"Master..." A gentle voice tickles my ears.
"Hmm…?"
Do that again…
"Master, I'm back," the voice tickles my ears again.
I open up my eyes and see Alissa is sitting beside me, a beautiful smile on her pretty face.
"I'm still a little tired," I hum and yawn.
She grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze as she remarks, "You don't seem to like taking a rest, Master, which is just like Miss Roxanne."
More like I'm anxious about the future and just want to level up.
"I guess…" I reply noncommittally with a shrug.
After I bought Alissa, I thought about just training for some time, but the Oodogloo request was too tempting, and then after that, Roxanne's request was also too good to pass up.
"Let's go back," she suggests, and I nod, then we both stand up and she entwines her arm with mine.
We begin walking, and I take a look at my watch. It's five o'clock now, so dusk will begin in a minute. They talked for quite some time.
Alissa sees me raise my eyebrows in surprise, and she gives me a guilty smile as she explains, "I'm sorry, Master. We took a long time because we started talking about our adventures, and I got carried away."
I wave my hand dismissively to soothe her. "It's no problem; I had a pretty good nap here. But anyway, is Ciel interested in adventuring?"
"Somewhat. She seemed to have become worried about how you were doing after she learned you killed the Orc Headhunter."
I smile embarrassedly. "Oh, she told you about that one?"
She nods happily and her fluffy tail starts to wag. "Yes. Master's growth is amazing. From training at a low level dungeon, to killing the Symbol in such an incredibly short time."
"That was mostly Roxanne's work, I just used myself as bait," I immediately retort.
Her gaze suddenly becomes warm. "Still…"
Eh, whatever.
Then her expression returns to normal as she remembers something, "Ah, Ciel said thanks for sharing the tea and cookies, and she'd like to know where you bought them."
I snort. "Considering the price, maybe it's better she doesn't know." And she gives me a worried smile.
--
We return to the inn and reserve a bath. This time, Alissa teaches me how to properly care for her tail and hair, which I enjoy thoroughly. It's something I used to do for Lily when we were winding down after a good night of playing games together.
I put some effort into forgetting her to not ruin my moment with Alissa.
Anyway, this new brush is really good. Alissa almost melts on the chair as she confesses to me all of her weak spots. Since she
wants
to be pampered, it'd be a crime to not give her what she wants.
After the bath, we have a simple dinner, then I fall asleep while hugging her as I train [
Spirit Light
].
I wake up feeling quite "breezy" down there, and I quickly notice that I'm naked, though I have no memory of how I lost my clothes. I don't have the habit of sleeping like this, but since Alissa seems to enjoy the view, perhaps I could indulge her.
After our good morning deep kiss, we go downstairs, but then the innkeeper calls our attention and motions for us to get closer.
"Good morning, Mr. Ryder. Two messengers asking for you just came by, and here are the letters," he politely explains.
"Oh? Well, thank you," I awkwardly reply. I want to learn his name, but I'm too embarrassed to ask.
Anyway, I just open the letters. The first is from Silas, and he says that the auction will happen in a half-cycle at the theater, which is quite fast, I think. Then I open the second one, and the contents give me chills. Ghulam, the slave trader, is asking me to come to his shop for he has a "business proposal" for me.
"Oh, that's great, Master. Mr. Bhatt has deemed you worthy," Alissa happily coos.
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Worthy of…?"
"A special slave, most likely, one he thinks will serve you well," -her smile becomes coy and her cheeks start to redden- "and I believe his ability to pair masters and slaves is unquestionable."
I also blush softly at her implication, so I immediately question to deflect, "But I don't understand why he suddenly thinks I'm 'worthy.'"
"Your battle with the Symbol must've impressed him or one of the slaves, so they've decided to sell themselves to you."
"
Our
battle," I sternly correct her, but she just smiles happily, so I shake my head and continue, "Can slaves choose their own masters?"
"It depends on their contract. I could refuse anyone who I… didn't find attractive," she stiffly replies, her face twitching as she strains to remain calm and professional, but the color of her face betrays her efforts.
I frown in concern. "Seems like selling Blood Slaves is quite the involved affair."
