Chapter 75

"Hey, you want to buy a slave, right?"

The next morning, at breakfast, when I asked Selene this, she gave me a really strange look.

"…What?"

"Um, if I'm wrong, I'm sorry. But that's what I thought."

Selene was completely taken aback, but after a while, her face turned to one of heightened caution.

"…What are you going to do with that information?"

"Well, I thought I should buy them before someone else does."

"Huh?"

She looked at me with a mix of anxiety, caution, and even more confusion. There was a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"So… because you mentioned a clear amount of 50 gold coins and were wandering around the slave market, I thought… maybe there's someone important to you in that place, right?"

I asked Selene, who had stopped eating her breakfast.

"If you want, I can buy that person and take them with us to the forest. Then, you can buy them back from me for 50 gold coins."

When I said this, Selene looked like she was about to cry.

Then she turned away, bowed her head...

"…My sister."

She spoke in a trembling voice.

"My sister. Angel... was sold by my father... and I wanted to buy her back, so I've been stealing to earn money..."

"…I see."

Not knowing what to do, I tentatively patted Selene's head.

"Then, after breakfast, let's go and buy her back first."

"…Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Let's do it."

Yeah. I'm glad she told me. This way, I can properly alleviate Selene's worries. I think it will make him look more like an angel. Maybe I can even paint them together. When I saw her at the slave market, she looked like a doll, but maybe if I put her next to an angel, she'll become one too.

After that, our shopping began.

First, we went to a weapon shop in the back alley. The slave market opens a bit later, so we decided to finish shopping at other stores in the back alley first.

Here, Laocrates was very helpful. After all, I don't know much about weapons, and neither does Fay.

...So, we got five thin, beautiful knives. We completed one of Celia's errand list items.

Then we waited in front of the slave market until it opened. At first, the shopkeeper gave us a suspicious look, but it quickly disappeared thanks to Selene's happy face and the 'thank you for showing us around' we paid yesterday.

The shopkeeper even let us into the store before it opened and served us tea. ...Fay seemed to like the tea and was asking where the tea leaves came from. Maybe I'll buy some for Celia too.

...As time went on, it finally reached the official opening time.

The moment it did, Selene said in a tense voice:

"Angel Selene! Angel Selene, a 7-year-old girl! Please!"

...Huh, so 'Selene' was her last name?

Putting aside my confusion, the shopkeeper brought a small girl with a full smile.

The small girl had a similar coloring to Selene. Her light blonde hair, tinged with gray, was in loose curls. Her sky-blue eyes and long lashes. Their facial features were very similar, as expected of siblings.

At first, the girl had a tense expression, but she was trying hard to smile. ...She had a doll-like face.

But...

"Angel!"

"...Big brother!"

The moment she saw 'big brother,' her face lit up. The tension and the composed smile disappeared, and she broke into a full smile. Then, her smile crumbled, and tears started to well up in her eyes, eventually spilling over.

Seeing this, Selene rushed over. The shopkeeper seemed to understand the situation and didn't stop him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for making you wait so long..."

"Big brother... thank you, thank you..."

Then the two siblings clung to each other and started crying.

...At that moment, Selene wasn't an angel but a human, and Angel wasn't a doll but a human.

While they were calming down, we quickly finished the formalities.

It was just a matter of paying and exchanging some documents. Yeah. It was much simpler than when we bought Selene.

"But, sir, are you sure? Angel is indeed a beautiful girl and well-mannered, but she might be a bit too young for labor. And from what I saw yesterday, you didn't seem particularly interested..."

The shopkeeper, while efficiently handling the procedures, asked this. Yeah, he did handle the procedures.

"Yeah, it's fine. I think he'll look better with her around."

But I really have no regrets. I'm not short on money... and even if I were, I think this was the right choice.

...If you can buy a family you care about with money, it's a good deal, I think.

"Yeah. He looks better."

By the time we finished signing the contract and making the payment, the two of them were smiling at each other, with tears still on their faces.

...Ah, that face, it's not human but an angel.

Wow. Both of them turned into angels. The doll turned into an angel, influenced by the angels...

"Then, let me introduce myself again. I'm Jyukutou. I live in the forest of Redgard. I'm a beginner, but I'm a painter. Nice to meet you."

Then I introduced myself and held out my hand to the two children.

Then...

"Ah... Rian Selene. 'Selene' is the last name..."

"Is that so? Then, I shouldn't call you Selene?"

"Angel is also Selene, and my father is Selene, so it's better to use a different name."

I see. Then, Selene, now Rian. Nice to meet you. He took my hand with his smaller one.

"And... Angel. Nice to meet you..."

Then an even smaller hand took mine.

"Nice to meet you, Angel. Um, you'll be spending about two months in the forest, is that okay?"

It's a bit of a belated permission, but I asked just in case. Angel nodded.

"Big brother and I will be together, so I'm happy..."

Then Angel smiled shyly. She seemed a bit shy, and as she talked to me, she gradually hid behind her big brother. It was endearing.

"Then, nice to meet you again, Rian and Angel."

When I called their names again, the siblings nodded in unison.

"Alright. Then, let's finish the rest of the errands before we go back."

Then, I went on to the next shopping trip, satisfied with the hand-holding Selene siblings, now Rian and Angel. Fay, who knew the capital well, led the way, followed by Rian and Angel, and then me and Laocrates.

"There are two angels."

"...Yeah, their expressions have softened a lot."

Yeah. Rian has been talking to Angel happily since then. His face was that of a young boy trying to be a good big brother and a child who felt safe with his family.

In short, the wariness and hostility were gone, and Rian's expression was much brighter.

"...I'm glad."

"Yeah, really glad."

