The cat-eared beauty who stood up late was told something and for some reason was sent away.
She was quite cute, though.
Milia ♀ 15 years old
Diver Lv2
So, her name is Milia.
Since she was late, she probably lacks motivation.
Or perhaps she's not suited for combat.
"Why was she sent away?"
"That's in Barna language."
Muttering the question to no one in particular, Roxanne responded.
"Barna language?"
"Yes. It's the language spoken by beastmen in the eastern part of the empire."
"I see. So she doesn't understand Brahim language?"
The slave trader who entered the room had ordered everyone who understood Brahim language to line up, in Brahim language.
Milia didn't understand the order, but she must have hurried to line up when everyone else did.
She's quite perceptive.
Being perceptive is important, I want to say as a Japanese person.
Actually, there have been others who didn't line up before.
Since no one who didn't understand Brahim language was sent away, it's quite something that she tried to line up.
On the contrary, when the slave trader gives an order in Brahim language and a slave who doesn't understand Brahim language doesn't follow the order, they don't seem to be punished.
Otherwise, they would be more nervous and more attentive to others' movements.
Probably, it's not just this slave trader.
They don't seem to be able to read their master's intentions without being explicitly told.
They need to be given clear orders in words, not vague attitudes.
I wonder if I can give proper orders to Roxanne and Seri.
I should be grateful to Roxanne, who has been compensating for a lot of my shortcomings.
Every time I come to the slave trader's office, I realize how inadequate I am.
"I'm sorry. She has only been here for a short time."
"No, it's fine."
"Then, would you like to see her?"
Following the slave trader, I looked at the women in the room.
There was no one particularly outstanding among those lined up.
Milia was the cutest.
She was the cutest in the entire building, not just this room.
The second cutest in the entire building was the woman in the previous room who was aiming for a rich marriage.
What about her?
"Can Roxanne speak Barna language?"
"Yes, it was the language used where I lived."
"What about Seri?"
"I can't speak it."
Does Roxanne speak it because she's a beastman?
Do werewolves and catgirls speak the same language?
Milia has small, triangular ears on her head, pointing forward.
The same as the old merchant from Kohaku.
Those are cat ears.
"Is she a catgirl?"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
When I asked, Roxanne called Milia over.
They talked about something.
Roxanne showed a slightly troubled expression.
"What is it?"
"Um, she says she wants to eat fish."
"Fish?"
"××××××××××"
When Roxanne asked again, Milia nodded clearly.
She seems to be a catgirl.
Is eating fish more important to her than her own race?
"××××××××××"
"She's a catgirl. She says she will work happily if she can eat fish."
"Fish, huh."
How important is fish to her?
Do catgirls like fish?
I've never seen a Diver job before, but it makes sense for a Diver.
"What about this one?"
"Can I have a private meeting with her?"
"She doesn't understand Brahim language yet, and she was sold for committing a crime."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, if you're okay with it."
The slave trader made a slightly resentful face, which I didn't miss.
Milia might be a rare find.
Or perhaps it's all an act by the slave trader.
After seeing all the rooms, I had the meetings.
I chose three.
One was a woman from the first room who had a decent face and seemed to have some motivation.
The meeting was unremarkable.
She wasn't bad, but not great either.
Another was a beautiful woman who seemed to lack motivation and was aiming for a rich marriage.
She still seemed unmotivated.
She answered the questions, but her eyes were lifeless.
The third was Milia.
When the slave trader called her, she entered with a bow.
She was taller than Seri but shorter than Roxanne.
Probably around 150 cm.
She was slim and slender.
She seemed to have a decent bust.
Her hair, which I thought was black, had a bluish tint.
It was dark navy or very dark indigo.
Her face was slightly round and cute.
Her eyes were large and round.
She had cat ears on her head.
The outer part was the same color as her hair, dark blue, and the inner part was white.
They were soft-looking, fur-covered ears.
I wanted to touch them.
"Roxanne, can you interpret?"
"Yes, leave it to me."
We conversed through Roxanne's interpretation.
"Um, first, how often do you want to eat fish?"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"Once every three days, no, once every five days is fine, she says."
I thought she might say every day, but it's not that much.
I don't know how much fish is eaten in this world.
There are fish shops in Kooltar, and they do sell fish.
I haven't seen Roxanne or Seri cook fish, though.
"××××××××××"
"Once every ten days is fine, she says."
She lowered her demand.
Milia looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"Is it okay with Roxanne and Seri?"
"Yes, I don't dislike it."
"I'm fine with it too."
I cook the fish, whether it's boiled or fried.
If they suddenly said they disliked it, I'd be in trouble.
"That should be fine."
I nodded back to Milia.
"××××××××××"
"Fish is great. Grilled with salt, the oil drips off just right. Coated with flour to keep the flavor and moisture, it's soft and tender. Pan-fried with olive oil, or simmered with olive oil and wine, it's delicious. You can simmer it with fish sauce or just salt. Simmering it with salt brings out the fish's natural broth, making it a simple and exquisite dish."
She's hooked, she's hooked.
When Roxanne translated, Milia leaned forward.
Her eyes were serious.
"××××××××××"
"She says she wants you to be her master."
Cheap.
"Can you cook?"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"She says she can handle it."
