Chapter 52

It was already dusk before he knew it.

Kurando stepped out of the association's archive room, turned his head as if he had just finished a task, and started down the stairs.

He had skimmed through the materials on slaves, laws, and magical beasts, and had even rewritten a magic book, which led to it being this late.

Feeling mentally exhausted, he had just reached the middle of the stairs when he was called by an association staff member.

"Mr. Kuro, right?"

"Yes."

Kurando showed his tag.

"Oh, good. I just received a message from Eirida. It's this way."

The staff member handed Kurando a folded piece of paper.

Perhaps it was a busy time, as the staff member hurried to the bustling reception area.

Kurando finished descending the stairs and opened the folded paper in a corner where he wouldn't be in the way.

[There's been a problem, so I'll be a bit late. It's not a matter of life and death, so you don't need to come here. In fact, don't come. There's something you hate. So, wait for me in the capital. By the way, Yuki is fine, so don't worry.]

Something he hates... a hero.

Kurando frowned.

Crumpling the paper, Kurando left the association.

The path back to the inn from the association was literally a street of temptation.

The dark road was dotted with flickering lights, each one a lantern held by various men and women.

These lights were powered by magic, candles, lamps, or oil-filled dishes.

They called out to passersby, sometimes clinging to them or leaning against them.

These were slaves and prostitutes.

Or rather, potential slaves.

In this country, slaves are mainly war captives, criminal slaves, and debt slaves.

War captives and criminal slaves are directly managed by the royal government and are assigned to the front lines, mines, or remote islands.

For this reason, the street of temptation was almost exclusively filled with potential debt slaves.

There are two types of debt slaves: those who become slaves because they can't repay their debts and those who sell themselves into slavery. The latter was almost exclusively found on the street of temptation.

Their backgrounds varied: some were born into the slave class, some had debts but didn't want to be bought by their creditors, and some sold themselves to support their families.

In search of a slightly better owner, potential slaves came to the street of temptation.

Despite the kingdom's laws prohibiting excessive abuse of slaves, debt slaves were secretly abused. Debt slaves, fearing not only violence but also the inconvenience they would cause their families and the fear of being sold to an unknown place, rarely reported the abuse unless it was extremely serious.

What about taking slaves to countries without a slave system?

Naturally, in countries without slave laws, the kingdom's laws do not apply. Depending on how the slaves are treated, they could be arrested in another country, and if a debt slave escapes, they cannot be punished unless they return to their home country.

Slaves are only recognized in countries with a slave system.

"Sir, would you like to buy a slave? I'll work hard."

"Sir, would you like to buy me? I'll do anything for you."

A bear-like beastman with a muscular upper body and a rabbit-like beastwoman with a generous chest emphasized by a thin cloth leaned against passersby, whispering sweetly.

Those who were called out to would talk, shake their heads, or check the person's body.

Kurando, while declining or ignoring the offers, felt as if he were at a rural festival, a somewhat out-of-place sentiment, and was immersed in a faint nostalgia.

Looking to the side, he realized no one was there.

Eirida was not there.

Most importantly, Yuki was not there.

Perhaps because of the crowd, he felt even more alone.

Not to the point of feeling lonely, but the nostalgia he had felt earlier made him think of unnecessary things.

He met a parent beast and entrusted Yuki to him.

Then Akari came to the mountain.

After that, Maxim, Eirida, Ophelia, and the hero.

There were troubles, broken promises, near-death experiences, and rescues.

He understood that some promises couldn't be kept and didn't hold a grudge.

No, thinking back, he still felt anger when the hero broke the promise and nearly killed him, but at the same time, a vague, ambiguous feeling arose, one that couldn't be fully attributed to hatred or resignation.

He was weak, so the promise was broken.

He lacked trust, so the promise was broken.

He was weak, so he almost died.

This wasn't much different from when he was in Japan.

He lacked ability, so he wasn't needed in society and couldn't get a job.

This was a fact, and in reality, there was nothing he could do about the tyranny of the powerful.

However, he never truly accepted it.

Someday, he would get back at them.

If they crossed a line he couldn't tolerate, he would give them a taste of their own medicine.

He couldn't let go of that "someday," which might never come.

No, he couldn't let go of it, and he wouldn't.

He felt foolish for holding onto it, but he feared what he would become if he let it go.

"Would you like to buy a slave? Or just for the night?"

He thought he heard a thin voice, but Kurando was lost in thought.

In the end.

He wanted someone who would never betray him.

It was unacceptable to admit that he could be betrayed because he was weak.

Wanting something that wouldn't betray him even though he was weak might be contradictory.

Still, he wanted something that wouldn't betray him, even if he was weak.

Yuki was like that.

He wouldn't betray.

Even if he was betrayed, it wouldn't matter. He wouldn't even get angry.

