Chapter 8

June 23, 15

I have added to this.

June 27, 15

Numerous corrections and some additions.

I arrived at the general store and immediately started looking for the item I wanted. As I was searching for a cushion like a zabuton, the store became noisy.

"Excuse me... Ah!"

Thud, Clatter, Crash

Turning towards the source of the loud noise, I saw a burly man in armor had pushed a girl, who was now buried under fallen goods from a shelf.

"You dirty slave, touching my sword! How will you make up for defiling my precious sword? Ahh!"

The man's attire, while somewhat shabby for a knight, was practical armor. He was likely an adventurer or a mercenary. The girl he had pushed was a young girl, around ten years old, wearing only a scrap of cloth and a slave collar around her neck.

The man kicked the girl in the stomach, causing her to groan. She seemed to have lost consciousness from the continuous kicks. I thought someone should stop him before she died, but neither the store employees nor anyone else tried to intervene. They were probably afraid of the man and didn't care what happened to a slave.

"Isn't that enough? If you keep going, she'll die."

Since no one else was going to do anything, I decided to speak up. I didn't really care what happened to others, but I couldn't stand the sight of a man violently attacking a child around ten years old.

This sacred Bandam Kingdom is a country with little discrimination, but slaves are treated like objects. Even though everyone knows that slaves are human, they are not treated as such. I don't intend to abolish the slave system, but I do think the way they are treated should be improved. However, thinking about such things here won't change anything, so I'll deal with the situation at hand.

"What's this brat doing here?"

He should be able to tell I'm a noble from my clothes and the guards around me...

"Am I a brat? ...Then you must be an idiot."

"What did you say?!"

The man grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up. What a cliché and ridiculous move. Any adult should know that mistreating a noble can lead to serious consequences, but this man seemed to have crossed the line into suicidal behavior.

Being grabbed by the collar was uncomfortable, so I cast a paralysis spell with lightning magic on the man. He released me, and I fell to the floor. ...What are the guards doing?

"Ouch, ouch, ouch. Revis, arrest this man and hand him over to the guard."

At my command, the guards surrounded the man.

"What are you guys? Do you know I'm a Rank B adventurer?!"

The man's right hand was paralyzed by the spell and couldn't be used, but he seemed ready to resist, so I cast the paralysis spell again, paralyzing his entire body. It didn't take much effort to subdue him.

"I don't know who you are, but you attacked a noble, so you will be punished accordingly."

"What?!"

"Revis, inform him of his crimes."

"Of course! For insulting and assaulting the noble, Lord Christophe, the appropriate punishment is death."

"Death? What did I do?!"

"You did exactly what Revis said. Do I have a slave collar? Look at my attire and the guards around me. Despite that, you still attacked me."

"I don't know anything about that! This is ridiculous!"

"Be quiet! ...Store owner, is this girl your slave?"

I kicked the man in the face and turned to the store owner.

"Y-Yes, that's right."

"Why didn't you stop the man's violence?"

"I-I'm sorry."

The store owner was cowering and could barely speak.

"Heal this girl immediately."

"That... That..."

In this world, healing magic and hospitals exist, but they are expensive, so few people spend a lot of money to heal slaves.

"Store owner, how about this: I'll arrange for her healing, and in return, will you let me have her?"

"Y-Yes, of course. If you can heal her, I'll give her to you for free."

"Lord Christophe, shouldn't you consult your mother first?"

Revis whispered in my ear. Revis is a handsome knight and the leader of a squad. He's my rival from my past life! But seriously, I'll hold him accountable later for not moving when the man grabbed me. He probably didn't act because he knows my strength.

"In this situation, immediate treatment is necessary. I'll explain to my mother later and persuade her to forgive me. ...Store owner, please call the guard immediately."

The store owner gave instructions to an employee, who ran out of the store.

Now, I need to heal this girl. If she dies, there's no point in helping her.

"Heal"

I can cast magic without speaking, but I do it out loud to avoid looking too unnatural. A thin light enveloped the girl's body, and I felt my magic power drain out. Heal is a mid-level light magic spell that can heal internal injuries, so she should be fine.

Soon, the employee returned with the guard. I informed them of the man's rudeness and had the store owner testify, so the man's death sentence was certain. Some might think the death penalty is too harsh since he didn't seriously harm me, but if he lived, he would likely do the same thing again. It's for the good of society to condemn him. I am neither kind nor lenient with such people.

"Captain, I have taken this slave as payment for her treatment. Please be a witness to this."

"Of course, I understand, Lord Christophe."

The captain's name is Kajir. When he realized I was from the Brützels border baron family, he was visibly flustered. The Brützels are a powerful noble family, so any mistake could affect the captain's career.

I went to the merchant guild to change the slave contract, but the girl remained unconscious.

Since there was no other choice, I took her back to the inn and laid her down, but my mother became very interested. She was just excited about the cute slave girl and wanted to take care of her, so she didn't say anything about me bringing a slave.

Is that okay, Mother?