Chapter 7

I arrived in this town of Hajime not even a week ago, and I've already amassed over five million yen in assets.

Five million yen is enough to live in Japan for over a year, and the same applies in this world.

However, earning such a large sum in just a week has made me, a cautious person, constantly look over my shoulder, and I want to hire a bodyguard as soon as possible.

The price of slaves, as told to me by Umbrella, is at least three million yen for a combat slave, so I think I'll buy a general slave who seems talented.

General slaves start at around 300,000 yen, and the price changes based on their skills and abilities, so it's hard to say without seeing them.

Adventurers are ranked from F to S, and you can hire a bodyguard from rank D and above. For rank D, hiring three people for a week costs around 300,000 yen.

The price increases as the rank goes up.

In the case of slaves, the owner must provide weapons, armor, and living expenses, but for adventurers, only housing is required if they live in.

The question is whether I will settle in this town of Hajime or go to another town.

I haven't decided yet. But if I do go to another town, I need to learn more about this world first.

So, I plan to live in this town for a while.

“Ah, right, I forgot. I’m also looking for a rental house.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll have our real estate department show you around.”

I remembered about the house while the guild member was unloading my belongings from the cart, and Umbrella handed me the payment and the bill of sale.

Umbrella didn't make a fuss and politely guided me to the real estate department.

A tall, middle-aged man handled my case at the real estate department, but like Umbrella, he had dark circles under his eyes.

Is the Merchant Guild a black company?

“I am Iryo Inai.”

“I am Grose Handler. Thank you for your time.”

“No, no, I’ve heard from Umbrella. Thank you for providing us with good merchandise.”

It’s quite an impactful name. It’s easy to remember, which is a good thing.

Inai bowed gracefully and offered me a chair. After I sat down, he did too.

A female staff member brought us tea, which I sipped while it was still warm, but it wasn’t very tasty.

“Now, I understand you’re looking for a rental house. What kind of property are you interested in?”

“Well, I don’t need a lot of rooms, but I do need a toilet and a bath. If a bath isn’t possible, a shower will do. It would also be nice to have a small garden.”

“In that case, how about this property?”

Inai flipped through the thick file he brought and showed me a property.

“6LDK, with a toilet, bath, and a reasonably large garden.”

The content was similar to what you’d find in a Japanese real estate agency.

From the diagram, it was a single-story house with a large living room and dining kitchen at the center, surrounded by rooms.

The floor area seemed quite spacious, and the garden was large enough to build two more houses.

This seems quite expensive, doesn’t it?

“How much is the rent for this one?”

“Yes, this one is 800,000 yen per month.”

Wow, that’s almost as much as I paid for my apartment in Japan for a year.

I thought about saying it was ridiculous, but then I realized I can afford it now.

Inai probably knows my transaction amount and is suggesting a property that matches my status.

“It’s not bad, but it seems a bit too grand for someone like me.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, but how about this one? It’s a 4LDK, with a smaller bath than the previous one, but the garden can fit two carriages. The rent is 400,000 yen, which is more reasonable.”

I suspect he suggested the luxurious property first to make this one look more appealing. It’s a common tactic.

Four rooms are plenty, and it has a bath. Let me see this one.

“I’d like to see this property. Is that okay?”

“Yes, shall we go now?”

“Yes, if possible.”

We rode in a carriage Inai prepared to see the property.

It was my first time in a carriage, and it was quite bumpy.

Even on the relatively paved roads in town, it was so bumpy that I could easily imagine how bad it would be outside the town.

“Here we are.”

We arrived at the property, which was in a residential area with many luxurious mansions.

Am I out of place in such a high-end neighborhood?

Inai guided me through the house.

The living room was about 30 tatami mats, and the dining kitchen was spacious.

Each of the four rooms was at least 10 tatami mats, making my old apartment feel like a doghouse.

The toilet was a flush toilet like in the inn, and the bath was three times the size of a Japanese apartment bath.

The garden was large enough to fit five carriages and even had a stable and a shed.

“What do you think?”

“The neighborhood is full of mansions. Is it okay to have slaves here?”

“There’s no problem. Other mansions also have five to ten slaves.”

Seriously? Five to ten slaves are normal.

But if there are that many, there won’t be enough rooms, right?

‘Slaves are often crammed into one room, and in severe cases, they are locked in the shed.’

‘That’s not a good way to treat slaves.’

‘Is it? In your world, slaves were treated like livestock in the past, weren’t they?’

‘You have a point.’

“When can I move in?”

“We keep the house clean, so you can move in immediately. However, the magic stones for the kitchen, toilet, and bath need to be installed, so you’ll need to provide them.”

“Understood. I’ll take this one. Can you tell me where to buy the magic stones?”

“I can show you.”

“Thank you.”

After that, I bought the magic stones at a general store and returned to the Merchant Guild to sign the contract and receive the keys.

I paid one month’s rent, retrieved my cart, and left the Merchant Guild.

I didn’t need to return to the inn, so I headed straight to the slave shop.

‘Is there anything I need to know about buying a slave?’

‘Since the slave will protect you, it’s best if they have good skills and abilities, but most importantly, they should be obedient to you.’

‘Slaves can’t disobey orders because of the magic collar, right?’

