"Given her current physical condition, how could I possibly accept?" Su Mu sighed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Even with the apartment's buffs, I'm afraid I'd accidentally hurt her. Regardless, we wait until she's recovered."
"I... I'll be fine... I can endure it..."
Sylphie, having heard every word of their conversation, hurriedly opened her eyes. She pleaded with desperate urgency, her voice thin but laced with a stubborn streak.
Her understanding of "torment" was limited to things like being lashed with a whip or beaten with a club—hardships she had already endured during her time as a vagrant. She truly believed she could handle it.
"Enough. We will discuss this again once you are healthy," Su Mu interrupted her firmly. His gaze was soft, yet it carried an indisputable authority. "For the next few days, focus on your recovery. Eat well and sleep well. I will help you look for Sister Doris and your other companions. By the time we find them, your body should be mostly mended. It won't be too late to talk about 'repaying' me then."
"R-really?"
Sylphie looked up at Su Mu, her eyes filled with disbelief and a flicker of cautious hope. She had never imagined that these seemingly high-ranking nobles would be willing to help her, let alone treat her with such kindness.
"Of course." Su Mu nodded, then intentionally put on a stern face, his tone turning slightly menacing. "But you must eat and rest properly. If I find you secretly skipping meals or refusing to sleep, I won't tell you a thing even if I find your companions. I might even tip off the Kingdom's soldiers about their location."
Naturally, he was only saying this to force Sylphie to prioritize her health; he had no intention of actually making things difficult for her.
"Y-yes! I will definitely eat well and sleep well! Please... please, my Lord, don't do that... sob..."
Sylphie's face turned pale at his threat. Her body trembled as she nodded frantically in agreement. She could no longer hold back her tears of relief and anxiety; they spilled down her cheeks as she began to sob quietly.
"...What a handful." Looking at the crying girl, Su Mu couldn't bring himself to be harsh anymore. He waved his hand, handing the task of comforting her over to Himeko and the others. "I'll leave her to you."
Every person required a different approach. For a spoiled, rebellious lady like Eris, he could harden his heart to suppress her. But facing a child as pitiable and fragile as Sylphie, he truly couldn't find it in him to say another harsh word, let alone exert any physical pressure.
"So typical. You act like you don't know how to comfort people, as if we're somehow more 'expert' than you."
March 7th grumbled, but her body was honest. She sat down beside Sylphie on the sofa and began chattering away about her own adventure stories. Her tone was animated, punctuated by exaggerated gestures.
Before long, Sylphie's sobbing gradually subsided. Her red-rimmed eyes filled with curiosity as she listened quietly to March 7th's tales of wonder.
Watching this scene, Su Mu nodded privately to himself—As expected of me, I'm quite the natural at soothing others.
Under the warm glow of the lamps, the group sat together. The air was thick with the faint aroma of porridge and a sense of warmth, dispelling Sylphie's unease and adding a touch of domestic life to the apartment.
Once Sylphie had completely calmed down, Su Mu began to ask about the location where she, Doris, and the others used to live.
Hearing the question, Sylphie pursed her lips, trying her best to search her hazy memories for a direction. Her voice was raspy from crying. "It was... in a small mountain near the Asura Kingdom. There were many caves on the mountain. The biggest one was at the peak..."
Her voice grew softer as she spoke. Her memories were buried under the weight of time, and many details had blurred, leaving only a rough outline.
With the direction in hand, March 7th stood up immediately, habitually dusting off her skirt despite there being no dust. A flash of eagerness crossed her eyes.
"Leave it to me! I'll go look for it right now!"
She turned to leave, but Su Mu called out to her.
"Take the shrunken apartment with you. That way, Sylphie can observe the outside world from inside, making it easier to adjust the route in real-time."
"Roger that!"
March 7th responded instantly and stepped out of the apartment. Simultaneously, she retrieved the palm-sized, shrunken version of the apartment from her system space and kept it on her person.
As a result, the darkness of the system space was replaced by sunlight pouring through the apartment's glass windows. Warm light flooded the floors, chasing away the shadows in the corners. The warm yellow lamps, which had been lit, were turned off, leaving only natural light to saturate every corner of the interior.
The sudden, long-awaited brightness was quite dazzling and quickly caught the attention of the other tenants.
Misaki was currently checking the store to purchase some weapons. Yui was practicing a skill she had obtained during a previous hunt. Anna sat by the window, polishing a brass-colored card. Eris was pondering what she could do to make "Big Brother Su Mu" happier. Lilia, meanwhile, was cleaning the rooms according to her high standards.
The sudden change in the scenery outside the windows immediately drew their focus, and confusion flickered in their eyes.
Su Mu had anticipated this. He turned to Himeko beside him and said, "Himeko, go explain the situation to everyone. Tell them about Sylphie's past and what we're planning to do next."
Himeko nodded and her figure instantly manifested in the hallway of the sub-top floor. After calling the five of them out of their rooms, she slowly recounted Sylphie's hardships—the loneliness of being abandoned, the warmth of relying on Doris and the others, the terror of their forced separation, the years of wandering, and Su Mu's decision to help find her companions.
The group was visibly moved by the story.
Misaki gently took Yui's hand, her eyes full of pity; she was clearly thinking of the plight she and her daughter had faced, though Sylphie's situation was far more tragic.
Anna merely nodded silently in response, thinking of the cards she had placed in her system space—perhaps there would be a chance for them to be used this time.
Eris didn't seem to care much about Sylphie's past. Instead, she looked at Himeko and asked, "Sister Himeko, if we help that Sylphie girl, will Big Brother Su Mu be happy?"
"Of course," Himeko nodded gently.
"Mhm! Then I want to help! I'll do my best!" Eris chirped immediately. She was thinking that if Su Mu was happy, he would surely praise her again.
Finally, Lilia bowed slightly and responded respectfully, "Since it is the Master's command, I shall naturally give my all."
Having received their responses, Himeko told them to prepare themselves and then returned to the top floor.
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