Michio stood at the entrance of the classroom, took a deep breath, and firmly held the envelope containing the secret letter from his mother.
---
Having completed all the errands in the town of Vale, I am now free.
And with that freedom comes a sense of emptiness.
I can do anything, but thereās no particular thing I must do.
With the merchant gone, thereās no one left who knows me.
Thinking about it, I suddenly feel lonely.
No one in this world knows me.
I will live alone in this world.
I feel uneasy.
An indescribable unease creeps over me.
Come to think of it, there was one person.
The slave trader. He should be waiting for me.
Not that I particularly want him to wait.
I decide to go there to gather information and learn about the dungeon.
I take the leather armor and leather boots and move into the shadow of a building.
I put on the leather armor over my clothes and store the leather boots in my backpack.
I also sheathe two copper swords and a scimitar at my waist. Well, I am Japanese, so itās a samurai style.
I make sure no one is watching and open the small bag of bounty money.
There are sixteen gold coins and a large number of silver coins.
So the bounty was over 160,000 nals.
Iāve ended up with more silver coins again.
For someone used to handling 5-yen and 10-yen coins, the currency in this world, which increases in value by hundreds, is inconvenient.
The mayor gave me fifteen gold coins as a reward.
I donāt know the value, but itās probably about the same as the bounty.
My current funds are thirty-three gold coins, a lot of silver coins, and copper coins.
I gather the gold coins into the pouch that held the reward.
I close my backpack and put it on.
I return to the street where the market is held.
The street was quite bustling.
Upon closer inspection, there were also non-human races mixed in.
A man with animal ears, a child with a tail, and a woman with pointed ears.
E, elves, elves.
I canāt stare, so I pretend to look at the goods while secretly peeking.
Jelica Heartman ā 37 years old
Swordsman Level 46
For non-humans, the gender is indicated as ā or ā.
She is quite beautiful, and Iām sure she has a decent chest. She is 37 years old but looks like sheās in her twenties.
Then, a merchant from the shop approaches.
I escape before Iām caught.
Generally, humans are the majority, but other races blend in without any sense of discomfort.
This is truly a different world.
I stroll through the market.
I want to check the prices, but there are no price tags, so I canāt tell.
More than half of the conversations between customers and merchants are in the Brahim language, so I canāt understand them.
There was a fruit that looked like a carrot, but I couldnāt tell the price.
I leave the market and head to the slave traderās mansion.
"Excuse me."
"Oh, itās you from earlier."
A young man, who seems to be an apprentice, comes out.
"I would like to see Lord Alan."
"Please come in and wait a moment."
I am led into the mansion and shown to a room next to the entrance.
The reception is different from before.
I am being treated as a guest, unlike when I came to sell.
The room has a carpet, expensive-looking paintings on the walls, and a high-class chair and table, though not a sofa.
Itās clearly a waiting room for important guests.
"Lord Michio, we have been waiting for you."
The slave trader arrives immediately, even before I sit down.
"Indeed."
"Please, this way."
The master himself guides me.
However, I am led to the same room as before.
"You mentioned a dungeon earlier. Where is it?"
Before the slave trader starts his sales pitch, I ask the questions I want to know as casual conversation.
"Just west of the town, right at the edge of the forest. Please, have a seat."
"West? Thatās the opposite direction from where I came."
I had entered the town of Vale from the east, with the sun at my back.
As I sit on the sofa, a servant brings drinks for the slave trader and me.
Or rather, a maid?
Roxanne ā 16 years old
Beast Warrior Level 6
She is wearing a navy blue dress with a white apron and a long skirt.
Itās a maid uniform. So there are maids in this world too.
Her face is...
...
Beautiful.
Incredibly beautiful.
She is so beautiful that even actresses and idols on Earth canāt compare.
Wow. The beautiful women in this world are on a different level.
Her lips are elegant, her eyes are captivating, and her hair is a vivid chestnut color, darker than her eyes. She is wearing a white hat that looks like a triangle.
"Here you are."
The beautiful maid places a cup of drink in front of me.
Her chest swayed slightly as she set it down.
It was amazing.
"Ah, thank you."
I responded naturally.