‘Exactly. If they disobey, the collar tightens, causing pain and making it hard to breathe, so they can’t disobey.’

‘Like Sun Wukong’s Tightening Circlet.’

I arrived at the slave shop. Inside, a heavily made-up woman with a waist twice the size of mine greeted me.

“You were introduced by the Merchant Guild. I’m Brenda. Please call me Madame Brenda.”

“Yes, Madame Brenda. I’m Grose Handler. Nice to meet you.”

“You don’t need to use ‘san.’ What kind of slave are you looking for?”

“I want a young, strong slave.”

“What about race and gender?”

“I don’t have a preference, so I’d like to see many slaves.”

Madame Brenda thought for a moment and led me to the back.

The place was dimly lit with rows of cages. It smelled a bit.

It seemed that the slaves were kept in the cages, and I would look at them one by one.

“This cage has a human male. The one over there is a beastman male.”

Madame Brenda guided me through the cages.

Each cage contained about five people, and I used [Appraisal (S)] to check their stats.

The human male looked good, but his abilities and skills weren’t impressive, so I moved on to the beastmen.

Beastmen generally had higher HP, strength, endurance, and agility than humans, making them stronger, but they were all older than me.

After finishing the male section, I moved to the female section.

There were also goblins and orcs.

If they can speak, we can communicate, and orcs are strong, so I thought an orc would be fine.

As I was thinking, I noticed a woman, a girl, in a cage by herself.

She had pale skin and platinum blonde hair, and the word ‘albino’ came to mind.

“This girl is rebellious and defiant. Even when the slave collar causes her pain, she doesn’t submit.”

Perhaps because I was staring at the girl, Madame Brenda continued, “We’re going to dispose of her tomorrow.”

Madame Brenda waved her hand to dismiss the white girl.

The white girl, perhaps offended by Madame Brenda, walked to the edge of the cage and spoke.

“Buy me.”

“Huh?”

“What, you talking is rare.”

Madame Brenda seemed to be gauging my reaction.

“I don’t want a rebellious slave.”

“No problem. Once I’ve decided on a master, I will obey.”

‘She doesn’t seem to be lying, but what do you think?’

‘Orcs are a warrior race and will obey their chosen master for life.’

‘Orc? What?’

‘The one in front of you is a mutated orc. While weaker than a typical orc, they have the potential to grow stronger.’

I activated [Appraisal (S)] to check the white girl’s stats.

Name: Reisha Organ

Occupation:

Information: Orc (Mutated) Female 15 years old Slave

HP: 300 (A)

MP: 50 (E)

Strength: 70 (A)

Endurance: 50 (B)

Magic: 10 (E)

Agility: 50 (B)

Dexterity: 20 (D)

Charisma: 20 (D)

Luck: 5

Active Skills:

Passive Skills: [Body Reinforcement (E)]

Magic Skills:

Unique Skills:

Criminal Record:

[Body Reinforcement (E)] Enhances HP, Strength, Endurance, and Agility.

Her stats are much better for combat than mine.

She would be a perfect front-line fighter.

If she’s not rebellious, I think I can buy her. She doesn’t look bad, either.

“Madame Brenda, I’ll buy this girl. How much?”

“Are you really buying her?”

“Yes.”

“...Fine. 200,000 yen is good.”

“Is that all?”

“I was going to dispose of her tomorrow, so 200,000 yen is a good deal for me.”

Madame Brenda looks suspicious, but she seems to do honest business.

If she lost some weight and wore less makeup, I might like her a bit.

Since I’m a ‘Tamer,’ I want to make a master-servant contract instead of a slave contract, and Madame Brenda agreed.

A master-servant contract is not a one-sided contract like a slave collar; it requires the other party’s consent. It can be based on force or trust, but if they don’t accept it, the contract won’t be made.

If I were a ‘Monster Tamer,’ I could only make a master-servant contract with monsters, but as a ‘Tamer,’ I can make a contract with anyone who consents.

“I’m Grose Handler. Nice to meet you.”

“Reisha Organ.”

“Can I call you Reisha?”

“Call me whatever you like.”

“‘Master’ sounds too formal. Can you call me Grose?”

“Master is master.”

Reisha bluntly rejected my suggestion.

However, the master-servant contract was smoothly made, so Reisha is now my servant.

“Why did you choose me? Because you were going to be disposed of?”

“Your black hair and black eyes felt fitting for my master.”

“Huh? That’s it?”

“It’s a sufficient reason.”

‘Orcs worship the Dark God, so you might have reminded her of the Dark God.’

‘Dark God...’

‘A god who governs darkness, one of the attributes.’

‘...What kind of god was the blonde lady I saw in the management world?’

‘I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to answer that.’

‘I see... Is the Dark God a bad god?’

‘The definition of good and evil varies from person to person, so I can’t give a clear answer.’

I can understand what Ins is saying.

What I think is right might seem strange to others.

People’s values are different, so imposing one’s views unilaterally can lead to conflict.

I brought Reisha back to my new home and told her, “You can rest today since you’ll start working tomorrow.” Reisha, for some reason, headed towards the shed.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to my bed.”

“No, no, no. Reisha’s room is here. You don’t need to stay in the shed.”

“...Okay, I’ll use that room.”

I’m worried about what will happen next.