Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 4: The Wolf Girl, Roka

I will know no fear.

Because The Lord is with me

He watches my steps.

Come to think of it. I’ve lived my life quite comfortably.

Even after leaving my hometown, I never lacked money.

While I was never wealthy, I never lacked anything either.

When I required money, an opportunity to earn money arose. When I needed to spend a large sum, a chance to obtain a large sum presented itself. For example, a big quest would become available, or I would encounter a beast that left valuable byproducts.

I don’t know whether that’s also the Lord’s will or not.

Whether God has been taking care of me, or it was just a series of coincidences.

I’m not sure, and I haven’t asked the Lord.

For I know He wouldn’t answer.

After all, Humans must live by themselves, while Gods maintain their interference at the minimum.

That’s why I wasn’t worried even when I gained another mouth to feed.

Because I still had some money left and I knew He wouldn’t let this child starve.

“What’s your name, little one?”

Her azure ears poked out sharply above her head.

The Child didn’t answer. She just shrank back into a corner.

I reached out my hand but stopped myself. The child wasn’t ready yet. Forcing a conversation might be counterproductive.

A child who has lived as a slave.

Slaves aren’t persons. They are merely tools in human form.

There’s a saying - People are born with nothing, and they die with nothing as well. However, slaves remain empty-handed during their whole lives. They cannot have anything. Even their very being belongs to others.

Only by treating them as a person can they heal.

Ironically, the best way to heal those who had been treated inhumanly was to treat them as fellow human beings.

I had no desire to exploit the child. One day, I would also remove the collar restraining her. Because My Lord wishes for the freedom of all beings.

The One I serve does not only bless humans.

All living things can receive His blessings. That is also one of the reasons I was driven out of Yurinel’s party. My divine power, unlike that of the Trinity Gods, did not affect demons.

While the other gods chosen could use spells directly targeted to vanquish demons and their dark souls, mine were completely powerless against them. Because my God did not hate those beings.

Nevertheless, the reason I follow Him is because I know He is at least not an evil god.

A mere human like me can’t categorize my Lord into the faulty concepts of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ based on our insignificant notions of morality.

Regardless, the child needs time.

Time for her to be treated as a person, time for her to heal.

“Would you like some stew?”

Until the child is ready to open up to me, I will simply watch over her.

Just as my God did for me.

*****A child born with the potential of the sun.

A child born with the Lunar Magic.

The future leader of her clan.

A beautiful flower that was expected to bloom brilliantly.

“Remember this, my daughter, one day you will lead the Azure Wolf Clan.”

Father always said that while stroking my head.

My siblings would look at me with envious eyes, every time he did.

However, even a mighty full moon eventually wanes into a new moon.

Before I could grow, the good and peaceful days of our tribe ended. The humans attacked the village. We were brave, but we couldn’t stop their armies.

Mages set the entire forest ablaze.

The cavalry charged.

Soldiers kept coming no matter how many were killed. Arches raining death on everyone.

They wanted to kill us all.

-Kill them! It's time we drive these beasts out of the mountains!

-They will never threaten us again.

-No longer will they prey on the cattle and sheep!

-Exterminate the animals! Drive them out of our land!

I remember seeing Father’s sad smile as he faced all that hatred.

Just like always, he stroked my head and said,

“This was bound to happen someday.”

“Father. Why are they going this far to kill us?”

“Because we killed them and stole their lands.”

Once upon a time, these fields and mountains had no one. Bison ran across the plains, and cattle roamed the mountains. They were our prey. But when the humans appeared, everything changed. They burned the mountains to make farmland and drove the beasts to other mountains.

What they could tame, they tamed and kept in pastures.

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There were fewer and fewer beasts, and we had to starve. Father, as the clan leader, made a difficult decision. We raided the humans’ pastures and hunted cows, sheep, and pigs.

Those who lost their property became angry and took up spears and swords to guard the pastures.

In the next raid, there were casualties. Both we and the humans shed blood.

