Chapter 30

SIDE: ???

"Hehehe, just a little more. My long-cherished wish is about to come true. I am not the kind of man who would end up like this. I can't let a plan that took years to end here. I must be extra cautious..."

No one had yet realized that one man's ambition would soon engulf the entire capital in turmoil.

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SIDE: Owl

I am making sweets now. These are the kind of sweets I didn't even make for Alice's birthday party. To be honest, today I'm going to buy a slave introduced by Lebrant. To be frank, I'm so nervous I couldn't sleep much. The meeting is in the evening, so there's still plenty of time, but I can't settle down and keep fidgeting, so I'm making sweets.

There's also a reason for making these sweets. I heard that the wife of the guild master of the slave traders is a big fan of sweets, so if I offer her some, something good might happen.

Since it's through Lebrant's introduction, I won't be overcharged or cheated, but I want the best possible outcome, so I'm putting in this effort.

By the way, I'm making pancakes, and I'm generously topping them with whipped cream and honey. I don't think there's a girl who wouldn't fall for this, right?

Hehehe, I'll casually bring them out during the price negotiation.

Today, my goal is to buy two people. I don't know if I'll find good ones, but I feel it would be too much trouble with just one person, and having two would be reassuring.

I got so engrossed in making sweets that I even forgot to eat lunch and overdid it.

"Damn! It's almost time. I've got the money, and I'm wearing decent clothes! Alright, I can do this!"

While trying to suppress my excitement, I arrived at the Lebrant Guild, and the staff immediately called Lebrant for me.

"Hey, Owl. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready!"

"Hehehe, you don't need to be nervous. I'm relieved, though."

"Relieved about what?"

"I was thinking, 'Owl is a real human being after all!' Honestly, you have such a presence and knowledge that I wouldn't believe you're only 10 years old, so seeing you so nervous made me feel relieved."

Of course, I'm nervous! I'm a human being and a man. But, thinking about my actions so far, I guess I don't seem like a 10-year-old, do I?

From now on, I'll try to be a bit more aware. Yeah, I won't hold back, though!

"Alright, let's go."

The slave trader is about a 20-minute walk from the Lebrant Guild. I was asked if I wanted to take a carriage, but I decided to walk to ease my nerves.

While walking slowly, I learned a lot about slaves from Lebrant.

First, slaves are basically treated as commodities. However, they must be provided with the minimum necessities of life, and some have rules they must follow.

For example, helping with adventures or housework is fine, but spending the night is not allowed. Basically, you can do anything, but you need to confirm before buying.

Unscrupulous slave traders might sell you without telling you these things, so it's safer to buy from a reputable guild.

Basically, slaves cannot harm their master, disobey, or commit suicide.

It's similar to what you see in typical isekai stories, so I can understand it without any problems.

"Owl, this is the best slave trader in the capital."

"Is this it?"

It looks very clean, and at first glance, it doesn't seem much different from a regular guild. No wonder it's the best in the capital.

As we approached the entrance, a staff member came over.

"Ah, Mr. Lebrant! Welcome. The guild master is waiting inside! And, is this customer someone you're close to...?"

"Yes, that's right. It's someone you won't regret getting to know. He looks like a child, but please don't underestimate him."

"Got it! Understood!"

"Alright, Owl, the guild master is already informed, so you just need to state your preferences. I'll leave you here, okay?"

"Yes, thank you! I'll return the favor someday!"

"Hehehe, I look forward to it. I hope you find a good one!"

Lebrant left, and I followed the staff member to a very luxurious reception room.

"Please wait here while I fetch the guild master!"

Soon, a well-built man who looked the part came out. However, he wasn't wearing gaudy rings; he had only a few tasteful accessories. He gave a very good impression.

"Thank you for waiting. I've heard from Mr. Lebrant. I am Kastor, the guild master of this guild. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Owl. Nice to meet you too."

"Shall we get straight to it? What kind of slave are you looking for today?"