She nods and hums, "It is. That's why they're so expensive or valued."
I'm
extremely
lucky I managed to acquire Alissa, then…
Then I let a sigh. I'm scared about Ghulam's "proposal," but I'm also interested. That man is a devil in disguise. He can see the darkest parts of my soul, and he uses that knowledge to abuse my weaknesses.
My heart is not ready, though, so I make an excuse, "Would it be okay if I saw him tomorrow? I want to train this entire morning and then visit Roxanne after lunch."
"Yes, it's not urgent, but it'd seem disrespectful to take more than a half-cycle to go."
I nod and move on. We've already embarrassed ourselves enough in front of the innkeeper.
I try to ignore the looming darkness inside my heart and focus on eating my breakfast. Selina is also busy today, but she sends a warming smile to us. Thankfully, things aren't awkward with her.
Thenwe go back to our room, and I focus hard on [
Spirit Light
].
"OOOH!" I suddenly shout in awe.
There it is, a blue ball of weak light floating above my head. I open my info and see [
Spirit Light
(weak)] in my "Magic" window.
Alissa looks back and whispers warmly, "Congratulations, master,"
I grin like a child. "Finally! Next is [
Item Box
]!"
And she gives me a surprised look. "What? Don't you already know [
Item Box
]?"
Gah! My tongue slipped!
I reflexively make up an excuse, "Actually… it's… not [
Item Box
], it's a different spell… from my homeland. I want to learn [
Item Box
] because of customs since it'll attract
a lot
of attention if people knew I can hide anything inside my different [
Item Box
]. This is another secret you have to keep."
She immediately accepts my flimsy explanation, bless her soul, then hums in understanding, "Ooh… now things make sense. In any case, Master, I have to warn you that this one was very difficult, and it took me three months to learn it. Though, your progress with [
Spirit Light
] was extremely fast."
Crisis averted. It seems I'm good at lying, but I'm not sure if I should be proud of this.
I shrug and reply, "Eh, it's okay. I'm going to learn it, eventually."
I thought about learning [
Conjure Water
], but it wasn't as inconvenient as having to waste 5 points into [Light Magic] like [
Spirit Light
] was, so it makes sense to choose [
Item Box
] next. Besides, I can just mess with my skills real quick whenever I need water.
We fool around for a bit, and after that, Alissa starts to read one of the hero books I bought.
I'll make a small library one day, Alissa, you just wait.
We just chill for a while, but I'm still too anxious to just do nothing. I have to investigate [Redirect Mana], but right now, I feel way too attracted to [Golemancy], which I've never even put a single point in to investigate, so I lay down on the bed, then I take out my points in [Light Magic] and put them into [Golemancy].
With one point in [Golemancy], I get a spell called [
Infuse
], and with fifteen, I get a spell called
[Mold
], but I can't add any more points past that. There are a few skills with low limits, like [Cooking], which tops at level ten, but I expected more out of [Golemancy]
I decide to cast [
Infuse
], and my hand suddenly glows, then my mind gets hazy, and I begin tripping balls.
I see geometric shapes that I can't even describe, colors that I've never seen before, and I even
feel
things that I can't explain, all constantly shifting and warping in a mad kaleidoscope that hurts my brain just to look at.
I see a simple, boring square, something so mundane that I focus on it to anchor myself, and then I feel like I've "grabbed" onto it, somehow. I turn it around, and it suddenly becomes a cube, then I keep it still, but it shifts into a sphere, then warps into something that I can only describe as "insanity," then it goes back into being a boring square.
I start to get annoyed at the chaos, so I try to "grab" onto things and force them to remain still, but I don't know how to actually do that.
It's like there are multiple overlapping songs, and I'm trying to discern one from another, but I don't even know what the song is supposed to be like. It's noise, but I
know
that there's something below it, I just can't grasp it.
My head starts to hurt, so I wish to go back, and the cacophony suddenly stops, then I feel like I'm returning to my body.
My vision focuses, and I see Alissa's pale face a few centimeters away from mine.
"Wow," I mumble, a bit stunned at what I've just gone through.