The stream created by that small blood eventually became a river that swallowed us all. The humans organized an army and hired mercenaries. They even brought in mages at great expense to attack the tribe.

“Let’s buy time for the woman and children to flee.”

“Chief...We can’t do that. We’ll defend this place till the end. It’s our home. But you should escape.”

“No. This catastrophe was brought on by my decision. It’s my fault our brethren are dying. Remember. A wolf never runs away from its own decisions.”

Father died on that day. I didn’t even know how he passed.

I fled without looking back.

But it didn’t matter. A horde of humans chased us down as we fled.

They threw metal nets to bind us, stabbed us with spears, and struck us with axes. They tried to kill us all. But someone stopped them, so the young children were able to survive.

“These animals! We already incurred too many losses. We should at least try to make up for it by selling those beasts.”

“We can’t let the adults live. I lost my entire family to those monsters!”

“The kids are innocent. Let’s at least spare them. We also need to buy new cattle and sheep after this. We also need to pay the mercenaries as well.”

They killed my mother. All my aunts and great-aunts too. My Elder sisters were gone. They beat them with clubs and kicked them until they died. At first, the children tried to fight them, but later they all begged and pleaded.

But no matter how we begged, it was just the howling of beasts to them.

They kept beating us.

To them, we were nothing but beasts. They locked us in a barn and sold us to slave traders.

Until we were sold, we were beaten whenever they felt like it. Some children were hit with heated pokers.

Ironically, the slave traders treated us more mercifully.

Even if they were merciful just because they didn’t wish to break their new ‘goods’.

Mercy was still Mercy.

They locked us in a dark cell. They took our freedom by putting collars around our necks and shackles at our feet.

Despite all, we were happy. Because we wouldn’t be beaten to death anymore.

They fed us rancid old mutton. But that was good. Because it was better than those who threw us raw carcasses of livestock to devour. Because it was better than being so hungry we chewed on eyeballs crawling with maggots.

In the end, I had become the very beast they believed me to be.

A beast that rejoiced in not being beaten.

A beast that was moved to tears just by being fed on time.

I was no longer a proud wolf, but a filthy animal. A Mutt.

“How much for that child?”

“Mr. Rubert? Are you looking to buy a slave? How unusual. Well since it’s you, Mr. Rubert, I’ll give you a discount. 10 gold coins and you can leave with her.”

“Oh? So cheap? It’s because she’s a wolf beastkin? Aren’t those difficult to control?”

“Well, I don’t know what happened, but for some reason, this one is broken. She does obey orders well through. You can raise her as a house dog, kekeke.”

“Hm......”

It was strange...Being appraised so intently.

The man looking at her seemed to be middle-aged with a mustache. Did I want him to buy me? Yes, I did.

I wanted to be liked. I wanted to salvage the broken remains of myself.

It doesn’t make sense, but I really wanted it. Above all, I wanted to be praised.

“It’s a gift for my benefactor, so it would be troublesome for me if it causes problems...”

“For another five gold, I can include a collar that will block her latent magic and will even shock her, if she causes problems.”

“......From your words I can see that you are having trouble selling this one.”

“Well, that’s normal. When people think of beastkin, they think of strong and ferocious beasts. But no one wishes to buy a slave like that. Too dangerous. Still, isn’t this one quite the opposite? If only she were human...I would have sold her for triple the price ages ago.”

The slave trader acted friendly.

“Perhaps would you like to see some humans instead?”

“No. My benefactor is a clergyman, so he wouldn’t like it if I gifted him a human slave. If that slave can handle housework and chores well, I’ll buy it.”

“Oh, don’t worry, this one has been sufficiently trained. Right, slave?”

I kept nodding my head, and then I was sold.

He took me to a cozy but large house with a big vegetable garden. That’s where I first saw him. The person who would become my master. The first human to treat me warmly.

“Would you like some stew?”

Instead of making me cook, do laundry, or do housework, he even did mine for me.

He was the first human to see me as a “person.”