"Um, the minimum requirement is someone who can do housework. Ideally, someone who can also handle adventuring, and it would be great if they are around my age. Oh, and female, please!"

He seemed to be taking notes, which made me feel a bit more at ease.

"Hmm, I see. Understood. I'll bring you the slaves who fit your criteria, so please wait a moment."

...Oh no!! I'm getting really nervous.

"Sorry for the wait. We currently have seven slaves who match your criteria at our guild. Since you are introduced by Mr. Lebrant, we have excluded those who became slaves due to gambling or have unknown backgrounds or poor conduct. So, you can rest assured about their origins. Let me introduce them to you, starting from the left."

Kastor brought seven women. They all looked young, but none seemed younger than me. They were all around 13 to 17 years old, I guess. Most importantly, they were all beautiful! One of them even had a missing arm, but even with that, she was incredibly beautiful.

Here's a summary of the people Kastor introduced:

- Human, Milk, Female, 13 years old

Skills: Cooking, sewing

Motivation: I can handle housework! I haven't done adventuring, but I'll try my best.

Impression: Average, nothing special.

- Human, Rana, Female, 14 years old

Skills: All housework

Motivation: I'm good at housework, but I don't want to do adventuring if I can help it.

Impression: She seems to look down on me because I'm younger.

- Human, Ruriri, Female, 14 years old

Skills: All housework

Motivation: I'll do my best.

Impression: She treats me like a child and seems unmotivated.

- Human, Nameless, Female, 15 years old

Skills: All housework, swordsmanship, water magic

Motivation: I'll do anything! Please buy me.

Impression: She seems desperate to be bought.

Flaw: Missing left hand, missing right eye

- Cat-person, Mina, Female, 16 years old

Skills: Cooking, scouting, dagger skills

Motivation: I want to eat fish.

Impression: She seems uncontrollable, but she just wants to eat fish.

- Dog-ear, Marun, Female, 16 years old

Skills: All housework, scouting

Motivation: I'll do my best! Please buy me!

Impression: She seems very hardworking.

- Human, Yomi, Female, 16 years old

Skills: All housework, scouting, dagger skills, bedroom skills

Motivation: Hehe, please buy me. I'll definitely be a great help to you.

Impression: She exudes a lot of adult charm and has impressive skills.

"Owl, how about it? If you're interested in any of them, we can do interviews."

If I had to say, the 4th, 6th, and 7th ones caught my attention. They didn't look down on me or treat me like a child, and they seemed very motivated.

"Can I talk to the 4th, 6th, and 7th ones?"

"Sure, I'll step out for a moment."

- Nameless, 15 years old

"I'm Owl. I live in the capital now, so I need someone who can handle all housework. Also, I plan to travel around in the future, so is adventuring okay?"

"Excuse me, I don't have a name right now, so I'd be happy if you could give me one if you buy me. As you can see, I'm missing my left hand. I also have a missing right eye, but it doesn't affect my daily life! I'll do my best, so please buy me!"

"Um, I'm just a kid, around 10 years old. Is that okay? Also, I plan to enter the Louina Magic Academy next year, so things might get busy. Is that okay?"

"It's not a problem at all. In fact, I graduated from the Louina Magic Academy, so I can be of help."

"Really? Alright then."

She seems to have a complicated past, but she's definitely capable. As a Louina Magic Academy graduate, she might even be able to help me with my studies!

- Marun, 16 years old

"I'm Owl. I live in the capital now, so I need someone who can handle all housework. Also, I plan to travel around in the future, so is adventuring okay?"

"Absolutely no problem! Who is Owl, the young master of which noble family?"

"Um, I'm a commoner, not a noble."

"Oh... I see."

She seems to have mistaken me for a noble's child. Her disappointment when she realized I wasn't a noble was quite noticeable. I guess she's not a good fit.

- Yomi, 16 years old

"I'm Owl. I live in the capital now, so I need someone who can handle all housework. Also, I plan to travel around in the future, so is adventuring okay?"

