently.
But the girl didn't let go.
Until she whispered, "I… I have no home to return to."
"Hmm?"
"I was exiled from my clan. I have… nowhere to go."
Noah fell silent.
What kind of situation was this?
No home, and now she was clinging to him—what did she want?
"If not family, then what about friends?"
The beast girl shook her head.
Helpless, Noah called Alise over.
"This child has no home and no one to rely on. Can I leave her with you?"
The red-haired girl looked at Noah, then at the beast girl.
She crouched down to the girl's level, meeting her eyes.
Then Alise gave a bright smile.
"Sorry, no."
Noah was stunned.
"Huh?"
Wait, what did she mean by "sorry, no"?
Wasn't Astrea Familia supposed to be Orario's biggest do-gooder group?
Why refuse all of a sudden?
"Because this child doesn't want to come with me—she wants to stay with you."
After saying that with a smile, Alise turned away and started helping the other girls leave the place.
Noah looked at the cloaked beast girl beside him and felt a headache coming on.
Maybe he should ask if Hephaestus Familia was still recruiting?
He really didn't want to take care of a child!
Well.
Even if this "child" was probably older than him.
Grrrrrr—
The girl's stomach let out a loud sad growl that Noah could hear clearly.
Embarrassed, she lowered her head until it almost touched her shoulders and didn't make another sound.
Noah sighed.
He decided to get her a proper meal first and they could figure out the rest later.
"I'm not supposed to be the nice guy type."
Muttering to himself, Noah took the rescued girl to The Hostess of Fertility.
He was feeling hungry too.
Every skill used up some stamina—some more than others.
In his case, using them so often just made him get hungry faster, that was all.
It wasn't like those dangerous high-risk skills that left people exhausted or even fighting for their lives afterward.
When they walked in, Mia spotted him right away and greeted him loudly.
"Well, if it isn't Noah! Haven't seen you around lately. Brought a friend today eh? Oh, sorry—should I say girlfriend instead? You little rascal, growing up so fast."
The young girl quickly hid behind Noah, completely covering herself, looking very uncomfortable.
He was surprised Mia could tell the girl was female so easily.
Was her judgment that sharp?
Even though the girl was wrapped up so tightly, if not for her voice, even he wouldn't have known her gender.
Just looking at her only showed information about the cloak.
"Stop joking around. And every single word you just used was completely unnecessary."
Being called a "little rascal" really annoyed him.
Noah took the menu from Mia and slid it in front of the girl.
"Um, you… Never mind. Order whatever you want. Don't worry about the cost."
Only after saying it did Noah realize he still didn't know the child's name.
Instead of looking at the menu, the girl fidgeted for a moment, then whispered,
"I-I'm sorry! I haven't even introduced myself to my savior. This one is named Haruhime, Sanjono Haruhime. Truly… thank you so much for saving me from my suffering! I… I have no money, but I will definitely repay you!"
The girl finally lifted her head, showing her young face.
Her ears pushed back the hood, and a pair of fox ears popped up.
'Golden fur, emerald-green eyes.'
'Her name was Haruhime.'
'A fox person.'
Noah stared at the fox girl in front of him, completely forgetting how to react for a second.
'It was actually her?'
"Wow, a fox person! That's really rare," Mia said as she brought over Noah's usual juice and slammed it on the table.
"Here, the usual, its on the house. Oh, and I'll add this for you two."
The dwarven woman stuck two heart-shaped straws into the juice, gave a weird laugh and walked away.
Normally Noah would complain about Mia treating him like a kid but still thank her.
This time, though, he stayed quiet.
He had just changed the future again!
According to this girl's original fate, she should have been spotted by the Ishtar Familia and bought from a slave trader.
The Ishtar Familia was one of the top Familias in the city, running the red-light district.
They weren't just into business—they also had plenty of battle prostitutes above Level 3, making them a first-rate Familia for dungeon exploration too.
Their captain was a first-class adventurer at Level 5.
Haruhime was supposed to join Ishtar Familia, become a prostitute in their red-light district, get used as a tool and eventually be sacrificed.
Only right before her death would a hero show up to save her.
But now, because that bastard Hermes set him up, he and the Astrea Familia had raided the slave trader's hideout early.
Yes, just half an hour ago…
'Sigh, Whatever.'
It wasn't something worth regretting.
He had wiped out a bunch of scum and saved some girls with terrible fates.
Haruhime wasn't the only one with a sad story there—she just happened to be one of them.
Like she said herself, she had been exiled from her family.
She was already homeless.
A young, innocent, beautiful girl like her—if left alone, her future was easy to guess.
Either she would still get taken by the Ishtar Familia because of fate and follow her original path.
Or she would run into bad people while wandering and get caught in their schemes.
As for the chance of meeting someone kind, Noah figured it was basically zero.
Another option was to help her join a solid Familia, like the Loki Familia.
After all, they were one of the three strongest powers in Orario!
...
'Level Boost.'
That cheat magic that could temporarily raise someone's level by one—that was Haruhime's magic!
Since she hadn't received her Falna yet, no one else knew about her magic, maybe not even her.
She probably didn't realize how amazing it was.
In other words.
She still had a chance at a normal life.
If she joined the Loki Familia, her ability could push them even higher, maybe even past the Freya Familia, and she would become their most treasured member.
The only downside would probably be dealing with daily harassment from that perverted goddess.
Or… he could just take care of her himself… since Haruhime was worth that much.
"Haruhime."
"Yes."
"Do you… have any plans for what comes next?"
The moment Noah asked, the fox girl's face fell.
Tears welled up in her eyes and started rolling down her cheeks.
Wait—Why was she crying all of a sudden?
"Would I be a burden to you, my lord?" Haruhime cried softly.
Even though she was only eleven, she already had the graceful beauty of someone truly special.
"Burden? I don't think I said anything like that."
"Then… when you asked me that just now, it wasn't because you see me as a burden?"
"You want to follow me? As you can see, I'm just a kid myself—you're even older than I am." Noah didn't want to decide her whole life just because he felt sorry for her.
He needed her to choose for herself.
"My hero… I… Haruhime believes Lord Noah is my hero, so I wish to repay you. I'm willing to do anything, whether it's washing clothes or cooking."
"You know how to do those things?" Noah was a little surprised.
He didn't live at the base anymore, so having someone help with daily chores would be really convenient.
Plus, this future housemaid was nice to look at and he would only need to buy one extra meal!
Didn't that sound perfect?
"No… not yet." Haruhime blushed with embarrassment, then clenched her small fists like she was gathering courage.
"But I can learn! If it's to repay your kindness, I'll work hard to learn anything!"
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