I honestly don't know what I was expecting from the [Companions Banner].
Something like a game guide, maybe?
Like a fairy... A cute animal or spirit, or even a robot...
I was only hoping for it to be something good. Something to help or guide me.
Yet, when my vision returned, I realized I was right about a faint idea I had.
That maybe... I'd simply summon another person as a companion.
In my room sat a quiet woman. Her stare was blank, almost as if lifeless, as she held her head low, not for a moment looking away from the ground.
Her features were delicate, perfectly balanced, doll-like in their seemingly flawlessness.
Contrary to her eyes, her skin had a vivid color, her hair was long, smooth until it reached her shoulders, and then wavy at the end when it reached her chest, turning into small, unfinished spirals on the front.
Their light blue color matched her eyes, and every strand seemed to have been tended to with care...
She had no clothes on, and while her body was flawless in a way that would turn heads, surprisingly, that perfection slowly faded away from my view, almost as if unimportant, as I focused even more on her face.
Her presence felt tragic, but also...
Miwen: "Beautiful..."
?????: "...Pervert."
Oh... I...
I lost myself for a moment.
Without me noticing, I had approached her too much. To the point where we were face to face, our lips almost touching.
Her words brought me back to reality, and I became immensely embarrassed.
I couldn't even tell if the heat I was feeling on my face was hers or not, but at the very least, I knew being close enough to feel her breathing wasn't good, so I immediately stopped crawling towards her and sat a few steps away.
This was the first time in my life I had been so mesmerized by a girl...
But something about her felt truly special.
Of course, I couldn't deny that her being the first non-family member woman to enter my room naked might be partially to blame for this feeling, but at the same time, I had a strong feeling it was more than that.
Miwen: "I'm..."
It wasn't my intention to come so close to her, but she had no way of knowing it if I didn't explain, and I could definitely understand why she thought of me as a creep for doing it.
However, I failed to explain as I didn't understand it myself.
I hesitated for a second.
And then, I saw it.
A lonely tear streak fell from her eyes to her cheeks.
Suddenly, they felt much more alive. Although not in the way I might've wanted them to.
But what right did I have to complain when I was the one responsible?
?????: "Please...No... Don't hurt..."
Mellow... No, that's not right.
Her voice was low. It had barely any strength to it...
It was as if she could barely speak, and the only explanation I found was that she was scared of me, protesting meekly, afraid of the consequences of every word.
Suffice it to say, it was a devastating blow.
Whatever her reason was, even if she couldn't say everything she wanted, I could perfectly understand what she meant.
She had every right to be spiteful and angry towards me, yet it was more like she was trying to plead...
It hurt.
Her eyes were cold, they didn't even make eye contact with mine.
I felt the air chilling... It became harder for me to face her properly.
I was disgusted at myself for the situation I put her in.
For making her cry...
Every time I looked at her, I felt my heart throb.
The girl was alone and defenseless, she couldn't even cover her body from the unknown man who suddenly approached her with sharp and focused eyes, only to comment about her beauty.
How monstrous, huh?
I had messed up. Badly.
But I knew what I had to do.
I had to apologize.
Miwen: "S-sorry I... um... I was..."
First, I hesitated.
Then, overcorrected and rushed my words without thinking about them with the care they demanded.
It wasn't wrong to apologize and try to calm her down.
But the way I did it, stumbling over my words, made me seem insincere, and midway, I realized I could never reassure her this way.
The girl was trembling. Either from fear or cold.
And I was becoming more anxious.
I had the solution. I knew how simple it was.
And I couldn't do it to save my life.
?????: "Fate must really hate me... To now have my body defiled by a necromancer... Do I not deserve peace even in death?"
I was trying to calm myself down first and process things when she started to gain more life in her eyes.
The fear she showed me before had dissipated a little, and her sentences became clearer.
She even started to move her arms, only to take a better look at the man in front of her, pathetically searching for the right words to say, and then...
These words left her mouth.
A proclamation about her own death.
It sent shivers down my spine...
I understood almost immediately why she would say it, but accepting them was impossible for me.
If the girl in front of me had reason to believe she had died, then I had reason to believe in the worst-case scenario for the [Companions Banner].
