About 310 days ago, give or take.
A small village, far from any safe zone, served as a rest stop for mid-to-high-tier adventurers and a frontline buffer against monsters spilling out of the nearby forest to protect richer towns. The folks who settled here? Mostly those with nowhere else to go, lured by government subsidies to live in this risky spot.
By the time I strolled into this place on my leisurely world tour, the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Most of the villagers survived, but some weren't so lucky. Using my cloning trick to peek into the memories of the dead, their final moments played in my head like a broken record. Same old story I keep running into. Should I say "nothing I could've done"? Damn it, I still can't get used to this…
This village, sitting way too close to a danger zone, got wrecked by monsters creeping out from the forest's depths. Sure, they had protective spells up, but the monsters' levels were way beyond what the locals' budget and manpower could handle at the time. Losses like this? They're just par for the course.
Having cheated my way through this world for about 50 days, I started wondering… Is this my fault? Or is it the goddesses' twisted game? How the hell do hordes of over-leveled monsters keep slipping out like this?
Safe-zone cities or big hubs packed with adventurers pooling MP to maintain magic walls? They're fine. But these tiny villages? Not so much.
And it's not just monsters causing trouble—humans are screwing each other over too.
Take this girl who chose not to flee with her parents and let herself get killed instead…
[Status]
Name: Verorinka, Female, Age: 14, LV.11, SLV.10
Stat:
Str: 12, Vit: 10, Wis: 16, Mag: 0, Agi: 16, Dex: 12
HP: 250/250, MP: 92/92
Class: Villager
Skill (1):
[Safehole] LV.2
[Backpacker] LV.2
[SafeCooking] LV.2
[Miracle Mood] LV.4
[Status]
Her memories and thoughts were hazy, but the heartbreaking part? She felt completely unloved by her family. Intrigued, I decided to bring her back…
But then I uncovered the truth.
When the search party found Verorinka—whom I claimed had survived using [Safehole]—and brought her back to her parents, I thought they'd be worried sick. Nope. Turns out, they moved to this dangerous village, despite their daughter having zero combat skills, just to snag subsidies and dodge debts. When disaster struck and they went broke again, they ran into their creditors in the nearest city. Their solution? Beg and cry, offering to sell Verorinka. Willingly. For the highest price, they pitched her as a slave for any purpose, even hyping up her [Miracle Mood] skill.
This world has its rules. If Verorinka had refused, they couldn't force her. But her thoughts… she gave in to her parents so easily. That inner conflict probably drove her to take her own life.
I'm sorry, Verorinka.
At first, I hesitated, wondering if using her life like this would tarnish her dignity. But part of me wanted to dig deeper into this messed-up system.
And so, Verorinka's nightmare began. The buyer? A guy with decent social status and a face to match, but a sicko beyond imagination. What he did… let's just say it involved "live shows" with captured monsters and girls with [Miracle Mood], all for his twisted pleasure. (Can't go into details, or we're veering into 18+ territory.)
Verorinka suffered through that hell. I started thinking maybe I should just end her life for good. But a slim chance—a faint hope to use her to save other girls trapped in the same fate—kept me from pulling the plug.
Then, one day (about 240 days ago from the present), while she was being dragged off for another "miraculous" session, the hero Takuto showed up. He pulled every trick in the book to rescue the girls from that noble's clutches, even dodging the law's reach.
Verorinka owed him everything, just like Noir, Rune, and Sylvia.
That guy's a real hero. Even Verorinka…
"You're the one from the letter, right?"
"Mmm…"
Hug… pat
"Huh?!"
"You held on really well."
Those simple words pierced her heart.
"Sob… sniff… WAAAH!!"
Verorinka's heart belonged to him. And Takuto? He didn't show an ounce of disgust toward her.
From that day on, Verorinka followed Takuto's hero party, not just as a member but as someone secretly crushing on him. (I didn't even plan to throw her into the group—originally, I was gonna snag some other girls for it!)
Her [Miracle Mood] skill boosts everyone's happiness, even increasing EXP gains during level grinding. Since she funnels most of her own EXP to others, her level's way lower than the rest of the party.
But from here on, Verorinka's life should be full of happiness, even if she's just one of Takuto's harem.
Man, I don't know. Letting things slide, not stepping in to help most of the people in this world who've been through hell… it makes me feel pretty rotten. Compared to other heroes, I'm more like the main villain than the actual big bad, huh?
End of Chapter 26
Oh, and She's Got That Miracle Mood Skill Too