Chapter 19 - My Special Permit

"Big… is... wak... Big sis! Wake up!"

A loud voice was heard and I felt something heavy was pressing on my stomach. Opening my eyes, I saw a hazy figure of someone moving around.

After rubbing my eyes, after my vision became clear, I found a little girl with fox ears and tail pouting at me.

This scene shocked me so much.

I wonder, what's going on?

"Big sis, are you okay? Why would it seem you look so surprised? You don't have a fever, do you?" She flooded me with questions and then touched my forehead with her hands.

"Thank God, big sis doesn't have a fever!" She said with relief. Her tail swayed full of vitality then she gave me a warm smile.

A moment later, I remember that I come to or can be said, I was reborn into another world similar to the world of the VR game, Ark Fantasy Online.

I also remember I become a Fox-kin girl with a dark past. This girl has a desire to grow stronger to gain freedom and kill her stepfather.

And this little girl, the cute Fox-kin girl sitting on my stomach was Kimi.

Her straight shoulder-length hair is black with dark red at the ends, the same color also applied to the fur of Kimi's fox ears and tail. As for her brilliant eyes, it was red just like a Ruby.

Kimi has such a cute face and she is my precious stepsister.

"So... Kimi, something's wrong?"

"Don't give me something wrong! Look!" Kimi who is annoyed moves her arm to point at something to her side.

Seeing the movement she do, I moved my head to see what she pointed out. There, to the left of the bed where I lay, there was a window that showed me the outside scenery.

"What's wrong with that window?"

"It's not about the window! What I mean is the morning is long gone!" Once again, Kimi voiced her annoyance. The girl also pinched and pulled both sides of my cheek. "Wake up big sis, don't be lazy! And also, I'm hungry."

"That's right... I'm sorry. Now, come down please, let me wash my face. After that, I'll make breakfast for you."

"That's the answer I wanted." The little girl nodded before getting off my stomach.

Then, as I said, I wash my face and make breakfast. After all of that was done, I ransacked the rooms the jerk often uses.

I'm looking for gold coins, the Slave Contract that binds me, and his Personal Seal. I need those things to make a Special Permit. Then, after I got my Special Permit, I can register as an adventurer.

After an hour passed, finally, I found the things I needed.

For the money, I got one gold coin, seven large silver coins, and twenty-three large bronze coins. An amount that will ensure our lives for a few months. As for the Slave Contract, I can only hope that this isn't a fake. Finally, his Personal Seal.

"It's a fancy stamp isn't it?"

The bottom half, the one that will print an image after getting the ink has a complicated pattern. As for the handle, it was made of dark brown wood decorated with gold-colored metal.

This Personal Seal was quite amazing especially when I feel something from it. 

Anyway, I get what I needed. So, let's make my Special Permit as soon as possible. And I hope the cost of making special permits is not expensive.

I mean, I do need twenty-seven gold coins to buy my freedom. That's not a small amount of money. 

If someone uses minimum living expenses every day, - that is fifty bronze coins for the cost of renting a room at the inn and buying three meals - twenty-seven gold coins could support that someone for about fourteen years.

The currency in this world is similar to the currency in Ark Fantasy Online. Therefore, I recognize and remember it easily. Especially when I have Eclaite's memories.

I even made a chart for quick memorizing.

10 bronze coins = 1 large bronze coin.

10 large bronze coins = 1 silver coin.

10 silver coins = 1 large silver coin.

10 large silver coins = 1 gold coin.

10 gold coins = 1 large gold coin.

And 100 large gold coins = 1 white gold coin.

I feel so weak When I thought of how much money I needed to buy my freedom. But now is not the time to drown in grief. I have to do what I can do now and then meet Vier at Adventurer's Guild.

So without further ado and immediately, I put the money, the parchment, and the seal into my brown, small leather bag. 

I intend to go to slave traders after all my preparations are complete. But… Kimi, my sister, held my hand as soon as I walked out of the house. 

"Big sis! Where are you going?" She asked me.

I turned around to look the little girl in the eye. I smiled and... "Remember that Mr. Adventurer promised to give me a recommendation?"

"yes."

"Good and today, I'm going to accept that recommendation then I'll sign up as an adventurer. I'll be back before the fourth bell rings."

Kimi narrowed her eyes, her fox ears twitching several times. "Big sis won't forget me again and come back in time, right?"

"Absolutely," I replied. Afterward, I knelt and hugged Kimi for a while. I took off my arms and said. "Let's make a pinkie promise!"