That, instead of randomly teleporting someone from somewhere, I had just defiled their death.
Carelessly, all because I was feeling let down by something stupid...
Not only pathetic, I became a coward, searching for an excuse while still confused by everything.
I thought about her body. It was not decaying. It had color, and she didn't seem mindless.
This meant she wasn't a puppet like an undead, and that I wasn't a necromancer... Surely...
Truth be told, while I was smart enough to come up with a bunch of excuses, I just wanted her to be wrong.
Due to my own personal feelings on such a matter, yes, but also...
So that she wouldn't look at me that way.
With fear. With sadness.
I didn't want her to show me those.
I could think about this banner and the implications of what she said later.
At that moment, I focused all my determination, took a deep breath, and calmed myself down.
Unlike me, this girl didn't even have the luxury of understanding the first thing about this situation, and how she ended up in it.
As hard as it was for me, for her, it was ten times worse.
But I could alleviate it a little.
Miwen: "I'm not a necromancer... You're here because of my Gift... I believe..."
I wanted to lie and sound confident, but as those eyes looked at mine, attentive to my every word, I couldn't muster the strength to, and ended up more honest than perhaps I should.
Miwen: "..I summoned you. Not as an undead. You can take a look for yourself."
Her expression changed a little. From fear to distrust.
Hardly good progress, but...
Dispretensiously, she looked at her own hands.
Surprised took over, she stared at them for a few seconds, and I...
I instinctively smiled at it. That she had listened... That she was seeing it for herself...
That maybe I was right and this wasn't necromancy...
Pfft... As if to despise me, her next words crumbled down the small pillars of hope I had built.
???: "Um... Strange... I really do feel alive, but I also know for sure I've died."
She asserted with her words.
She looked at me, searching for an answer, to which I had none.
I was ashamed and avoided her questioning eyes...
???: "This place is also completely different from where I was before... so I can't think of another explanation..."
...Did she notice it?
Was it an attempt to add doubt to her own assertion?
But why would she?
No... In this situation, how could she worry about anything or anyone else?
If her memories contradicted what this unknown, strange man that had just attempted to close the distance to her naked body, she should have never discredited them.
She had no reason to give me an ounce of trust or care.
Her explanation was also reasonable.
No matter how disgusting I felt it was to take away someone's rest. To twist and rob them of their story...
No matter how much I hated the idea of controlling them post-mortem...
I wouldn't have blamed her for believing it.
For hating me without even giving me a chance.
She was... Too understanding... Naive...
And this unreasonable banner... I...
I stopped thinking about it.
I could deal with my feelings later.
I had already decided it.
To focus on what mattered most...
Miwen: "...I'm sorry. I know it's hard to believe me, but I mean you no harm."
Even though it was hard for me to look her in the eyes, I knew it would be important to convey my sincerity.
And at least this... I was sure about.
No matter what, I would not hurt her.
Miwen: "I can prove my ability to you. I won't summon another person, but... I can summon clothes for you to wear. All I'll need is for you to accept becoming my [Citizen]. If you wish, I can unregister you right after."
It was the best my brain could think of.
The [Kingdom Points] didn't matter. Out of everything there, this was definitely the best use I'd have for them.
And even though this was small, and probably not enough proof, as long as she gave me the chance to convince her... Slowly, I should be able to calm and reassure her...
???: "...Citizen? Are you a noble? I... S-sorry I... Let me go...."
I thought she feared me before.
But that was just anxiousness.
This... This was fear.
An expression I didn't want to see painted over her face, her eyes frantically looked for the door as her mouth struggled to form a sentence.
Confusion, fear, and despair...
That fairy-like face of hers... Didn't need those.
I wanted so much to ask her about it, but... It was not the right time.
Before she made any mistake, I tried to comfort her again with my words.
Miwen: "I'm also not a noble. I'm not even that well-off; If not for my parents, I wouldn't even have enough to live every day."
Saying I wasn't a noble seemed to work, but at the same time, when I said I wasn't well off, she looked around the room, as if to say, "Is this not well off?".
The worst that could happen was for her to think I was a liar, so even though it was pathetic, I assumed that her where my income came from.