Her orange jewels open wider as she grabs my shoulders and exclaims, "Master!? What happened?"
I realize she was worried for me, so I guiltily admit, "I, uh… I cast a spell from the [Golemancy] skill, then I saw something really weird."
Her thin eyebrows knit in worry, but she begins to calm down. "[Golemancy]? What's that?"
I shrug as I sit up. "I don't know, but it's one of the magic skills that I can use with my powers."
And she immediately becomes understanding again. "Ah, with your guide ability? I see, but please tell me before you do something like that again. You scared me!" Then she frowns and puffs her cheeks cutely.
I pull her face towards me and kiss her forehead, then I earnestly apologize, "I'm sorry, I just had no idea it was going to be like this. By the way, did I do something while I was unconscious?"
"Well, you lifted your hand, and it started glowing like a rainbow, then you froze up and stopped moving your eyes as if you were a statue. I poked you many times, but you never reacted, so I started to become worried."
So, this explains the faint pain I feel on my ribs.
I hum in understanding and continue, "Wow, well… I want to study this spell some more, so I'll do this again a few more times, but, unfortunately, it seems that I've used up all my mana in just a minute."
But Alissa seems to become anxious as her ears go flat. "Hmm… it could be dangerous, Master. I've never heard of something like [Golemancy] before. What if it's forbidden magic?"
Her cuteness makes me feel a bit guilty. "Oh, that could be a problem. Alright, I'll look into it at the magic university before I use that spell again."
The name looked innocent enough to me, though.
She smiles adorably and nods. "Thank you, Master."
"Why are you thanking me?" I confusedly ask.
Her tone gains an earnest kindness that just pulls on my heartstrings. "For listening. Forgive my insolence, but I don't want you doing dangerous things. I can deal with monsters, but I can't help you if you hurt yourself with magic."
The way she acts just straight up appeals to all my weaknesses. I'm totally vulnerable near her.
I grab her hand and appease her, "Oh, well… Don't worry, I'll be as careful with magic as I am with our expeditions."
"After the Symbol, your words give me doubt," she quietly replies and lowers her head.
"Geh!" I grunt exaggeratedly as her retort is super effective.
I meditate and practice [
Telekinesis
] until 2 PM, then we get ready to visit Roxanne. I choose to wear my formal clothes while Alissa picks her yellow dress with heeled boots.
Through the fellowship bond, I know exactly where Roxanne is, and it seems that she has moved somewhere close to the noble's quarters, so she must live in a relatively wealthy area.
When we reach her house, the first thing we notice is that it's quite a bit excessive. It's a large, gated house with a tall metal fence, a wide grass garden with a flower patch under the windows, and a tree with a swing. It's made of dark brown boards and cobble for the pillars while transparent glass covers the windows. It has two floors, and a small veranda on the second floor where we can see two cushioned chairs and a decorated mono table.
The house has a rustic style, but everything looks very well made, and its size is considerably larger than the average home in this town.
We cross the gate and knock on the door, then I sese Roxanne coming down from the second floor.
Did she not notice we were approaching?
The double doors suddenly swing wide, and Roxanne throws her arms above her head as she yells, "Welcome!"
She's wearing a body conforming black straight dress, and open high heel sandals, which makes her look like a model straight out of a runaway. She actually looks a lot more attractive like this than with her robes, which is impressive since she was already rather stunning.
I pull my thoughts out of that place and force a smile. "U-uh, yeah. How are you doing, Miss Roxanne?" I awkwardly ask.
She grins, once again ruining her sexy image with childish excitement, then she cheerily exclaims, "Perfect! I'm back to perfect health and fully working again, not that I wasn't working hard since I just couldn't stop thinking about the Moonlight Moss. I actually worked so much that Ciel got angry at me!"
I actually feel a bit bad for Ciel.
She stands out of the way and motions for us to come in. "Oh, yes! Please, come in."
I sigh internally, and we enter, then we find ourselves in a carpeted dining hall with a large table that could easily sit eight people. On the wall ahead of us, there's a large painting of the town castle, on its right there's a door to another room, on its left there's a chest-high counter that reveals a nice kitchen, and on each of our flanks there are stairs going up, leading to the bedrooms.
