Chapter 26

"Let's buy a slave!"

I declared this and immediately closed my eyes, bracing for the shock.

Sylvia’s “You fool!” was coming. I knew it.

However, Sylvia’s reaction was the complete opposite of what I expected.

"Hmm. A slave, huh. That does make it easier to find."

"…Huh? You’re not angry?"

"Hmm, why would I be? We’re looking for a slave with blacksmithing potential. It’s a good idea. We can check their stats at the slave market without any problems."

Oh, it’s allowed.

I thought Lady Knight would turn red and say something like, “How dare you! You’re planning to abuse the slaves! It’s like those erotic doujinshi!” while attacking me, but that didn’t happen.

"Alright. Then we’ll return to the capital tomorrow and visit a slave trader."

"Understood. Ah, Lord Second. You might want to wear that outfit."

That rare outfit. Indeed, it would make me look rich and probably get better service.

"Alright, I understand. I’ll prepare it."

The next morning.

We left the town of Peho and returned to the capital.

Our destination was the largest slave trading company in the capital, 'Maurice'.

"Welcome. I am the head of the company, Philip."

In the reception room at the back of the store, a plump, cheerful old man was waiting. He was the most important person in this area. Indeed, the power of this outfit is incredible. Just one piece and it had the maximum effect.

"I want to find a blacksmith slave. Can I check their stats?"

"Of course. I will bring them in immediately."

Philip gave an order, and a woman who seemed to be his secretary quietly left the room.

In less than ten minutes, she returned with about 15 slaves, all wearing collars.

"……I see."

At that moment, I perfectly understood why Sylvia wasn’t angry.

The slaves standing before me were all, without exception, muscular, bearded men.

...Oh, right. I was mistaken. Of course, they’re blacksmiths... but when you hear 'slave,' you get certain expectations, right? I mean, I’m a guy. Sigh...

"Did you find a slave you like?"

"Hmm. Ah, wait a moment."

Still in shock from the bearded men, I was somewhat disappointed, but I still checked the stats of each of the 15 slaves to select the best one.

The stats I wanted for a blacksmith were STR and DEX, followed by LUK, and INT would be a plus. Since this blacksmith would be enhancing my weapons to become the best in the world, all of these stats needed to be excellent.

"…No. There’s no one suitable here."

Hearing my words, the bearded men seemed somewhat disappointed.

"I see. I apologize. In that case, the only other option among the slaves we handle is the criminal slaves."

Criminal slaves?

I don’t understand the difference from regular slaves. Well, as long as they’re good blacksmiths, it’s fine.

"Alright, show me."

"Understood. Since they are criminal slaves, we cannot bring them here. You will need to go to the slave cells."

"Alright. Then Sylvia and Echo will wait here."

I left this message and followed Philip.

The slave cells of Maurice Slave Trading Company looked like a prison, with large, clean rooms and well-managed facilities. Maurice seems to be quite profitable. The slaves, while not exactly thriving, seemed to be living decent lives, and only a few appeared to be in despair.

"From here, it’s the criminal slave cells. There are 33 in total, and one of them is a blacksmith."

"Please guide me."

"Yes, this way."

Philip walked down the corridor and stopped at the second-to-last room. The room for criminal slaves was quite secure.

With a clank, he opened a small window, and I could see inside through the iron bars.

As expected, it was a bearded man.

"…No, that won’t do."

I shook my head after checking his stats. This bearded man did not have the potential to be an excellent blacksmith.

"I see… I apologize for not meeting your expectations."

Philip bowed his head.

"Don’t worry about it," I was about to say, but then I noticed the last room, which was even more secure.

"What kind of person is in that room?"

"Oh, that one."

Philip, as an apology, used a key to open the double-locked small window of the last room and showed me inside.

"This is an assassin who served a duchess who was recently executed. She was forced into a subordinate contract and made to assassinate, but she was found not guilty and was spared execution, so she came to our company."

"An assassin? Hmm."

I peered inside.

...Dark skin, long hair mixed with white and purple, sharp, slanted eyes, full, firm breasts, an artistic waist, and toned legs.

She maintained her cold expression, only moving her eyes to meet mine through the small window.

The person there was—

"...A dark elf."

"Yes. She is a skilled woman. However, the Castor Kingdom has instructed us to add a 'no attack' clause to her contract, so her uses are limited to being a sex slave or a housekeeper... and even then, as a dark elf, she’s hard to sell in this era."

No attack... so she can’t attack?

But why can’t she be sold? She’s so beautiful, I would think there would be many buyers.

"The regulations are a hassle."

Philip laughed in a troubled manner.

...Ah, I see. That’s what Sylvia mentioned before, the "discrimination against beastmen and persecution of dark elves." The Castor Kingdom must have implemented some regulations as a countermeasure.

In other words, in today’s climate, it’s not just bad to treat a dark elf as a sex slave; even owning a dark elf as a slave is considered very poor form.

"Show me your stats."

I decided to ask, since I was here.

She reluctantly complied.

"……Hmm."

First, her DEX was extremely high. Her STR and INT were also quite high, fitting the设定 of dark精灵擅长魔法和战斗。

然而，为什么呢？她的LUK和AGI也非常高。

“你有什么技能？”

“……短剑术、弓术、魔法、线控术、暗杀术。”

她这样说道。声音低沉，透出一种冷酷的氛围。

啊，我明白了。异常高的DEX是因为她不仅提升了【弓术】，还提升了【线控术】。AGI高是因为她提升了【暗杀术】。

也就是说，她的成长类型很可能是‘黑smith’。

……。

如果是的话。

……嗯。虽然‘不能攻击’这一点有点遗憾，但如果专注于锻造，应该没问题。像女仆一样照顾我的日常生活，或者在战斗之外的方面提供各种支持……

……好吧。

我下定决心，开口说道。

“她要多少钱？”

感谢您的阅读。