Chapter 7

Matthias's shop was located along the main street. It was a large brick building. In fact, it felt overwhelmingly larger than the other shops around it.

Is it an inn? Oh, no, if many slaves live here, this size is probably normal.

The fact that he could set up his shop so boldly in such a place really shows that slavery is widely accepted in society.

"Welcome to the White Wolf's Spring."

The man who bowed respectfully was an employee.

He looked to be around thirty and was wearing a collar.

...So, that's a slave collar. As Daiziro's book mentioned, those who wear it must absolutely obey their master's orders.

Still, the man in front of me didn't look pale or have any visible injuries; he seemed clean.

Hmm, well, it makes sense that they wouldn't have a bad-looking man serving customers.

"He is my guest. Please, Ichinjo-sama, this way."

At Matthias's urging, I moved to the back room.

The back room was a large space with sofas and a table.

Given the presence of a fountain pen and ink on the table, I assumed this was where contracts were made.

However, the space in front of the table was quite wide.

Ah, I can guess. They probably line up the slaves here for selection.

"Ichinjo-sama, please have this. It's a service we offer."

"Ah... thank you."

Matthias, who had brought a fancy teapot, poured me a cup of tea.

There was no sugar, but a slice of lemon floated on top.

"I will bring you a slave with an adventurer's certification. Please wait here."

As Matthias left, I took a sip of the tea, which was just the right temperature.

Just to borrow a slave for 5 cents, is this level of hospitality really necessary? I wondered.

Well, the desire for new customers is universal.

Today it's 5 cents, but if I rent a slave five times a month, that's 25 cents, or 300 cents a year, which is equivalent to 3 silver coins, or about 30,000 yen in profit.

So, this is probably an initial investment for Matthias.

After a while, Matthias returned.

—And for the first time in my life, I almost fainted at the beauty of someone's hair.

There was a woman with hair so white it seemed to emit light.

She was more beautiful than cute, with flawless white skin that made the models I had seen in Japan look like amateurs.

I could tell she wasn't of my race by her ears.

She had dog ears.

"This is Haruwataro. Please call her Haru. As you can see, she is a White Wolf."

White Wolf... Ah, the white wolf from the shop's name.

Her ears were wolf ears, not dog ears. I'm glad I didn't say that out loud.

"If you choose her, the rental fee is 5 cents per hour as previously mentioned, but since this is your first time using our shop, we will offer you 10 hours for 5 cents as a service."

"...No, 10 hours? I just need to go to the adventurer's guild and have them buy the rabbits."

"If you don't need the full time, you can bring her back early."

Well, that makes sense. It's like if a DVD rental shop charges the same for a 2-night and a 1-week rental, you'd automatically go for the 1-week rental. If you don't need it, you can just return it.

When I paid the 5 cents,

"Then, we will make a 10-hour contract."

Matthias placed his fingers on Haruwataro's collar and chanted something that sounded like a spell.

He then instructed me to touch her collar, which I did as told.

Ten lights appeared on the collar.

"The contract is now complete. The lights will go out one by one every hour, and after 10 hours, all the lights will be gone, and the contract with you, Ichinjo-sama, will be terminated, and I will become her master again. Since this is a rental, please do not mistreat her. If she is injured, we will have to charge you for medical expenses."

"Understood."

I know, I'm just going to the adventurer's guild, so there's no danger.

"Please take good care of me, Master."

With a beautiful, dignified voice, Haruwataro bowed.

"Master"... The sound of it made me feel embarrassed, like the first time I entered a maid café.

Though I've only been to one once. I haven't gone back since Milli found the receipt and got angry.

With a beautiful slave like her, I might be tempted to buy her, but buying a woman with money is still unacceptable to me.

Besides, I'm still unemployed.

Having a family, even with a slave, is out of the question.

I'll think about that when I have a stable income.

"By the way, what does Haruwataro do for a living? I know you're an adventurer, but—"

"I am a swordsman. Please call me Haru or Haruwa."