Aren't chest-high counters kind of a modern design?
"Sit, sit, please," she requests and motions to the table.
We comply, and she goes to the kitchen, then she opens a large, black, metal box, and I see a bit of fog coming out. She hums as she pulls out a metal tray that has a black with white frosting.
Oh boy.
She rushes back and deposits it before us, then she opens her arms wide and laughs, "Ha-ha~! I had this arranged to be made by the baker when I came back, so it was finished just yesterday. Since I kept it cold, it's still perfectly good."
Alissa breathes in, taking in the faint and sweet smell of the cake, then her tails starts to wag.
Roxanne wastes not another moment and pulls out three sets of plates and cutlery from her [
Item Box
], then she immediately cuts the cake, revealing that the filling has a suspiciously brown color.
She hands the first slice to me and suddenly starts to act a bit shy and embarrassed as she declares, "This is a thank you for a job well done. I wish I could do much more for you since you saved me, but this will do for now!" Then she grins and returns to being the silly woman that I know.
I smile embarrassedly and earnestly reply, "Thank you. I appreciate what you're doing for us." Then I eagerly take a bite.
OOOOH~… this is… this is…
I cover my mouth with my hand and shout, "CHOCOLATE!"
"Yaa, what?" Roxanne mumbles, and the two girls stare at me in fear.
I hold back tears and try to explain between sniffles, "I… missed this taste… so much… I couldn't find… chocolate… anywhere…"
While Alissa pats my back to comfort me, Roxanne switches her frown into a grin and begins laughing like a lady, "Ohohohoh. I wanted to surprise you with something new, but this reaction is
just
as good."
Alissa gives her a worried look, but then she also takes a bite of her slice and her tail starts wagging furiously. "This is
delicious
. Is this something from your homeland, Master?" She asks without looking away from her plate.
I hold myself back from wolfing my slice down and answer, "Yes, it's the most delicious sweet ever made, 'The Chocolate'. Well, it wasn't created there, and I don't know where it comes from, but it's the best sweet I ever ate there."
"Unfortunately it's not imported here, yet," Roxanne remarks and flashes an exaggerated frown. "A peddler caravan from the Faium Principality brought it here, and it all sold in an instant. It seems to be the new craze over there."
Faium…? Nour… I'm coming…
She takes a bite and eats it like a posh lady, then she adds, "Since they're still learning how to use it, only cakes like these are available, but they'll run out of ingredients soon."
"What a shame…" I grumble.
Then Alissa starts to wonder,"The fruit merchants commented how the first harvest for the elven sugarcane is coming. If chocolate and sugar gather here…"
I moan in delight just from imagining it, "Ooh… all the sweets that will come… This is too much teasing!"
Roxanne chuckles amusedly, "Hahah, I didn't know you were such a honey bee, Mr. Ryder."
I think she's calling me a "sweet tooth."
And Alissa factually adds, "I can see why Master gets grumpy when he doesn't have tea and cookies."
I shrug. They aren't lies. I know my weaknesses, and chocolate is one of them.
Alissa pulls out a mild and faintly bitter tea that goes well with the rather overly sweet cake. It seems she understands quite well the subtleties of tea.
After we all take a sip, Roxanne assumes a serious expression and begins, "Now, there's something really important I want to ask you, Mr. Ryder."
I blink blankly and hum, "Oh?"
She lowers her head and clasps her hands as she begs, "Please, let me join your fellowship!"
Honestly, I was expecting that.
After buying Alissa, I've become a lot more confident in working with other people, and at least now I know that I won't be burned at the stake if some of my powers were made known, so I think I can risk it. I don't think Roxanne is the kind to look too deeply into my lies because she's kind of an airhead, and she already owes me her life, so it's unlikely that she'll blabber about my powers.
"Oh, well. Okay," I calmly answer and smile as I take another sip.
"Wha… that easy?" She mutters, flabbergasted.
