Chapter 24

This is a work of fiction.

The characters, organizations, and names are all fictitious and have no relation to any real entities.

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024＿Fighting Fool

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On the morning of the 12th day, I left the inn, timing it to coincide with when Golteo's shop opened.

There were no signs of thieves around the inn. This inn is a bit far from the Explorer's Guild, and it's not the kind of place where explorers stay, so it's probably off their radar. In fact, I've never seen anyone who looks like an explorer here.

Mornings in this world start early. Many people wake up before the sun rises. I'm not quite that early, though.

Street vendors open as soon as the sun comes up, and shops open early as well.

Golteo was there today.

"Good morning, Toi-sama."

"It's been a while, Golteo-san."

"Yes, it has been a while."

Golteo frowned when he saw Annelise. He seems to be wondering where I got this girl from.

I wish he wouldn't look at me like a wife scolding her cheating husband.

"Is this girl... could it be...?"

Did he realize that the old woman had turned into such a cute girl?

"Excuse me, is this the...?"

What's the right answer to "the...?"

"Exactly, the one."

"Quite a mysterious thing happened, didn't it?"

"Yes, it did..."

It seems "the..." was the right answer. But can "the..." even talk, I wonder?

I've appraised many people in detail, but no one has had the Appraisal skill. Golteo doesn't have it either. However, there were people with Item Appraisal and Character Appraisal, though the latter is rare.

Golteo has Item Appraisal. That's probably why his merchant's intuition kicked in with Annelise.

"What kind of items are you looking for today?"

"Show me the slaves."

He looked a bit surprised, but Golteo smiled and guided me.

"What kind of slaves are you looking for?"

"Combat slaves... those who agree to fight monsters and drive away thieves, and who haven't entered a dungeon before. Also, slaves that no one wants to buy."

"Combat slaves and slaves that no one wants to buy, I see. May I ask about your preferred race, gender, age, and budget?"

I have a budget, but I didn't expect to be asked about race.

"Please, 400,000 grils. As for the rest, as long as they're not rebellious, there's no particular preference."

400,000 grils is less than what Golteo gave me, but I plan to add 500,000 grils for equipment. I'm also getting the inn fees covered, so I'll take advantage of that.

"Understood. I'll prepare the slaves for you to see. Please wait in this room."

I was led to a small room and sat on a sofa to wait. Annelise tried to stand, so I had her sit next to me. I would have let her sit on my lap, but this isn't the place for that.

Golteo and the assistant manager entered the room. The assistant manager is probably here because he handles the slaves.

"Shall we bring in the slaves now? They all agree to combat."

"Please do."

The assistant manager opened the door and brought in the slaves. I thought it would be one, but five came in.

"From left to right—"

The assistant manager introduced each one.

From left to right: a dog beast (male), a human (male), an elf (male), a dwarf (male), and a dragonewt (male).

All males. It seems that combat slaves are mostly male.

They are all young and have the Villager job. The dragonewt caught my attention. He has a lizard-like face, is quite large, and looks intimidating. He could scare opponents into submission without even fighting.

In reality, the dragonewt's stats, despite being a Villager, are quite high. Not just STR and VIT, but also a decent INT. He looks like a brainless brute, but his stats are good.

"Shall we bring in the next group?"

While I was thinking, the assistant manager suggested this. It seems there are more than just five. I wish he had said that earlier. I thought I had to choose from these five.

"Please, the next group."

"Of course."

The first five were led out, and a new group of five came in. This time, there were three males and two females.

Hmm, there's no one particularly outstanding. The dragonewt from before was quite impressive, so everyone else seems to fall short in comparison.

"This will be the last group."

When I asked for another group, I was told this would be the last. Golteo's shop apparently has about 40 slaves at any given time, but it's surprising that 15 fit the criteria I gave.

"Huh?"

When I saw the last slave in the new group, I felt a sense of unease.

"This slave is a goblin."

What!? A goblin? In fantasy, goblins are usually monsters, right? Are they human in this world?

"Do you dislike goblins?"

"No, it's just that I've never seen one before."

When I said I didn't mind, the assistant manager started introducing the slaves. When it was the goblin's turn, he mentioned that she was brought in because she was unsold.

She has pale blue skin, a small horn on her forehead, and small fangs. She's 15 years old but looks like an old person. Her face is deeply wrinkled, and she's short, maybe 140 cm. She has a slight chest, and her brown hair, which is a bit messy, reaches her shoulders, making her look like a girl. If she had short hair, she might look like a boy.

"This slave says she wants to be the world's greatest fighter. She trains daily, but being a goblin, you can't expect much strength from her."

Is she a girl? People who are single-minded about their goals are common, but why does she want to be the world's greatest fighter?

"Because she didn't work or get married even at 15, her parents brought her to us."

Come on, that's a bit much. Even if she didn't work and just did what she liked, making her a slave?

I remember that many child slaves are sold by their parents. As Annelise once said, becoming a slave means they can eat and won't starve to death.

If I think about it that way, the goblin's parents were trying to prevent her from starving, but if she remains unsold, it's meaningless.