The clothing in this world is often loose and baggy, making it hard to tell the size of a womanās chest.
The maidās uniform, with its apron, is quite loose as well.
But it swayed.
It definitely swayed.
My eyes observed the movement.
That kind of sway suggests she has quite a lot inside.
"The entrance to the dungeon was only discovered two days ago, so it will take some time to kill anything there."
"Is that so?"
I didnāt really hear what the slave trader was saying.
No, because she is beautiful and has that chest.
She is about the same height as me, maybe a little shorter. Probably around 160 cm.
There is almost no skin exposed, but from her hands and face, she doesnāt seem overweight.
Yet, her chest swayed like that.
Since she is marked as ā, Roxanne must be a non-human race.
Her ears are hidden by her hat and hair.
Roxanne places a cup in front of the slave trader as well.
"Please, enjoy your drink."
"Thank you."
I take the cup, encouraged by the slave trader.
Itās probably some kind of herbal tea.
I take a slow sip.
Roxanne bows and leaves the room.
"Iām glad you enjoyed it."
"Uh..."
I barely manage to keep from spitting out whatās in my mouth.
"Thatās good to hear."
"Um, the drink isnāt bad."
"Of course, I was referring to her."
So thatās it.
"Her?"
"She is the most recommended slave we have at the moment."
Yeah.
Thatās probably true.
The slave trader wouldnāt recommend a regular servant or a matchmaker.
So, Roxanne is a slave.
"By the way, you mentioned that adventurers can buy slaves."
I change the subject.
Can I buy Roxanne?
Such a beautiful woman.
"Right. Where should I start? You must have formed a party before, Lord Michio."
"Yes."
Actually, I havenāt, but he says it as if itās a given, so Iāll go along with it.
Can I really buy that beautiful Roxanne?
I feel my blood rushing to my head.
Is my face turning red?
No, I need to calm down.
Just because she is a slave doesnāt mean I can do whatever I want.
"Forming a party allows for more efficient hunting. While there are solo or duo adventurers like Lord Michio, a party of six is more advantageous."
"Is that so?"
A party can have up to six members.
Still, if you spend 24 hours together.
At the very least, you should be able to share a bed.
Roxanne and I sharing a bed...
"However, forming a party of six has its problems. The dungeon is a place where you can make a fortune. How do you divide the spoils? What if you find a platinum coin? Or a very valuable item from a monster?"
There are platinum coins above gold coins.
If I find one, Iāll definitely buy Roxanne. No.
If a valuable item appears, someone will try to take it all for themselves.
"Will there be conflicts?"
"Valuable items can lead to criminal behavior."
"I see."
I can buy that beautiful Roxanne.
No, itās annoying.
Itās annoying, but my head is full of it.
She is so beautiful.
More beautiful than anyone Iāve ever seen.
If Iām told I can buy her and make her mine, my heart canāt help but race.
"Of course, party members must be highly trustworthy. Or, like Lord Michio, there should be a clear power difference between master and disciple to prevent problems. However, conflicts within parties are common."
I try to focus on Roxanneās situation.
In a game, conflicts within a party donāt usually lead to serious problems.
Game characters donāt do strange things, and even in online games, there are system limitations.
But in reality?
Party members are ultimately strangers. Facing the reality of entering a dungeon together, with the possibility of finding extremely valuable treasures.
"For example, being stabbed from behind in the dungeon?"
"Itās possible."
So it is.
So, should I buy Roxanne?
"I see."
"Thatās where slaves come in. If party members are slaves, everything found in the dungeon belongs to the owner."
Slaves wonāt cause conflicts.
Everything the slave has is mine, and everything I have is mine, like a Giantās ego.
I want Roxanne to be mine.
"Can a slave stab from behind?"
"That doesnāt happen. If the owner dies, the slave typically dies as well."
"Die... die?"
If Roxanne is bought by someone and that person dies, will Roxanne die too?
"Well, in most cases, a will is prepared. Slaves can be inherited or freed if they have worked well."
"I see."
If I die, I want to free Roxanne.
"However, in the case of death in the dungeon, thereās no time to prepare a will. Therefore, the possibility of a slave engaging in such behavior is negligible."