I happily nod. "Well, you're trustworthy and reliable. Also, people are praising me too much; you're the one who blew up the Symbol of Hate with a single spell, so you're a really powerful mage, and we'd certainly work well together."
Roxanne actually blushes, and her unnaturally pale skin becomes a deep crimson red.
That's a first.
The rush of emotions coming to her makes her stutter adorably, "T-t-t-thank you! I have been looking for a fellowship for such a long time, but I rarely found anyone trustworthy, but those who were never let me join. I've been lonely for such a long time!" Then she realizes that what she just shouted is actually quite sad, and her posture shrinks in shame.
Well, I can kind of guess why people wouldn't want her to join. Her carefree personality would definitely put off the more serious types.
To prevent an awkward silence from settling in I immediately move on, "Well, but what do you mean by 'trustworthy'?"
She frowns and readjusts her glasses as her eyes shine with anger. "Greedy, backstabbing, abusing, harassing, ignorant, and arrogant ugly little men and women. If you're an unknown hunter, it's really difficult finding someone good."
"Even with your powers?"
Alissa puts a hand on my arm to grab my attention, then she kindly explains, "Master, remember Dennis and Simon? Even if you are powerful, it takes a while to build trust. The first ones to come are most likely trying to use you instead of building a bond."
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "You thought Targua was trustworthy?"
She shrugs. "Perhaps."
I scratch the side of my head as I deliberate, "I guess I understand your situation now, Roxanne. But, what are your objectives? I plan on continuing adventuring as I learn more and grow stronger so that I can travel around the world. Would you be ready to come with us and leave this house?"
She nods repeatedly, then readjusts her glasses as she exclaims, "Why, yes! This house is a rental, and I already crossed an ocean to come here, so I'm not too attached. I..." -She looks away and cringes- "don't really have a real goal yet. I just want to keep creating more potions, and I love all the incredible things I can do with this magic. I can heal, change, improve, and purify the body without even touching a person. I can leave my mark in the world without even
being
there." And she begins smiling innocently as she spills her heart out.
But something catches my attention. "Wait, go back. This is a rental? Isn't it… super expensive?" I concernedly inquire.
This is a large house with what looks like many bedrooms and a large kitchen. She was living alone here? How does she clean all this? I haven't rented a house yet because it's much more economic to just stay at the inn… Why is this a rental?!
She freezes like a deer in the headlights. "Well… uh… I w-wanted to use this house as a benefit to-to recruiting me, but I never joined any fellowship, and I… I didn't want it to go to waste, so I kept the house." Then she gives me a shit-eating grin.
That's a bit irresponsible. I think this would be a point against her instead of in favor when she asked to join other fellowships.
I facepalm as I smile wryly. "Well, then. I guess we can use it, right? Since we're kinda rich now, we can live here for a while."
Perhaps we'll have to find work again sooner than I thought, but at least this is a really comfy house, so it'll be a nice place to rest for a few days.
Roxanne suddenly shouts as she remembers something, "OH! I'll give you the master bedroom. I feel a bit lonely on that huge bed. Also, all rooms are soundproof so there's nothing to worry about." Then she grins and winks at Alissa, who tries to keep her face as neutral as possible, but she can't stop herself from blushing.
There's no need to be embarrassed after everything we've done together.
Roxanne recollects herself and continues, trying to make herself look better, "There's a bath upstairs that fits six people. Whenever you want, I can easily fill it up and heat it for you. There's also no need to clean because I hired a maid to do this for me every half-cycle. I can even cook my own meals, so I can also cook for you, too."
"No, I'll cook and clean," Alissa proudly states.
But I interject, "I'll allow you to cook, but to also let you clean might be too much. We'll keep the maid for now, this is a big house, after all."
She pouts, but those cute lips pursed together just makes me want to kiss her.
"I want to spoil you to death, not overwork you," I kindly add, and she faintly blushes again as her tail wags.
So easy.
"I'll just move my things, and in an hour, the room will be ready for the two of you," Roxanne affirms.
I nod and announce, "Then I'll go back to the inn and end my reservation. Alissa, you should help her and prepare things while I'm out."
"Understood, Master," she dilligently replies.