Unsold slaves are sent to the mines. That's a life even more harsh and dangerous than starvation.

"Being a goblin, she looks like this. She hasn't been sold, and it's about time—"

No, don't look at me like that. I know, you're going to send her to the mines, right?

I had everyone step back and continued the conversation.

"How much is the first dragonewt?"

"He costs 450,000 grils."

I said my budget was 400,000 grils, but since they know how much money I have, they probably included a higher price.

"Hmm, a bit high. How about the elf in the same group?"

"That elf slave costs 350,000 grils."

"Then... how about the red-haired woman in the second group?"

"That slave costs 200,000 grils."

"Just checking, but how about the goblin child?"

"That slave costs 100,000 grils, but I can offer her to you for 80,000 grils now."

The goblin child is 100,000 grils, but with a 20% discount, she's 80,000 grils. Like the fresh produce at the supermarket in the evening. Considering she's unsold, a slight discount might be better, but goblins are people too (technically, they're goblins). Sigh... I'm thinking of buying her.

I asked Annelise if any of the slaves caught her attention.

"Please do as you wish, Master."

I expected her to say that, but she really did. I didn't have high hopes, but still... Oh well.

"Then, I'll take the goblin child."

They seemed to expect me to say that, as Golteo and the assistant manager accepted it smoothly.

"Thank you."

The assistant manager drew up the slave contract, and the goblin child—Rosalina—became my slave.

"My name is Rosalina. I want to be the world's greatest fighter. Please take care of me."

She emphasizes being the world's greatest fighter. She really wants to achieve that. Fine, if she can, I'll support her. It would help me too.

Rosalina seems optimistic and isn't too pessimistic. Some slaves have dead eyes, so that's a plus.

Rosalina's slave period is 10 years. The amount and duration of voluntary slavery are determined by the debt and value. In Rosalina's case, being a goblin means she's weak and unattractive, so her price is quite low.

I should have bought a stronger race like the dragonewt, but I couldn't leave her alone. Rosalina would be easily killed by thieves, but I believe she can make it. That's why I bought her.

"Golteo, do you handle rental properties?"

"Rental properties? Of course, we do."

I asked because they handle everything, and they really do. They proudly said they have them.

"What kind of rental property are you looking for?"

"It doesn't have to be too large, but I'd like one that can be renovated."

I thought I'd look for a rental property later, but since Rosalina was unexpectedly cheap, I decided to ask. I can't face Golteo if I don't.

"Annelise, can you choose clothes, accessories, and equipment for Rosalina? Don't hesitate to buy what you need."

"Understood. Let's go, Rosalina."

I can trust Annelise with the shopping. As a woman, she understands Rosalina better than I do.

"What's your budget for the rental property?"

"I hadn't thought about the rent... Oh, a bath would be nice. The rest is up to you, Golteo."

"A bath, I see... Understood."

Since Rosalina was cheap, I can afford a higher rent. Plus, I don't want to cause trouble for the inn because of the thieves.

"Then, how about this property? It's about 100 years old but was renovated five years ago. It was originally a baron's mansion, so it has a magic item for the kitchen, a magic stove, a flush toilet, and a bath."

A noble's mansion? No, no, no, that's too much...

"Properties with baths are usually noble or wealthy merchant mansions. Since the only condition was a bath, I recommend this one."

So, you can't have a bath without a mansion...

"How much is it?"

"Man, yen?"

"Haha, don't worry about it. How much does it cost to rent?"

"It's 30,000 grils per month. If you want to buy it, it's 3,000,000 grils."

30,000 grils to rent. I was a bit nervous about a noble's mansion, but it's surprisingly reasonable? But 3,000,000 grils to buy is 100 times the rent, about 8 years' worth.

"Can I buy it on installment?"

"Unfortunately, we require full payment for a purchase."

Too bad. I wasn't planning to buy it anyway.

I looked at the floor plan Golteo showed me. As a noble's mansion, it's three stories with a basement. Renting it would be one thing, but maintaining it would be a challenge.

"It's big..."

"You could hire five servants. There's a separate building for them."

Just bought a slave, and now servants...

"Five?"

"A butler to manage the house, maids, and people to take care of the garden."

"Seems a bit much..."

"It's not that much, really."

He's pushing it with a smile. Fine, I'll take it.

"I want to rent this property."

"Would you like to see it first?"

"No, that's not necessary. I trust you, Golteo."

I might be taken advantage of, but I'll deal with it if it happens.

"Can I make renovations?"

"Yes, as long as it's not a major renovation, it's fine."

I tend to overthink, so I decided on the first one. This is good.

"Can you arrange the servants for me?"

"Of course."

Now I don't owe Golteo anything. Or maybe I didn't owe him anything to begin with, but that's what I thought.

I can't move in immediately. I need to do a final check with Golteo and get the keys. Plus, I need to arrange the servants.

Since we're now three, I changed the room at the inn. It was too small for three people.

I also told them we'd move to the rental property in 2-3 days.

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