"Then I'll call you Haru. A swordsman, huh? Can you advance from an apprentice swordsman to a swordsman?"

"Haru is fine. Yes, you can become a swordsman when you reach level 20 as an apprentice. However, many people choose to advance to level 25 to learn the Sword Mastery skill before becoming a swordsman."

"A swordsman. That's a cool job."

In a different world, it's all about swords and magic.

Maybe I'll change my second job to an apprentice swordsman.

I can just change my job back to a commoner when I need to pay taxes.

Ah, but will my stats drop when I reach level 1?

I'll have to test that later.

"If that's the case, why don't you become a swordsman, Master? Fortunately, this is a town of dungeons. If you spend three years in a dungeon, you can become a swordsman."

"Three years...?"

For me, it would probably take three days.

"Sorry, I have my reasons for not changing my job. But I'd like to go to the dungeon."

"In that case, please use me. I'm used to dungeons."

Haru looked at me—her tail wagging back and forth.

Wow, she's really eager to go to the dungeon.

Usually, she seems so composed and poker-faced, but her tail reveals her mood, which is quite a charming contrast.

If she insists, I'd like to take her to the dungeon, but—

"Sorry, Matthias told me not to hurt you."

"Yes... I apologize for overstepping."

Her tail and ears drooped.

I felt a wave of guilt.

But, it can't be helped.

So, we arrived at the adventurer's guild, and I handed over three rabbits at the entrance.

"Two white rabbits and one black rabbit. Understood, I'll take care of it."

"Do you need me to go with you?"

"The guild may tolerate it, but having someone other than a registered party member report on your behalf is not a good practice. It might put you at a disadvantage if you have business with the guild in the future. Even if you're not an adventurer, anyone can take on quests."

You're right.

Katyusha also said she didn't want Matthias to do business in the shop.

If a slave with a collar came to sell the rabbits I was trying to sell, there's a high chance they'd figure out it was on my behalf. But if there's a 10% or 20% chance it wasn't me, the guild wouldn't be too aggressive.

So, I'll just let Haru handle it.

"Take your time and try to get a good price."

"Understood."

Haru bowed and entered the guild with the three rabbits.

I wonder how much she'll get.

...Huh?

It's taking longer than expected. Is it busy?

I'll wait a bit longer.

...It's taking too long. It's been almost an hour.

...Did she run off with them?

No, no, Daiziro said slaves with collars must absolutely obey their masters.

But, the contract was made with Matthias, not me. Could they be in on it together?

That's a real possibility.

No, no, no, but Haru wouldn't lie—

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Master."

"Haru!? Haru!"

"Yes?"

"Ah, um, it took a while."

"Yes, Master said to take as much time as needed to get a good price, so I borrowed the guild's dissection room to dissect the rabbits."

"...Ah, that's why it took so long."

"Here is the total appraisal amount."

She handed me a silver coin, 100 cents.

Huh? The going rate is 10 cents per rabbit, so this is more than three times the usual price?

"The black rabbit sold for three times the price of a regular rabbit."

"...Still, that's double the price. Dissecting them must be impressive... Haru."

"Yes, what is it, Master?"

"I'm sorry for everything!"

I bowed to apologize for doubting Haru, and while her face remained calm, her tail was wagging wildly.

After the apology, we returned to Matthias's shop.

This was the introduction of the sixth heroine, Haru.

The first heroine, actually a yandere sister—Milli.

The second heroine, actually a goddess with the ability to manipulate her body—Orc Goddess.

The third heroine, actually (or maybe not) an older child goddess.

The fourth heroine, actually better at unarmed combat than swordplay—Gatekeeper Lady.

The fifth heroine, actually a man, the owner of a clothing shop.

Thinking about it, Haru doesn't have much of a unique trait. Is it okay to add a character like her to the heroine lineup?

Maybe a setting where she's actually a dog, not a wolf, would be better...

...I'm saying something silly.

Haru is the first heroine. She won't join the party right away, but a loyal wolf—no, a loyal dog—is a good choice for the first heroine. I want to pet her. The next update will be after dawn.