Chapter 21

June 21, 15th

Correction:

"Seeking permission to speak" → "Seeking permission to speak"

June 27, 15th

Multiple corrections.

The store was bustling even the day after it opened.

The cold water from the watering can was quite popular.

Not only women but also many burly men, who looked like adventurers, came to buy it.

The next most popular item was the refined sugar.

Since the sweet sugar, which was usually too expensive for commoners, was now available at half the usual price, many people were buying it to try.

On the third and fourth days, many people came as well... It was unexpected.

Moreover, there were many inquiries from nobles and the royal knights about the four types of rings, which was a hassle to handle.

However, it paid off as I received orders from several nobles.

Since I am also set to enroll in the Royal Magic Academy, I won't be able to produce much, so I plan to stock up now.

The cushions are also selling well, and there are requests for increased production, but that's impossible!

If I continue to enroll in the Royal Magic Academy as planned, production will definitely not keep up.

It's a happy problem, but it's also a serious situation.

I am working on improvements for the sugar and plan to improve it soon, but potions and rings can only be handled by magicians...

Ah! I should buy slaves!

If I buy two or three slaves with aptitude and have them produce... Yes, I'll go buy them right away!

Time is limited!

While I'm at it, I'll also buy some salespeople for the store.

"Gale, I'm going to buy slaves, so please guide me to the slave shop."

Gale was naturally surprised when I suddenly said I was going to buy slaves, but he quickly understood after seeing the store's success and the lack of staff.

We headed to the slave shop in the carriage parked behind the store.

"Welcome to Slimas Slave Shop."

A thin, lanky middle-aged man greeted me.

"I need a few slaves who can perform magic, a few young women, and a few slaves skilled in handling weapons."

The slave trader and the guards were surprised at my request.

It's understandable, as a child like me is asking to buy several slaves, and the guards probably thought I would only buy one or two salespeople for the store.

"Excuse me, but may I see your identification?"

The identification is a status plate made at the Grand Temple, which is fine.

The content that can be hidden is hidden, so my name and status can be verified with this.

The slave trader explained that it's for identity verification and to check for a criminal record.

Slaves cannot be sold to criminals.

"Sir Christoph von Brütsels, of the Brütsels Margrave family... Thank you. I will prepare the slaves immediately, so please wait in this lounge."

After a while, we were called to another room where 11 slaves were lined up.

"These are the magicians, young women, and those skilled in handling weapons."

Hmm, let's see.

Oh, I see.

Hmm.

I silently examined the slaves' statuses for a while, and the slave trader was wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

"Can I talk to the slaves?"

"Sure, as long as you don't touch them."

I nodded to the slave trader and spoke to each one.

"What can you do, and why did you become a slave?"

I asked this question and repeated it for all 11.

A blonde elf woman:

"I was an adventurer and a magician, but I failed a quest and incurred a large debt, which made me a slave."

A red-haired human man:

"I was so engrossed in making magic items that I ended up in debt."

A brown-haired, messy-haired dwarf man:

"Same as the previous one."

A blue-haired gnome girl:

"I became a slave due to my father's debt."

These are the slaves with aptitude for magic.

I'll buy all of them.

A black-haired human woman in her 20s:

"I was farming in a small village, but I couldn't pay the taxes and became a slave."

A red-haired catgirl in her late teens:

"I was a hunter, but I got injured and couldn't work anymore."

A light green-haired human woman in her late teens:

"I was a waitress at a cafe in the capital, but I incurred debt to buy medicine for my sick father and couldn't pay it back, so I became a slave."

A pink-haired mermaid woman in her early 20s (or so it seems):

"I was swimming in the sea when I encountered a storm and got injured. I was treated, but they asked me to pay for the treatment."

These are the young women...

Some of them have subtle differences in their speech...

A burly old man:

"I was an adventurer, but I got injured."

A burly old man:

"I was an adventurer, but I failed a quest and incurred debt."

A burly woman:

"Same as the previous one."

These are the ones skilled in handling weapons...

They're all burly, though?

I asked the slave trader something that caught my attention.

"Did the three adventurers who failed a quest belong to the same party?"

"Yes, the three were members of the same party."

"If I were to buy you three, would you be able to work together again?"

"No problem. We don't have any conflicts."

The burly woman answered on behalf of the group, and the other two nodded.

"Shop owner, how much for all these slaves?"

"Huh?"

"I asked how much for all of them."

The slave trader, who didn't expect me to buy all of them, was in a state of "What are you talking about?"

"Um, please wait a moment..."

He finally started calculating.

"Um, all of them would be 7.2 million S, but since you're buying in bulk, I'll make it 7 million S, okay?"

I can easily afford it with the money from selling to the Brütsels Margrave family and the store's earnings over the past few days, so I decided immediately.

"Thank you very much!"

After that, I made contracts with all of them and returned to the store, but since there wasn't enough sleeping space for everyone, I arranged for nearby inns and explained their jobs.

"First, I want the magicians to make magic items. I'll teach you how to make them, so please learn carefully."

Especially, the gnome girl, Selka, had the water and light attributes needed for potion-making, which I had given up on, so it was a pleasant surprise.

"The three combat specialists will be the store's guards and helpers. The remaining women will be store clerks and inventory managers."

One of the burly old men, who was injured, asked for permission to speak while the others were listening to me with blank faces.

"I'm injured, so I don't think I'll be much use as a combat specialist."

"That's not a problem. I'll heal your injuries. Let's start with you."

I activated the Restoration spell, a hero-level light attribute magic.

The old man's wounds quickly regenerated.

"What, what is this?!"

"That's Restoration!?"

The gnome girl, Selka, who is a magician, shouted loudly after seeing my magic.

"Please don't tell anyone about what you just saw."

The slaves who recognized the magic were shocked, while those who didn't showed little reaction.