Chapter 51

Immediately after Master and the other two set out to hunt the dragon, I visited the Lumberjack Earl's residence.

Since I had been sending the mithril alloy every two days in small quantities, all that was left was to receive the payment. A staggering 300 billion CL.

"Miss Yuki, I have already heard the details. Everything will proceed as planned."

"I'm relieved."

The Earl's butler, Forrest, welcomed me. As per our prior discussions, I was to stay at this Earl's residence until Master returned. The Earl's side had agreed without hesitation.

I am not a fool to wander around with 300 billion CL. I even considered hiring a bodyguard, but it felt a bit unreliable. Most likely, being by Master's side is the safest place in the world, so I decided it was best to wait quietly.

However, I am not just going to wait idly.

The grand mansion we plan to purchase—Master has already set his sights on it.

To discuss this, I arranged a meeting in one of the rooms at the Earl's residence.

The people I summoned were developers focusing on the ultra-luxury residential area on the outskirts of the capital, the top construction company in the capital, contractors, and carpenters. While it would have been enough to just call the seller if we were only buying a mansion, it was far from enough to fulfill Master's magnificent dream.

Soon, the bigwigs from the companies, who had caught the scent of money, came to the room. They all bowed deeply to me, a dark elf. The Earl's name, who governs the commercial city, truly has an immense effect, I realized.

Now, let's get to the main topic.

When Master was doing research to purchase a grand mansion, he said this:

"It's smaller than I thought" — and that was it.

The largest and most expensive mansion on the outskirts of the capital is 2.5 billion CL, but it still didn't meet Master's standards. So, what did he propose? Master said with a full smile:

"Let's buy nine mansions in a 3x3 grid, and all the land in between, and turn it into one large estate" — and that was it.

...I love Master, but for a moment, I thought, "Is this person maybe a bit of an idiot?"

However, Master said with sparkling eyes, "The northwest will be a mansion inspired by a city of water," "The north will be a mansion that looks like a hidden forest retreat," "The northeast will be a mansion in the style of a hot spring inn," "The east will be a standard mansion with a large lawn and a pool," "The southeast will be a mansion for the servants," "The middle and south will be combined into a long castle," "The southwest will be a lakeside mansion with a view of Vanilla Lake," "The west will be a Japanese-style mansion by a stream." Indeed, he said all of that. I remember every word.

If that's the case, there is only one thing I should do.

Take the first step towards realizing Master's dream.

"......"

When I explained our request, everyone fell silent.

Of course, it was unprecedented.

"Please give me an estimate."

I shot everyone a serious look and bowed slightly. The executives were startled and began to calculate the numbers.

That evening, estimates from each company arrived.

The total for the mansions, land, and renovations was approximately 21.6 billion CL.

...I have never heard of someone spending this much money on a house. Even the royal palace would be cheaper. Master, as always, is undoubtedly the best in the world, even in terms of houses.

"Now, what's left is..."

I sent a reply to each company, stating that I would make a decision on the purchase and construction after seeing the actual properties, and leaned back in my chair.

With this, the preparations are complete. The only thing left is what to do about the "servants."

While I was thinking about this, there was a knock on the door. It was a maid from the Earl's residence. It was still early for dinner, and there were no more scheduled visitors...

"Excuse me. Mr. Philip, the president of the Maurice Slave Trade, has arrived. What would you like to do?"

"——!"

Maurice Trade!

I had never forgotten the existence that could disrupt the peace between Master and me. But I didn't expect them to come when I was alone!

Probably one of the executives was overly helpful or let something slip. I had thought I would eventually have to face this issue, but I didn't expect it to be today.

I am no longer a slave. Master "broke me out" of slavery. Therefore, the contract with Maurice Trade should be invalid. There's no way to deny it.

What should I do? I could choose not to meet him, but that would worsen the relationship.

From the way he came directly, it's clear he didn't come to blame me. If I claim that I escaped unintentionally, I should meet him now with a straight face. But what if he sees through everything? Will he try to capture me? He can't do that under the Earl's protection. So why did he come?

Whether we are enemies or not, I need to meet and talk to him.

"...I'm currently busy. Please have him wait a moment."

I asked the maid to convey this and contacted Master via team communication.

The response was quick. He said, "It's probably fine" — which made me a bit uneasy. But since Master said so, it should be fine.

"Preparations are complete. Please show Mr. Philip in."

I rang the bell to give the instruction. The maid bowed and left the room.

About five minutes later, a plump man with narrow eyes, Maurice Trade's president, Philip, appeared.

"......!"

Philip's eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.

"...Excuse me. I must say, I'm quite surprised."

What is he surprised about? I didn't say a word and waited to see what he would do.

"I felt something was off, so I came to check... My instincts must have dulled."

"...?"

I didn't understand what he meant.

"There are people who illegally release slaves and sell them on the black market. They are truly despicable."

"!"

Indeed, he has seen through it!

...But, this man doesn't seem to be blaming Master. What's going on?

"Young lady, your master is wonderful. He manages his slaves properly."

"???"

I don't understand. I am no longer a slave. The contract should be invalid. There's no way this man doesn't know.

"This is for your master. It was entrusted to me by your original master."

"Original, master—!?"

I was shocked. What Philip handed me was a letter.