It was better to be a loser than a liar...
And maybe if she believed I was too much of a loser to hurt her, she wouldn't be so scared...
Miwen: "My job as an adventurer doesn't even pay me enough to buy groceries..."
That... worked?
Somehow, light filled her eyes when I said this.
Seeing as I had finally managed to make her trust me a little bit more, I talked a little bit more about her circumstances, trying to put the two of us on the same note.
Miwen: "Oh, and yes, you can leave if you want. But then you'd have to make do with my clothes... And I'm not sure if they'll fit..."
Although if she decided to do it, I'd probably try to reason with her. But it was a worthwhile bluff.
???: "...Umm..."
Every time she stopped to think felt like an eternity.
I was struggling to be honest while also avoiding the things that could paint me as suspicious.
I wanted to give her space, but to help her, I also knew I had to take control of the conversation.
I also knew I had the duty to help her.
After all, it was my fault.
???: "If I want to leave, will you let me go at any moment?"
Miwen: "Yes."
I was surprised by the increase in her confidence.
She spoke clearly now, but was still watching my every movement.
Funnily enough, I thought those sharp, piercing eyes of hers were much more beautiful now than when they were filled with solemn tragedy.
???: "Tell me your name, and promise me in your God's name."
That wasn't very typical.
Rather... No one does that.
Miwen: "I, Miwen, promise that you may leave this house anytime you so wish; Should I fail this promise, may Catherine strike me down."
I couldn't be sure whether or not I did it the way she wanted, but...
I gave it my best try.
???: "...Alright... I'll agree to be your [Citizen], for now..."
Ever since yesterday night, I had only had losses.
But this...
This was my first victory.
One I was incredibly proud of.
Even though I wasn't a strong believer in Catherine or any other God, she had at least proved her existence, which made me hope for divine intervention.
Seeing this result, I decided to pray and thank her tonight.
To give her the clothes, I had to go through a few menus, and while I could do it quickly, it still made me distracted.
I was a little worried that even though my Gift claims her to be a companion, she could use this time to attack me, but...
She was willing to listen to me so far, so I had to reciprocate.
I went through the menus until I reached the list that shows me my current [Citizens], and there I could see the button to invite someone.
Unfortunately, it required me to know their name, and only then did I realize I had yet to ask her.
Miwen: "For me to register you, I'll need your name. So, if you could, please..."
I tried being calm. I didn't want to lose the progress I had already made.
But I knew that if I kept asking her to do things, she could start to doubt me.
Names can be especially problematic since... You can use them to curse someone.
This is one of the reasons why standing out is not that good, and why I was a little against getting a flashy weapon or item early on.
Gather enough envy, and you're bound to have to waste some money to protect yourself from a bunch of different people.
Thankfully, she had also asked me to state mine before, so this was a fair exchange.
???: "...Licia, 'The Frost Sword' from Redrock Village in the North Dowa Kingdom."
...I asked for a name, and she gave me a full introduction.
She was so quick and natural that it made me think this is how she usually introduces herself.
It was a little cute how she puffed her chest a little before saying it, but, more importantly...
There is no such thing as a North Dowa Kingdom in this world.
In many ways, it seems like I was right about her beauty being from out of this world.
However... This only added more to my confusion.
Up until now, I had not summoned anything that couldn't be found on Earth, but...
Even though it was incredibly important, I had to leave it for another time.
Keeping her waiting could make her suspect me of doing something strange, so I did as promised and registered her quickly after she told me her name.
She finally changed her gaze to something other than me, and then, a touch of sadness briefly showed on her face before once again she became surprised.
I was almost sure she was going through her own menus, but I decided to ask her just in case.
Especially since that sadness was iffy to me.
I couldn't think of a reason for her to feel that way when looking at her Gift or status.
Miwen: "Is everything alright?"
It took her a second to answer.
She looked at me briefly, then redirected her eyes...
Now with a neutral expression, as if reading, she answered me.
Licia: "Yes, I confirmed myself as your [Citizen]."
I was curious about her reactions, but I could ask her about them later.
For now, I used 5 of the 7 [Kingdom Points] I had saved to summon her clothes.
A good jab at the [Kingdom Points] economy, but I would probably survive without that well.