In this world, convenience stores and restaurants aren't widespread.
There aren't many people who just eat.
"I wouldn't mind if it was only fish dishes every day, but—"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"It's fine, she says."
I won't make her cook alone, so it should be fine.
"Is it okay to enter the dungeon?"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"She says she can handle fish in the dungeon."
Only fish, huh.
"Brahim language... well, if I say no fish unless you learn it, she'll probably learn it."
"××××××××××"
No need to translate, no need to translate.
When Roxanne translated, Milia glared at me as if I were her mortal enemy.
But she seems okay with entering the dungeon.
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"××××××××××"
"Um, I convinced her that you are kind."
Roxanne seems to have covered for me.
"Shall we wrap it up?"
When Milia calmed down, the slave trader signaled it was time to wrap up.
I agreed, and Milia left the room with the slave trader.
He seemed to have left on purpose.
With only the three of us left in the room, it was time to consult.
I asked Roxanne and Seri for their impressions.
"I had meetings with three, how was it?"
"The second one is dangerous. She might hold us back in the dungeon."
"Really?"
Roxanne didn't like the beautiful but unmotivated woman.
That's a normal reaction.
"......All of them have bigger chests than me...... They should all be destroyed."
Seri, you don't know the famous quote that small breasts have high value.
You shouldn't seek companionship.
You should walk your own path.
I'm too scared to say it, though.
"The first woman isn't bad."
"Not bad, but not great either."
I continued the conversation with Roxanne, leaving Seri out.
"Um, if you like her—"
"Well, Roxanne and Seri are more beautiful. In terms of not causing trouble, she might not be bad."
"Ah, thank you. The third woman is good. She's a catgirl."
Pointing that out, Roxanne's expression changed.
"Sorry, catgirls, even if they become your partner, don't stick to you or follow you around. So, if you spend a short time with them every day, they won't become dependent on you."
In other words, Milia won't stick to me even if she becomes a slave.
The rest of my time will be monopolized by Roxanne.
Roxanne seems to have thought about it a lot.
"I won't neglect Roxanne, of course."
"Ah, thank you. She's not good at group fishing, so she's not very good at party combat. I'll have to teach her that."
"Can you handle it?"
"Yes, leave it to me. I can interpret too."
If Roxanne says it's fine, it should be fine.
After a while, the slave trader came back.
"How about it?"
"Can you tell me the prices of the three?"
"The first woman is 200,000 nars. I think she's a good deal."
"Is that so?"
Cheaper than I thought.
Maybe the price is reasonable for a decent woman.
Or maybe Roxanne and Seri were just too expensive.
"She doesn't have any special skills. The second woman is 500,000 nars. Since you're a customer I introduced, I'll give you the maximum discount of 450,000 nars. She's a beautiful woman that any man would want."
Beautiful women are more expensive.
The fact that he immediately offered a 50,000 nar discount suggests that prices are arbitrary.
"Still expensive."
"The third woman, if we teach her Brahim language and put her up for auction, she could fetch 600,000 to 700,000 nars. I'll also offer her for 450,000 nars."
There are auctions.
He didn't want her to be noticed because she could fetch a high price there.
"Even if we put her up for auction, she might not sell for a high price, and we'd have to pay for her food in the meantime."
"That's included in the price."
"Teaching her Brahim language will take time."
"Considering she hasn't been educated, I'm offering her for 450,000 nars."
The slave trader shook his head.
"Is she a first-year slave?"
"Of course."
He nodded confidently.
She's not a leftover, so the discount doesn't apply.
It seems hard to get a discount on Milia.
By the way, the slave trader mentioned her flaw.
"I heard she committed a crime."
"......She caught fish in a no-fishing zone. She was caught setting up nets near a temple, and after a village discussion, she was made a slave as punishment. There should be no divine punishment, even if you own her."
The slave trader defended.
She violated a sacred area.
It's the same as fishing in a no-fishing zone near the Ise Shrine.
She's a sly one.
In this world, divine punishment is probably feared.
If a party member has violated a sacred area, it wouldn't be surprising to think something bad might happen.
That's her weakness.
"Divine punishment...?"
"......She didn't know about the no-fishing zone. She's not a woman with bad habits."
"Even if I pay a high price, I don't want to invite divine punishment."
"There should be no divine punishment. Let me give you the maximum discount of 400,000 nars. I can't go any lower."
The slave trader lowered the price.
This is probably the limit.
If he was confident he could sell her for a high price at an auction, he wouldn't lower it much.
Since it's a gamble, it might be better to sell her now if he can get a sure sale.
"Her name is Milia, right? I'll take her."
"Thank you."
"I also want to change my will. This Seri is set to be freed after my death. I want to leave Milia to Seri after my death."
In a world where death is cheap, there are different types of capital punishment.
It's the same in Japan's Edo period.
Seppuku, crucifixion, beheading, sawing.
Not letting someone die easily is a severe punishment.
The default setting that slaves die when their master dies is probably a form of punishment for slaves who kill their masters.
If Milia kills me, leaving her to Seri would be a heavier punishment.
At least, it's a possibility.
"Changing the will costs 300 nars. Is that okay?"
"It's fine."
"Then, as a sign of respect for your decision, I'll make it 280,210 nars in total."