“E-Excuse me… M-Master…?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Well… How long will this… last?”
“For now, until sunrise. We’ll do it every day from now on.”
“……………..Did I… do something that made you uncomfortable? In that case… Hm! I-I apologize…”
“No, it’s not about that. Rather, I’m grateful. But—”
“But…?”
“I’m a pervert who gets excited looking at a girl’s distorted face.”
“Eh?”
“And if it’s something I did with my own hands, even better. Surrender to the thought that you were bought by a terrible master.”
Saying that, I gently caressed around Seal’s waist. Upon receiving a different type of stimulation, her face and body trembled in reaction, and a sweet voice resonated in the room. Realizing that, Seal’s face turned red.
I stroked Seal’s soft brown hair with my left hand and once again caressed her ears with my right hand.
That night, as expected, Seal’s sweet voice continued to shake the air in the room until dawn.
Then, we went to the Tittis forest and collected medicinal herbs shortly after waking up.
After finishing that and when we returned to the inn, I once again placed Seal on my knees and caressed her ears, and sometimes her tail.
The next day was the same, and the next day, and the next. I continued with that. Anyone would have trouble sleeping with that lifestyle.
With insufficient sleep, physical condition will deteriorate. Seal had earbags and looked lethargic.
In that way, I would take Seal to the forest. The adventurers from the same inn, the father and daughter, told me, “Let her rest for a bit,” but I snorted and ignored them.
Then, when we left Ishka and headed to the forest, four people stood in front of us.
They were the members of “Falcon Sword.”
“It seems you’re still working hard to gather herbs. Why don’t you become a pharmacist? That will surely benefit the world and people.”
A pointed hat with a magic staff. And a mage’s robe. It’s the attire that Miroslav always wears, just like his mocking words.
The only difference is that his long red hair is cut. Now it seems that his short hair is braided and hidden under his hat.
“Thanks for the advice. If that’s all you have to say, then I’d like you to move. Unlike you, who can wag your tail at the guild and get fed, I’m very busy.”
“I don’t want to talk to you. But—”
Miroslav glanced at Seal behind me. Seeing her looking lethargic like that, he made a crude grimace.
“To make a younger girl than yourself carry all the luggage… I see, you’ve shown who you really are.”
“What I do with my slave is my own business. Besides, a “Murderer” has no right to tell me anything.”
“It seems you’re really foolish. And if you speak in that way, you’ll earn the wrath of the guildmaster.”
“What nonsense. I wouldn’t be saying any of this if you hadn’t come to bother me.”
“It’s rumored that you’re doing terrible things to that girl every night. After mysteriously acquiring money, the first thing you buy is a slave. Your actions are going from bad to worse. If you want to engage with a woman, then first acquire some charm to have an equal romance!”
When Miroslav said all that, this time Lars spoke up. His face was filled with a strong sense of justice.
As I mentioned before, Lars is a boy from a rural village. Selling a wife or daughter to pay taxes wasn’t an uncommon story.
When I was still a member of “Falcon Sword,” the atmosphere would become heavy around Lars when this topic was brought up.
Iria was also the same as Lars. I thought something had happened back then, but I couldn’t ask.
According to the story I heard from Miroslav in the cave, it seems that a girl in Lars’ neighborhood, whom he treated like a younger sister, was sold by her parents.
For Lars, it’s a bitter memory that is hard to forget. That sold girl was three years younger than Lars, and if nothing had happened, she would have been fifteen.
“Sora, that girl fell into slavery because of her family, right? Take care of her. If you can’t do that, then free her!”
“I already said that what I do with my slave is my own business. Are you asking me to free her? You don’t give me orders.”
“If that’s the case, I have an idea.”
Saying that, Lars reached out for the sword at his waist. Seeing that, I snorted.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Hey, hey, do you think you can steal my slave? Or maybe murder? Now I see why I was ambushed in a place like this. There’s also the previous unsolved case, ‘Falcon Sword’ has really fallen low.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, I won’t steal anything! I’m trying to beat you up from the root!”
“You said you’d beat me up? You say very amusing things, Lars. In other words, a high-level adventurer will force a simple civilian to listen? You’ll earn the wrath of the guildmaster.”
“…Will you still not listen?”