I left the clothes on the ground and turned my face away from her.
She had covered her body with her hands at some point, but... Honestly, it wasn't as distracting as I thought it would be. Not when she had such a captivating face.
Still, facing away from her helped my head work a little better.
It took me a minute, but I decided to let her be.
Licia: "Thanks... thank you!"
As I was about to leave the room, I heard a quiet sound of rustling accompanied by an equally low voice that did its best to push through the sobbing and make itself heard.
Perhaps the reality of her situation finally hit her. Or there was more significance to obtaining a change of clothes than I gave it credit for.
Perhaps she was glad to be alive again. Maybe it was something else entirely.
I knew nothing about this girl who seemingly became so happy about something so simple as being alive or having clothes to wear.
I silently accepted her gratitude, but... It made me as happy to believe she had started to trust me, even if a tiny bit.
Still, like her, I tried to consider a little more about this situation.
When I saw her, it was like the world had stopped spinning. I couldn't gather my thoughts, and I was at a loss as to what to do.
However, things were a little clearer now.
There's no situation more simple than that of meeting a crying girl.
I don't think any person with a good heart would think twice about what to do.
Miwen: "Everything's gonna be alright... "
The tears continued flowing down.
Miwen: "I'll be here for you."
A promise.
To her, yes, but also to myself.
More conviction was imprinted in those words than anything I had ever declared.
The eyes that were once looking at the floor while letting out so many tears now looked at me again.
Her hands, still trembling, wiped the tears from her face.
Miwen: "You're fine now, you don't have to worry."
I approached her like before, but this time, slowly and carefully, considering every centimeter...
I felt like she needed to know she wasn't alone.
But my words were meant for both of us.
I felt guilty about this. Every single one of those tears was my fault.
Moving forward, I should take responsibility.
I'm far from sinless. If anything, the few who knew me would probably call me cruel or uncaring.
Yet a man like me couldn't shake off from the mind the image of her crying.
She was a truly innocent girl. One I wanted to prevent from ever feeling sadness again.
Up until this point, I had lived a life where I changed my objectives many times.
But this I knew would stay until I reached my grave.
To make things better for this girl has become one of my life goals.
Few things in my life.... And only one other person made me think like this. This strongly...
But I had no doubts about her.
In that moment, those feelings could only manifest in a simple action.
I waited by her side until the tears stopped.
Not a word was said, but I was impressed by her strength.
She calmed herself down on her own.
Slowly, sure, but still...
Incredible.
Miwen: "...I said you could leave at any moment. But if you want, you can also stay. At least until you can sort out your feelings and decide on what you want to do."
Truthfully, I had no intention of letting her get away from me.
If I were right about a few things, this world could be too dangerous for her.
But I had no way to communicate this to her in that moment, so I tried to buy time.
A cowardly move, but necessary...
Hopefully, she wouldn't mind this escalation. This small change in our agreement...
Licia: "..."
The silence felt like a stabbing knife.
It was understandable, however... I started thinking of ways to convince her.
I couldn't be forceful, but a few things were obvious.
Assuming she has truly died, judging by her age and the fact that she looks healthy, there must've been a few unusual circumstances behind it.
If she had truly come from a different world, she was now stranded.
And to top it all off, she had nothing to her name. Not even anyone to contact.
Outside, the fate that awaited her was pretty obvious, and although I wanted to avoid it, I'm sure she might've also realized a little about it.
She seemed more than smart enough.
So... If she could grab a hand offering to provide a little, it would be great.
That's what I was hoping for.
That she would allow me to help.
Licia: "...What you gave me... the clothes I mean... they suit my taste, is this also thanks to your Gift?"
I was completely caught off guard.
Out of all the things she could say, this was the one she went with?
Honestly, it was a great question. One more mystery to add to the list, but...
Hardly what she should be worrying about.
Still, I had to give her an answer.
The only problem being... I also had no idea.
They weren't very modern, but they also didn't look too out of place.
I'd agree they look perfect on her, but whether or not it was because of my taste or hers, I couldn't tell.
Miwen: "Honestly... I have no idea. I don't yet understand my Gift very well. I'd need to test more before reaching a conclusion..."