Lucia Aishen, the Duchess who picked me up as an orphan and raised me as an assassin. A letter from her to Master? Why?

"If the relationship between you and your master is good, I was told to give this to you."

"!"

This man, how could he...!

"You know everything...!"

"Oh? What are you talking about? I was just entrusted with a letter."

"It's a lie, I'm not a slave anymore."

"No, no, that was just my mistake. You and Second-sama have a very good master-servant relationship."

"......"

Philip smiled with his eyes narrowed. He was determined to play dumb.

Why is he doing this? After some thought, I realized.

The reason Lucia saved my life, the reason I was picked up by Maurice Slave Trade, and the reason the president let me escape.

They all point to one thing—this letter.

The purpose was to deliver this letter to Master...?

"...I understand. I will definitely give it to him."

When I said this, Philip smiled and bowed, saying,

"Very well. Now, let's get to the main topic."

Is there more? While I was thinking, Philip continued,

"The perfect slaves for servants are at our Maurice Trade."

***

"This is the eastern mansion in the planned area."

We met up with Yuki in the commercial city of Renyado and, guided by her, visited the planned site of the 'Second Mansion' at the edge of the ultra-luxury residential area of the capital.

In front of me is a mansion as expected. A vast lawn where you could play soccer, a cool pool, a huge wooden deck, a balcony with a panoramic view, palm trees around, large windows, a high ceiling, a spacious and bright two-story white house, more than 20 rooms, a stylish kitchen like a bar, and a living room so large you could play tennis. It's like a luxury resort hotel.

"What the hell is this...!"

Sylvia let out a loud, shocked voice, as if she was about to die on the spot.

"Are we going to live here!?"

Echo, unable to contain her excitement, ran around the first floor, second floor, garden, and pool.

"...This is just one-ninth of it."

Yuki said with a look of exasperation. That's right. This mansion is one of nine, the 'Eastern Mansion.' Even now, I think it's a bit much. It's definitely overkill. We'll definitely have too much space...

"Well, if you get bored, you can move to another mansion. Oh, right, we can move according to the seasons. This one is for summer!"

"Even when not in use, maintenance costs will still apply, Master."

"It's fine, I can earn as much money as I need."

"......"

Yuki gave me a look.

"Shall we go see the others?"

I said, trying to avoid her gaze, and started walking south.

After about 15 minutes, we finally saw another mansion. A large Western-style mansion made of brick. It might be closer to a castle. This is the 'Southeastern Mansion,' intended for the servants. But a 15-minute walk to the nearest place in my own estate... Let's not think about it.

"Hmm? Are we choosing between this and the previous one?"

Sylvia, looking up at the mansion, said with a puzzled expression. As expected, she doesn't understand. I really like that about her.

"This is also my house."

"Huh?"

"This one, the previous one, and the ones we'll see next, all nine, are my houses."

"Really...?"

The platinum-blonde beauty opened her mouth wide in surprise. It's a touching sight.

"By the way, this one is where the servants will live."

"..."

She froze again.

I woke Sylvia up and toured the inside of the mansion. The interior was wooden, with a heavy and chic atmosphere. It had an antique feel. There were more rooms than the Eastern Mansion, suitable for a large number of servants. The dining room and kitchen were especially spacious, perfect for serving a large group.

"The education of the servants will be left to me."

After leaving the Southeastern Mansion, Yuki said this. It seems like a lot of work, but...

"Are you sure?"

"I would be honored to do it."

Yuki's resolve was firm. She seemed to have a bit of an obsession. I was a bit scared to refuse, so I asked her to do it.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Don't overdo it."

"Thank you, Master."

Yuki, with her usual expressionless face, perked up her long ears and bowed, looking somewhat pleased.

After that, we inspected all nine mansions. Seven out of nine required renovation or reconstruction. We decided to use the Eastern Mansion and the Southeastern Mansion as they were.

We completed the purchase, and construction began. Thanks to Yuki's connections, everything went smoothly.

A total of 21.6 billion CL. Considering what we got, it seems like a good deal.

"Second-sama! They said we can move into the Eastern Mansion tonight! I'm looking forward to it!"

Sylvia was excited.

I can totally understand her feelings. I've been indifferent to real life until now. As long as I had a place to do my work, it was enough. In a social sense, I was a "loser."

However, now that this world is my reality, getting a mansion that can be called a "proof of success" has made my mood soar.

"Yeeeeeeah!"

Echo was so hyped up she was almost losing it. Her voice was a bit hoarse.

"Let's have a barbecue tonight!"

I was also in a super high mood. Even though we were still walking to the Eastern Mansion, I started taking out shrimp and meat from my inventory and skewering them. What am I doing?

"I'll help."

Yuki even laughed and said, "Hehehe." It's so rare.

Thus, the four of us, abnormally hyped up, spent the night having a barbecue on the wooden deck of the mansion.

Needless to say, the next day, everyone was so hungover that no one could get up without a potion.

Thank you for reading.

'Second Mansion' Guide

North: Forest Retreat Mansion

Northeast: Hot Spring Inn-Style Mansion

East: Standard Mansion

Southeast: Western-Style Servant Mansion

South: Storm Second Castle

Center: Storm Second Castle

Southwest: Vanilla Lake Mansion

West: Streamside Japanese-Style Mansion

Northwest: Venetian Mansion

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