"Can they run away?"
"Yes, in extreme cases, they might. But the chances of a runaway slave finding a better life are very small. Slaves have the right to food and a place to sleep from their owners."
I want to provide food and a place to sleep for Roxanne.
Especially a place to sleep.
No.
My head has been full of this.
"However, if thereās a treasure that can last a lifetime..."
"Runaway slaves are captured by bandits. Killing a slave is a crime, but killing a bandit makes the loot legal. Without proper preparation, they will be severely underpaid."
So, there are no kind people who will buy things from bandits.
Bandits are lower than slaves.
Roxanne is definitely higher than bandits.
"So, the possibility of running away is small?"
"Yes. Thatās why many adventurers buy slaves."
"I understand."
The problem is that you canāt form a party without someone you trust completely.
I came from Earth alone, donāt know the norms of this world, and it will be difficult to find such companions.
Can I find a way to make a living other than being in a dungeon?
If I donāt buy Roxanne, Iāll be stuck playing solo.
No, it doesnāt have to be Roxanne.
But she is beautiful.
"She is a Beast Warrior. She can be of immediate use to your party."
The slave trader recommends Roxanne.
"Beast Warrior..."
"Do you understand? She is a wolfkin. Beast Warrior is a job only wolfkin can have."
"Ah, I see."
Roxanne was marked as ā in the appraisal.
"Have you ever bought a slave?"
"No, I havenāt."
"She is one of the most beautiful slaves we have. She is intelligent, has a good personality, and is perfect for a first-time buyer. Plus, she is a wolfkin Beast Warrior. Being a wolfkin is another reason I recommend her."
The slave trader pushes hard.
There must be some downside.
I shouldnāt be swayed by the sales pitch.
No, Roxanne is amazing.
There shouldnāt be any flaws. There shouldnāt be.
"Why do you recommend a wolfkin?"
"Have you heard that elves are long-lived?"
"Yes."
Thatās common.
Is it the same in this world?
"Thatās a myth."
"Really?"
"Elves, humans, and beastkin all have the same lifespan. Elves are considered long-lived because they look young."
"I see."
The elf woman I saw in town was 37 years old but looked in her twenties.
Her face was beautiful, but Roxanneās was more so.
Roxanneās chest was larger.
"Humans and other races age differently. For example, a two-year-old dog and an eight-year-old dog donāt look much different to humans."
"True."
"By the time they are sixty or seventy, beastkin will show visible signs of aging to humans, but they look young until their forties or fifties. She will remain young and beautiful to you, a human, for a long time."
"Is that so?"
Roxanne will stay young.
Roxanne is a year younger than me.
Will a 51-year-old me look young to a 50-year-old Roxanne?
"Also, being a non-human race has another advantage for you."
"What is it?"
"Humans cannot have children with non-human women."
"Thatās..."
So, I can do whatever I want.
Thereās no Kusunoki Musashi in this world.
Roxanne and... I canāt stand it.
"Of course, she is a virgin."
Is that so?
Roxanne is a virgin.
"Is a virgin slave more valuable?"
"Virgins donāt carry diseases. There are brothels in this town, but I donāt recommend them."
Iām being told not to.
There are sexually transmitted diseases in this world.
There are no antibiotics, of course.
Iāll have to give up on investigating.
"Understood."
"Also, she has agreed to be a sex slave."
"What?"
Roxanne as a sex slave...
"She has explicitly agreed to be her ownerās bed partner."
"Ah, I see."
So, thatās it.
I imagine Roxanne in a turtle shell position.
Thatās unbearable too.
"Of course, in reality, thereās no difference with any young female slave."
"True."
It seems the purpose of buying a young female slave is the same in this world.
Iām not the only one with such thoughts.
"However, it has meaning for someone like you."
"Why?"
"You may have psychological conflicts about touching a slave."
I donāt have conflicts about touching Roxanne, but itās a bit different when thinking of her as a slave.
Forcing someone to do things with money.
"Well, thatās true."
"First-time slave buyers often feel this way. Some slaves take advantage of this, acting coy and never giving in. With her, you wonāt have that problem."