I Inherited Dad's Odd Sense Of Humour

Have you ever in your life felt a sense of fear out of being outcasted? That is what I'm feeling now, you'd think that by saving a girl I'd be celebrated as a hero but sadly my first successful rescue made me an outlaw so yep the author of my story is a freaking asshole..... Oh wait this is an autobiography.

"You'd think killing a wealthy merchant would be enough to atleast have a few guards chasing you" Pent sighed as if dissapointed that no one came hunting our heads yet.

"Wanna kill a king next?" I commented jokingly as a reply to his complaint

"Sure but take better cargo next time, to think your this desperate to getting laid that you'd take this mute servant girl" He teased impishly

"She has a name you know" I protested

"Care to ask her?" Pent sarcastically suggested as the girl can't talk much less state her name.

"How about we name her then" I suggested.

"Be my guest" He agreed.

As I took a moment to think I looked at her and she was still shaking, terrified after being locked up

"How about we name her Terri Cage?"

I proposed

"What made you think that up? "

"You know she's terrified of the cage so Terri of the Cage, Terri Cage"

He then chuckled and agreed and as we spent a few hours travelling the topic of slaves came to mind.

"How much do you know about it?" I asked

"Well we're both foreigners so not much but I do know how people are demoted to it"

"How?"

"There are a few ways, one if you are born of a slave mother, two if you become buried in debts not paid by 5 winters, three if your a captured foreign soldier and four if the king himself demotes you" He said

"Is it the same as Sandeith?"

"Not in the slightest, it takes a lot more like a trial where the accused can either choose death by hanging or life as a slave"

"So are all slaves criminals there?"

"Well all slaves coming from Sandeith but Euphillia makes a profit of selling theirs"

"Is that the reason slaves are what makes Euphillia so powerful?"

"No, see it's costly for to turn someone into a traditional slave there is a certain magic you have to use"

"Huh? Why need it"

"Ah you must not know about slaves at all, first of all slaves with owners can never disobey their masters. You are lucky that girl had not yet been contracted"

"So that magic makes them obedient?"

"That's not all, it also wipes all the memories of the victim and forever makes them unable to make choices of their own"

"Wow that sucks... Wait! Is that what happened to Terri?"

"I would assume"

"So what do we do"

Pent was silent for a while as he was thinking then he spoke.

"You've got two choices if you don't want her going back, first is to make yourself her master-"

"No we go with the second option!" I immediately closed the suggestion. As to why I don't understand myself but if I just make myself her master nothing would have changed and I can't have the right to claim I saved her.

"Think about this Red, you don't have to risk your life"

He didn't finish as I merely stared at him seriously making it very clear I don't want her to continue being a tool.

He then sighed and was convinced that I have no intention of letting her stay a slave.

"Alright, there is a way to break the contract"

"We'll do that"

"It requires a lot of magic and it's risk are high, you could die"

"I'll do it"

I had a strange feeling of confidence, or rather courage. I thought of what Prince would do and I'm sure he would do the same and I have already risked alot to save her I might as well go all the way.

We stopped for the night and after we've finished our meal Pent made the preparations, as he was doing that I looked at Terri looking blankly from afar and I thought to myself that for some odd reason I really wanted to meet her, the true her. When she was no longer a mindless puppet.

"Red, any time your ready"

As he said that I stepped inside the magic circle he drew up and as as I did I felt every ounce of magic I had being drained and nearby some writings glowed out of Terri's skin.

"This is her contract" Pent said

"Can you see a string?" he continued.

And as I looked at Terri I found one thin string beside her neck, it as if it was strangling her so I went to her immediately only to know I cannot move anymore out of the immence pressure of the magic circle and my magic being drained away.

"Listen to me Red you have to cut it, any method is fine but you have to do it quickly" Pent told me

With the remaining magic I have I created a sword and through sheer willpower forced my body to move, one step, two steps.

In every move I made I felt as if my bones was in the brink of breaking and my muscles were numb as If I was carrying the weight of a whole mountain by my shoulders.

As few minutes came by and I felt like I've been doing it for days but finally I am near Terri and just a swipe from my sword and it would be over.

But I couldn't, I felt as if all my strength were now gone and a few movements away from cutting the string. I felt like I was going to die, but what felt worse was the dissapointment and regret. Again and again I would screw up, again and again I would fail. Prince was right I was insignificant, a failure. I am weak and even through all the hardwork and sacrifice  nothing had changed.

I felt like screaming, questioning what ever god out there, why? Why was I born insignificant? Why through even all my hardwork I had nothing to show for? Why is it that I had to be the one who didn't matter? Why wasn't I born with the talents to actually make a difference?

I was slowly losing consciousness till I felt a hand in my face, a gentle but calloused hand of a girl who had nothing, a girl who had less than me adn I was reminded that after everything I've been through, I still had one friend who came through for me, a mentor who taught me how to live and I had a life where I was free to do as I pleased and through my desire to let that girl also have the freedom I took for granted I managed to muster a little bit of strength, just enough to help this girl live a good life just like a certain someone who made me realise I should be better.

And after all that I managed to cut the string just barely but enough to break the contact that made this girl lose her freedom and I fainted.