“It’s not about that. You’ve been pushing me around for your own convenience. Even if I were to free her, what would be the benefit? It cost me 30 gold coins.”
“In that case, I’ll pay you the 30 gold coins. Will that be fine?”
“Of course not. What kind of idiot would sell something for the same price they bought it?.”
“Then, how about 60 or 100? Just tell me the price. I’ll pay whatever you want!”
Lars said it in an angry tone. 100 gold coins, huh? That would be difficult even for a sixth-class adventurer. I curled up the corners of my lips.
“Alright, let’s see. I’ll sell her to you for one million gold coins.”
“…Huh?”
“I said one million. Ahh, if you want, you can pay me in monthly installments of 100,000.”
“Don’t talk nonsense! There’s no way I can pay that amount!”
“You yourself said you would pay whatever I wanted.”
“There’s a limit!”
“Hey, I’m selling you something that I had no intention of selling. This is the most natural thing to do. Should I calculate how much your budget is and set a price accordingly?”
After saying that, I laughed as if mocking him.
“You were trying to give me a specific number, like 100 or 200 gold coins, right? You wanted to put that on the table and then pay. You’re a sixth-class adventurer with high expectations. Besides, the Sauzar company might be willing to pay if it becomes a request from their future son-in-law. What a cheap trick. And the source of the plan… well, I don’t need to say it.”
Glancing at Miroslav, Lars bit his lips in frustration.
“Guh…”
“Rescuing the mistreated slave with goodwill and ingenuity. It’s really something typical of you. But, it’s a shame, Lars. If you understand that already, then leave me alone. If you continue with that attitude, you’ll only cause trouble. Don’t be deceived by the words of that mage.”
“…I challenge you.”
“What?”
“I challenge you to a duel, Sora!”
Lars took off the glove from his left hand and threw it at me. The worn leather glove hit my chest with force and fell to the ground.
“Fight me for that girl’s freedom! If I win, you’ll set her free!”
“I refuse.”
“Are you planning to run away?”
“It’s not that, I’m level ‘1,’ you know? Why should I accept a duel that I can’t win? Even if I were to win, there would be no benefits.”
“In that case—”
“In that case, if you win, I’ll become your slave.”
Before Lars could finish speaking, Miroslav stepped forward. The red-haired mage glared at me with resentment.
“If there’s a benefit, then you’ll accept the duel, right? I’ll be your slave, and you can do whatever you want. Oh, of course, all my personal belongings will go to my master. There are valuable magic stones and magical books… I haven’t calculated it precisely, but I guarantee they’re worth more than 30 gold coins.”
“Hey, Miro!”
“It’s fine, Lars. There’s no way you’ll lose. What I promised will never come true. Even if something were to happen… that would be the result of believing in you. I’ll be very proud and won’t hold any grudges.”
“Miro… I didn’t think you believed in me so much…”
Lars stared at Miroslav intently, and she did the same, blushing. They created a space for themselves, disregarding the surroundings as always—well, in this case, it’s a bit different.
“Sorry to interrupt the moment, but I have no intention of accepting that condition. Doing such things with the ‘Murderer’? You must be joking.”
“Sora, you…!”
“Well, if you give me that elf in exchange, maybe I’ll consider it.”
I looked at Luna Maria, who hadn’t said a word until now. I should also include Iria, in the sense that she hadn’t said anything either, but Miroslav probably already said the words she wanted to say.
Saying that so unexpectedly, Luna Maria blinked several times in surprise.
“Me?”
“An elven slave isn’t something I would acquire even with 100 gold coins. However, to become a slave, it’s essential to have your consent. If you can’t believe in your leader as much as that ‘Murderer,’ then you can refuse.”
Saying that, I looked at Lars. And then, pointing at the glove that fell to the ground with my chin, I continued speaking.
“If you accept this condition, I wouldn’t mind picking up this glove, Lars.”
“….Really?”
“Yes. But words are just words. We can go to the guild and have a meeting with the guildmaster as a witness. If you win, I’ll free Seal. If I win, Luna Maria will become my slave. Needless to say, it’s your duty to make sure Luna Maria remembers this condition. If you can’t do that, then there will be no duel. What do you think?”
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 3-10+ additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
👍🏻