Licia: "I see... It's a mysterious but kind Gift... They are very warm..."
Strange. They didn't look particularly warm to me.
However, I suppose any clothing will make you warmer than being stark naked.
She did know how to please me, though.
Having my Gift praised made me quite happy.
Licia: "So... Can I really stay here? For now, I mean..."
Miwen: "Yeah, no worries, as long as you want to."
She was fiddling with her thumbs, but as I expected, she was smart.
Seeing her relieved for the first time brought so much peace to my heart, I could hardly believe it.
It also made me realize how hard her expressions are to read. The rollercoaster of emotions made it easy before, but now, her normal self looks quite calm and collected.
Strong, calm and smart... Yet, she was quite nice and gentle... It was so different from the impression I had when I first laid eyes upon her.
Licia: "...Do you want me to do anything for you in exchange? You've been very kind and... I would like to pay you back somehow..."
That was tempting to hear. Especially coming from her.
My heart, that had just been filled with a peaceful feeling, was now racing again.
I knew I'd probably never hear it from such a beautiful girl again, but unfortunately...
That would be outrageous.
I can understand why she would feel that way, but... I didn't want to take advantage of the situation.
I was still feeling guilty, so doing anything else to her was unthinkable.
And yes, I don't think she meant anything by it. It was probably her attempt at being polite and bridging the gap between the two of us.
She wanted us to be amicable, and I was glad for her effort.
Or so I thought.
While I was thinking of something simple to ask her, her mind seemingly wandered to this, and she hurriedly turned her head away from me.
While I was thinking of something to ask her, it seemed like her mind wandered to a similar place, which made her turn away her gaze from me.
Still, there was something I could ask.
Miwen: "Well... My Gift is more useful the more [Citizens] I have, so could you keep yourself registered for the time being?"
Licia: "...! That's...Fine. That's great."
She had a relieved smile plastered all over her face.
It only made it more obvious that we thought the same, but I pretended not to notice.
Miwen: "I don't have the power to do so right now, but if you keep your registration, I can get you a change of clothes tomorrow that would hopefully look more modern..."
I could also just buy a bunch, but... This way, I could buy more time and create another reason for her to stay.
Licia: "If you don't mind me asking, how would you do that? I thought you said you didn't understand how your Gift worked."
She went defensive all of a sudden.
I got the same feeling before, but whenever I mention being a citizen to her, she seems to get agitated.
Add to that how she got when she thought I was a noble, and I can already picture a bit of how her past life might've gone...
Miwen: "Well, there are four possibilities for that: Either the clothes are completely random, they suit what either of us wants, or they are a combination of our desires."
I could probably get them being random out of the way. Not only did she get feminine clothing, but the size was also perfect.
The little information we had wasn't enough to get the other possibilities out of the way, but... that wouldn't matter.
Miwen: "As for how we'll make it so that we get just the clothes we want... well, I'll just show you what clothing looks like here, you decide on what you want and tomorrow we will both wish for the same, unless it's random, it should come out precisely how we want if both of us want the same."
To call it a solution would be a bit extreme, it was mostly a band-aid fix, but since them being random was so improbable, I was pretty sure it was going to work.
Miwen: "How does that sound? "
Licia: "Sounds confusing. If you have the clothes to show me, why wouldn't you just let me wear them?"
Miwen: "You're wrong... I don't have them with me, but I can still show them to you... Here."
I show her my phone screen after searching for online stores.
Her reaction was unbelievable.
I mean, she seems like a 20-year-old, and for a girl like her at this age to not know what a phone is and to react like it's some sort of sorcery... that alone made my day way better.
She asked me a bunch of questions about it, and sadly, I didn't know how to answer most of them in a way that she would understand.
Instead, I focused on teaching her how to look for other options and categories, really basic stuff that I would never have imagined I'd teach someone else. I also told her that tomorrow I'd use my Gift to manifest them.
With this, I could guarantee she'd stay at least one more day. It would give me the chance to explain and show her a bunch of things. Hopefully, easing her into the situation.
Miwen: "...I forgot to ask, but what is your level? The higher the level of my citizens, the more I can do with my Gift."