When I spoke, both of them showed a bit of tension and caution on their faces, but when they were alone, they were just a close-knit pair of siblings. It was somehow... like a pair of angels unaccustomed to humans.

"I have more to paint."

"Are you going to paint the sister too?"

Yeah, of course. After all, the number of angels has doubled. Double. The number of angels has doubled, so I have to paint them!

Then we went to a pastry shop, a bakery, and bought some tea leaves... and we completed all of Celia's errands except for the last one.

Well, the last one is 'the most beautiful thing,' but... I can't bring Rian and Angel as a gift to Celia. Hmm.

"...What's up?"

"Well, I'm looking for something beautiful... Do you know anything?"

Thinking that it might be a good idea to ask someone who lived in the capital, but also thinking that as angels, they might not understand what humans mean by 'beautiful,' I asked Rian just in case.

...Then.

Angel, who seemed to have realized something, whispered something to Rian's ear.

"Ah... No, but that's not something they would want. They're looking for something different..."

Ah, it seems they thought of something.

"Could you tell me, just in case? It might be a hint."

"...I don't think it will help at all."

...What is it, exactly...?

Still, we followed their lead and returned to the back alleys of the capital. The Selene siblings were better guides here than Fay. Probably because this back alley was their playground.

"Um... this way."

Rian led us hesitantly, and we eventually arrived at the Selene house. The one with the leaky roof and the tilt, giving it a somewhat melancholic feel.

"...Is there something at home?"

"No, not at home, but..."

Then Rian led us around to the back of the house. It was a very small yard... more like a trash area.

Rian went to a corner of this area and started doing something with Angel.

...What is it, I wondered, as we watched them. Eventually, Angel showed us what she had in her hand, with a shy smile.

"This."

In her small hand were pebbles, glass shards, and pretty colored seeds.

"...See? They're no good, right?"

Rian said uncomfortably, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, nostalgic. I used to collect pebbles when I was a kid. I still keep them in a box in my drawer."

Fay took a glass shard from Angel's hand and held it up to the sunlight. It sparkled a pale blue, indeed very beautiful.

"Thanks for showing me. They're treasures, right?"

Fay smiled and patted Angel's head, making her blush and hide behind Rian. ...This angel is still shy.

"If you've collected these treasures, let's take them to the forest. I have a bag."

When I gently offered a bag, Angel said "thank you" in a small voice, took the bag, and blushed again as she hid behind Rian. But she started filling the bag with 'treasures' while hiding, which was very cute.

"...Maybe we can take some stones and glass shards to Celia. She might like them."

"Yeah, I think she might like them too."

I think it would be nice to give Celia such a 'gift.' After all, the glass shards, when held up to the sunlight, were transparent, glossy, and had sharp, dazzling edges. Besides, I don't think Celia expects a luxurious dress or a large gem as 'the most beautiful thing.'

"Then, let's look for some beautiful stones and glass shards?"

It might be fun. Like a return to childhood.

...Well, I don't really have many memories of collecting stones as a child. Whenever I brought pebbles, acorns, or pine cones home, they were thrown out the next morning, so I never brought them home or collected them.

Thinking about it, I kind of want to try it.

Then, while waiting for Rian and Angel to gather their few belongings from their home, I searched for glass shards and pebbles in the back alley.

The pipe foxes were very helpful. When the pipe foxes made a 'kon' sound, they immediately split into about 16 palm-sized little foxes, which scattered throughout the back alley.

While I was surprised, the pipe foxes kept bringing back beautiful things. For every one I found, they brought back about 32.

Smooth, white, round stones. Glass shards with a gradient from deep wine red to dark green. Ceramic fragments with bright blue patterns on a white background. Acorns. These things kept piling up...

"...When did you gather so many?"

By the time Rian and Angel came out of the house, a small mountain of beautiful things had formed. The pipe fox, now back to one, was proudly chirping.

Yeah. Impressive.

Then I decided to put the treasures the pipe foxes gathered and the ones I found into a small bag and take them back. Even if I think more about Celia's gift later, it would be a shame to throw away these beautiful things.

"Wow... Tougo, your fox can split?"

"Yeah, I just found out."

I didn't expect it to split. As I stroked the pipe fox with this thought, it chirped proudly and returned to the bamboo tube. Yeah, good job.

"...What was that?"

Rian and Angel, who seemed interested, were probably very curious about the mysterious fox that could split.

"Um, it's my summoned creature. A pipe fox."

When I signaled for it to come out again, the pipe fox slipped out and started to crawl into Rian's pants.

"Ah!"

"Sorry. It loves being in tubes..."

Then the pipe fox wriggled around in Rian's clothes for a while. Yeah, it still loves gaps.

"...Cute."

While Rian was being wriggled, Angel was smiling at the pipe fox.

"Um, I have friends too."

Then she told us.

"Friends?"

"Many of my treasures were given to me by my friends."

...What kind of 'friends' are they? Does Angel have a pipe fox too?

"Um, what kind of friends?"

When I asked, Angel... moved her hands near a flower in the corner of the yard.

Then, a creature with a human-like shape and sparkling wings... a 'fairy' that fit the name perfectly, was playing with Angel's fingers.

...An angel's fingers, with a fairy playing on them.

How fantastical.

"...It's beautiful."

When I said this, Angel smiled.

"This one doesn't like me. It only brings presents to Angel."

Rian, who had been watching, poked the fairy on Angel's finger. The fairy laughed and started playing with Rian's finger too. Yeah, they seem to get along well.

"Can I touch it too?"

Since it was a good opportunity, I tried to touch the fairy, but... the fairy shrank back in surprise.

Well, I guess it's not good to touch it on the first meeting. I'm sorry.

...But when I tried to pull my hand back, the fairy tentatively reached out and touched my fingertip.

At that moment.

The