He trusted Yuki that much.

But he was human.

Even if he deeply trusted Yuki, he still had human desires.

If he told Yuki, he might get angry.

Still, as long as he was involved in human society, it was necessary for people not to betray him.

Perhaps he could live with just Yuki if he completely avoided human interaction, but interacting with people had its pleasures, especially after interacting with Akari and Eirida.

He didn't want to fully immerse himself in human interactions, but he had to interact with people to some extent.

He understood reality all too well.

But he didn't want to bow to it.

He didn't just want someone who would never betray him.

He wanted someone who would never betray him.

"Would you like to buy a slave? Or just for the night?"

Realizing it was the same woman's voice, Kurando finally looked up. Lost in thought, his pace had slowed.

A slave. A slave might not betray.

A thought flashed through his mind.

He looked at the woman.

She seemed to be a ghostly figure.

In the darkness, she stood quietly with a small oil lamp.

She was taller than Kurando, who was just under 170 cm.

The large, thin triangular beast ears on her head made her appear even taller, but even without them, she was a finger taller than Kurando.

She had long gray hair that reached her waist, white skin, a slender face, and a tall, slim figure, but the bulge pushing up the chest of her worn long dress was large.

Unlike other slaves or prostitutes, she lacked a predatory aura and seemed ghostly.

Perhaps because of the small light she held, she gave an overall ethereal impression.

"...How much?"

Still caught up in his thoughts, Kurando spoke.

He was considering buying a slave.

The woman, who had called out to him, seemed slightly surprised.

"I am a bat-type beastman. Is that okay?"

She spread one arm.

A black membrane stretched from her little finger to her side.

Given that she had ears, a tail, webbed feet, and a shell, it wasn't unusual for her to have a membrane.

"Is that your type?"

"...Yes. A slave costs 100,000 pammits, and a night costs 20 pammits."

The price for a night surprised Kurando, who had read about it in documents but didn't know the actual slave trade.

"Let's go to the inn."

Kurando said this casually, but the woman followed without a word.

Kurando led her to the inn he had reserved earlier.

The innkeeper surprisingly let Kurando and the woman into a room without much fuss.

She glanced at the woman meaningfully but said nothing.

When Kurando had come earlier, the innkeeper had been friendly and accommodating, and mentioning Chai made her even more helpful.

Now, when Kurando asked for a room change, she led them to another room at the same price per person, 50 pammits.

When Kurando tried to pay for both and tip, the innkeeper said she had already received Kurando's payment and only took the woman's, refusing the tip.

The room was simple but neatly arranged.

A large bed was illuminated by a soft orange lamp.

The wooden bed had a thin mattress, and two sheets were neatly folded.

A chair woven from bamboo-like material and a small table were also present.

Kurando placed a cloth bag containing shirts, pants, underwear, paper, pens, and pencils by the bed, removed his weapons, and took off his armor.

Glancing at the woman, he saw her standing stiffly in front of the closed door.

Seeing her in the soft orange light, he noticed she was covered in scars.

There were new and old bruises and cuts all over her face and body, which was unusual in a world with healing magic. Even ordinary people would heal minor injuries, and beastmen, who were skilled in self-healing magic, would heal them even more quickly.

Scars would remain if they healed naturally, but new scars less than a year old could be healed.

"First, let's heal your wounds."

"No, if I'm bought by you, I'll accept it, but I'm not sure yet, so please don't."

The woman firmly refused.

Kurando, who had finished changing into a shirt and pants, sat on the bed.

There was no need to force her.

"Sit down."

He pointed to the chair, but the woman didn't sit.

"...You know, if you're a one-night stand, I'll buy you separately. I want a slave."

"...100,000 pammits?"

The woman's eyes seemed to light up for the first time.

In this country, 10,000 pammits a year was enough to live a normal life, and the average annual income was around that or even lower.

Considering it as ten years' worth of income, it was a price that most people couldn't afford.

In this country, explorers, merchants, and the privileged class bought slaves.

Kurando had no resistance to buying a slave.

He saw it as just an employment relationship.

If he wanted a woman, he could buy a prostitute, not a slave.

Kurando wanted one thing from a slave.

Of course, being attractive would be nice.

"I have a few questions. First, tell me why you want to become a slave."

At that moment, the woman showed a reaction for the first time, her thin eyebrows twitching.

But that was the only reaction, and she answered matter-of-factly.

"There's no reason. I'm just a woman without a means to earn money, so I want to work as a slave."

"If that's the case, you could earn money as a prostitute. Who will take the money?"

"...My family. It's not unusual in this country."

Poor families often sold their daughters to save themselves. This happened in many worlds.

"Still, you seem to have a lot of pent-up frustration. How old are you?"

"Thirty.