Licia: "I am lev-.... I was level 83. Now I am only level 1, as for my skills, well... I don't have any outside the ones from the Gift I got when I was born now..."
There was a lot to unpack in what she said.
First, losing her levels... this was probably a side effect of being summoned, but I had never heard of something like that happening before.
Aside from that, there was also something quite strange.
Miwen: "When you were born...? Do people get Gifts at birth in your world?"
Licia: "Yes, of course! Is it different here?"
Miwen: "We only get them at age 18 here..."
Licia: "That's... how do your people fight monsters without Gifts? How do you survive so long?"
For the most part? We shoot them. But introducing the idea of guns to her didn't seem good. I'd probably only get bombarded with more questions, and they wouldn't lead anywhere.
Also, it wasn't completely true to say this either since I had never shot any myself.
In cities such as the one where I live, it was rare to have to worry about monsters since the areas where dungeons still rampage are usually at least contained.
And if a rampage does happen in a dungeon nearby, we would be evacuated while adventurers and the army take care of them.
While a few places have had rampages that were never solved due to the boss getting away, the biggest risks are at the sea or in desolate or hard to get to areas.
Since we know almost all dungeon locations, these danger zones are always under watch or restricted anyway.
So yeah, while I'd love to get an achievement for surviving until 18, the truth is that it's not that big of a feat.
Although, surprisingly enough, if we're thinking of surviving until 18 as a challenge, there are a bunch of other things that will get in the way much more often than monsters.
Miwen: "Well, we have some weapons that are effective against most monsters as long as their level is not too high, and we also have a way of knowing where Rampages are happening, so people often evacuate safely and we manage to keep our distance from monsters in everyday life, outside of exploring dungeons, of course."
Licia: "Hm... I've never heard of a world capable of that... but that seems nice... forgive me for being a little lost, this is quite different from where I came from."
Truthfully, it was completely understandable.
I could only imagine how I'd be if I were in her place.
Miwen: "It goes both ways, I'm also quite surprised by you being level 83 in the past, that would put you among the strongest in this world."
Licia: "Really? I was only a B-rank adventurer in my world... I had a bit of fame in the areas close to where I lived, but my name wasn't even worth mentioning at the capital, I doubt anyone would recognize me there..."
That was surprising. With her looks and that level, even top parties wouldn't refuse her here.
As long as her Gift was decent, she would be among the strongest top-rankers and probably a celebrity too.
Miwen: "I'm curious now, what was the level of the strongest in your world?"
Licia: "I don't know about the entire world, but at the North Dowa Kingdom, the strongest was Sir Varehan Of The Silent Magic, he was level 143 and was capable of firing any magic spells without them making a sound, they were unusually fast too."
High speed and no sound... Was this sorcerer breaking the speed of sound with his magic?
It would make sense for someone who doesn't understand the concept to not fully associate the sound that comes after the visuals.
I couldn't take the possibility of his Gift making them soundless off the table either though.
Miwen: "I see, did you know him personally?"
Licia: "Not at all, he worked at the royal court, and since I never managed to go to the capital..."
It didn't look like she wanted to continue. Seemed to me like she probably couldn't go on without mentioning her own death, so it was probably better to leave it at that.
I even forgot about my mana depletion with everything that happened today. After a while, it wasn't even affecting me anymore.
However, since it was getting late, I decided to take a shower, make dinner, and then sleep.
Which reminded me I had to teach her how the shower works. As well as everything else in the bathroom.
So, I decided to give her a little tour around the house. It wasn't particularly impressive for anyone on Earth, but she looked amused whenever I explained anything to her.
After bath and dinner, I let Licia sleep in my room.
As for me, the couch was good enough.
I also didn't do any rolls in the [Mana Banners].
While there was a possibility she had put on an act and was planning on attacking me at night, this wasn't really a factor for me.
The odds were ridiculously low. Frankly, had it all been an act, she deserved the kill.
What I was more worried about was in case she needed me for something. With mana depletion, I wouldn't be able to respond well or help her at all.
It's not like the mana banners provide things I can't miss either. At most, they drop something like a simple dagger or ring that doesn't have any particular effects, so I thought it was okay to skip them for now.