"Hehe, no problem at all. Please buy me. I'll definitely be a great help to you."

"Um, I'm a commoner, is that okay?"

"No problem at all. Hehe, please take good care of me."

What is this... adult charm? She's very capable, and she doesn't seem like a bad person, so I think it's okay... No, no, I don't have any ulterior motives! I don't have any hidden intentions! Don't misunderstand!

"How about it? Did you find any slaves you like?"

"Yes, I'd like to take the 4th and 7th ones. How much would that be?"

"Since you're introduced by Mr. Lebrant, I'll do my best to be fair. The 4th one is missing a hand and an eye, but she's beautiful and has a good personality, so 20 platinum coins. Yomi is exceptionally beautiful and capable, so 100 platinum coins. Also, these are lifetime slaves, not debt slaves."

"120 platinum coins...?"

120 platinum coins in total. Considering I'm buying someone's life, it seems cheap, but it's a bit more expensive than I expected. This might be the time to use that!

"By the way, Kastor, I heard your wife loves sweets?"

"Ah, yes, that's true. Mr. Lebrant has been very helpful with that."

"Actually, I have some of the latest sweets here."

"Wh-What is this white sweet? Is this the whipped cream used in the sweets served at the Duke Adam's house? Where did you get this?!"

"I can't say, but I can give it to you if the negotiation goes well."

"Hehe, just as Mr. Lebrant said, you're not just a child. I can't miss this opportunity to give my wife a wonderful sweet... Alright, I'll give you a discount. 80 platinum coins for both."

That's about it. Merchants are impressive. He knew about the Duke Adam's sweets. But, it worked out as planned. The rarity is increasing, giving me an advantage in negotiations.

"Alright, I'll give you three servings of this sweet. I'll make it a bit extra, so please do something nice for me?"

"Hehe, that's very kind of you. I'll waive the handling fee and provide the slaves with clothes and shoes. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Please continue to support us!"

So, I've gained two new companions!

"Owl, please extend your right hand. Let's complete the contract."

After the contract was successfully completed, I can take them home. I'll head home for now.

...Oh no, what do I do now? We're almost home!

"Master, are you okay?"

"Huh? I'm fine, I'm fine! Ah, we're here. This is your new home from today, so feel free to treat it as your own!"

Nameless seemed worried, but did I show it that much? Even though I'm younger, I'm their master, so I need to be more composed!

"Anyway, let's introduce ourselves again. My name is Owl."

"Master, if you use polite language with your slaves, they'll take advantage of you. Please don't use polite language."

R-Really... I didn't know that.

"Got it. Can you introduce yourselves again?"

"Sure, I'll go first. I don't have a name right now, so you can call me whatever you like. I can do all housework and swordsmanship, and I can use water magic. I'm missing my left hand and right eye, but I'll do my best!"

"Next, my name is Yomi. I'm good at all housework, scouting, and dagger skills. I'm also good at bedroom skills. Hehe, I can show you tonight if you'd like?"

"Y-Yomi! I won't allow that!"

Hehe, Nameless and Yomi seem to get along well. Their compatibility doesn't seem too bad, which is reassuring. But, what should I name Nameless?

Her silver hair shines in the moonlight, and she has beautiful pale eyes.

"Luna. Yeah, your name will be Luna from today. Do you like it?"

"Luna... No, I like it! Hehe!"

*Gurrrr*

The sound of our growling stomachs made us all laugh. There's still some stiffness, but I hope we can become closer over time.

"Alright, let's eat dinner first. I'll explain the details tomorrow!"

I took out a lot of pre-made food from storage and placed it on the table. It was still warm and steaming, looking very delicious.

"..."

"What's wrong, both of you?"

"...Hey, Yomi. Our master seems quite naive, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I had a hunch from the moment he bought us with cash, but now I'm sure."

"Come on, let's eat before it gets cold!"

"Okay, Master."

I'll update this bit by bit.

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