"Pinkie promise?" Kimi was confused then she tilts her head slightly to the right.

"We tie our pinkie fingers and then say a promise. Anyone who breaks a promise will receive a punishment. What do you think?" I asked her while putting my pinkie finger in front of her.

"All right, that's fair enough," she replied. 

The little girl takes out her pinkie finger. So, I quickly welcomed her pinkie finger with mine and in a blink of an eye, our fingers are locked.

"I promise I'll come home before the fourth bell, if I haven't come back as I promised, I'll… hmm... swallow a thousand needles."

"No!" Kimi screamed then hug me after I did saying my promise. Things she do shocked me and make me froze. 

"I don't want big sis to eat a thousand needles! I don't want big sis to die and leave me alone."

She said while hiccupped and with a broken voice. Her trembling body hugged me tighter.

Did she cry? I thought when I stroked the back of her head to calm her down.

A moment later, she let me go, she showed me her red, watery eyes and sad expression.

This piece of episode made me realize the mistake I made. Kimi lost her mother, Haruka, at a young age. 

Two months ago, her father, the jerk gone and never come back. 

And now, unintentionally, I say that I'm going to swallow a thousand needles. With the words like that, indirectly, I said I was going to die. And needless to say, this hurts Kimi's heart.

"I'm sorry Kimi," I said, stroking her head. "If I don't come back on time, what punishment should I get?"

"Nothing," replied the little girl in a soft voice.

"Nothing?" I repeated out of confusion.

"Big sis doesn't need punishment because I'm sure Big sis will be back before the fourth bell," Kimi explained. At the same time, she gave me a sincere gaze.

The unconditional trust she gave me touched my heart. So I hugged her one more time.

"I'll be home soon," I promised her again.

Sometime later, I walked down the sidewalk. And for the third time or maybe, the fourth time? 

I got lost.

I can't do anything about this issue because Rishtonbell's layout in this world is so different from Rishtonbell's layout I know. 

I can't use my knowledge from AFO and for Eclaite's memory, this girl never leaves the house because she was bound by the jerk's orders. Therefore, she also did not know the city layout well.

Yesterday was the first time for Eclaite to go far enough from home. She decided to do that exploration after somehow, she felt, she could leave the house without fearing the jerk's orders would get in her way.

And yes, in the end, I, the stupid girl who doesn't know the streets of the city where she lives have to ask people to get to where I want to go. 

Moments later, I stand in front of a three-story building with a sign, 'Slaves Trader Red Tail' on the top of its front doors.

"Does the owner of this shop have a red tail?" I wondered as I walked into the store.

A small, clean, minimalist lobby greeted me after I passed the front doors. In this lobby, there's a muscular man who's maybe a security guard and a beautiful woman who's a receptionist or maybe, a shopkeeper?

I don't know and I'm not quite interested in their job. I came to this store to make a Special Permit nothing more, nothing less.

Not wanting to waste time, I walked up to the receptionist.

"Welcome, miss. What do you need from our store?" she asked accompanied by a friendly smile.

"I want to make a Special Permit."

"All right, for who is this Special Permit intended to?"

"For myself."

"Are you a Slave?"

"Yes."

"You brought the Slave Contract in your name?"

"Yes."

"Is the creation of this Special Permit approved by your Master?"

"He said if he doesn't come back from the Dungeon for more than a month, I can make a Special Permit. And now, two months have passed since he said that."

Hearing my answer, the receptionist was silent for a while before make a nod. "Two silver coins are needed as the cost of making a Special Permit. Have you prepared it?"

"Yes."

"All right. Please wait a minute," said the receptionist. 

A moment later, she leave her chair to pick up some strange types of equipment and parchments from inside a large shelf behind the reception desk.

Minutes passed and the receptionist arranged all the things she picked up at the front desk. When she's done, she says. "Please give me your Slave Contract."

And I did what she asked.

The process of making a Special Permit is not complicated. 

The receptionist just needs to see my Slave Contract and write something on an empty parchment. Then after she has done with the writing, she marked the parchment and my Slave Contract with Magic Tools. 

My Special Permit finally done after I give my signature, a drop of my blood to the parchment, and the required fee.

I got the Special Permit I wanted without using the jerk's Personal Seal. The woman says the seal will be needed if I want to cancel my slave contract.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After that small exchange, I left Slaves Trader Red Tail to go to the Adventurer's Guild.