And Roxanne offers, "The hunter's guild might now be a bit too far for you to walk, so I can lend you my flying carpet if you need it."
Eh, no, thank you. I feel like that thing is really unsafe.
I frown and deflect, "I…think I'd rather start riding Alissa around town. It might attract a bit of attention, but I don't mind it anymore."
Alissa smiles smugly and immediately accepts, "Please do, Master. There's no need to walk around so much."
The feeling of her fluffy fur against my body makes me change my mind, "Actually, I'm already starting to feel lazy, so let's go to the inn together, Alissa. Also, you should say goodbye to Selina. You can visit her occasionally, but you'll see her way less often now."
"Yes! Thank you, Master."
--
I can see a few gazes follow us as Alissa flies through the streets. Wereanimals aren't exactly rare, especially with the werefoxes living rather close by, but to have a person riding a large fox is still an interesting sight.
"Hello, I'm here to say I will be ending my reservation," I cheerfully inform the innkeeper. I really wanted to say his name right now,
but I don't remember!
He's taken by surprise and frowns worriedly. "Oh! Y-yes, at once. But… is Selina, uh…"
I wave my hand dismissively as I interrupt him, "Ah, no, don't worry. I wish Selina happiness, but I recruited another member to my fellowship, and she's already renting a house, so we'll be moving there."
He immediately calms down and lowers his head apologetically. "Ah, I see. I apologize for insinuating such things."
"It's no problem. Is Selina here? I'd like to say goodbye for now."
"She's in the kitchen, let me call her for you."
The innkeeper hurries away and quickly comes back with Selina, who's wearing a lovely apron and removing a toque.
Alissa explains the situation, and they hug each other, then Selina turns to me and respectfully bows. I'll surely miss her beautiful face.
Then she says she's going to marry in a day-cycle and gives us the date of the ceremony. After that, she'll live with her husband and help his shop, a simple cloth store near the Bazaar.
I keep quiet while they talk because I'm hurting a little. I really did start to like her.
We leave soon after, and since we're nearby we pass by the guild to register Roxanne in our fellowship, and we also update our house address.
It's not even five in the afternoon and the drinking here is already heavy, but it's not like adventurers have a time where it's appropriate to begin drinking.
There's a minstrel playing some songs on a lute, and he actually makes me miss music from Earth because of how loud and crude his playing is. Some people obviously enjoy it, but it's not for me. Perhaps the theater will have shows with better music.
The gazes on us are actually quite annoying this time, so we quickly finish our business here, then we return to our new home.
The house has six bedrooms on the second floor, and a study with a large, but mostly empty book stand that gets a little bit less empty as I put my few books in it. Roxanne works in her own bedroom, leaving the study unused, so I decide to put my research notes on the desk.
There's a basement, but it's completely empty. There's also a back garden where we could make a small plantation, but no one knows how to do it.
I take all of my and Alissa's clothes out of my "Items" and put them into the large wardrobe, and it gives me a chill. This reminds me of when I started to live together with Lily, and the nostalgia makes me a bit emotional.
This is no time for these feelings, so I shove them into the dark drawer where they belong. I don't want to keep wallowing in the "what could've been."
Aside from the painting and some horizontal relief lines around the interior walls, there's no other decoration, which makes even
I
believe that it needs some sprucing up. The house is comfy, but boring.
The lower floor has a kitchen with a large table, lots of cutlery, a large magical stone oven, a magical stone sink, and a magical stone fridge, and it looks quite modern and archaic at the same time. We have to refill the mana of the fridge every day-cycle, which is a bit of a heavy mana cost for the average person, but it's nothing for a mage like Roxanne. The bath and sink water go to the sewer below the town as only the poorest parts of town don't have a sewer exit. There's no plumbed water, though.
The last room on the first floor is the living room, and it's quite large. It has a small, empty book stand, three really comfy sofas around a small table, and a magic tool fireplace, but there's still a chimney for real firewood.
The back window gives a nice view to the garden, too. A small wall separates the end of our garden with the start of the garden of the back neighbor, which is another house very similar to this one. It seems this block is all rentals, which must be why I saw both nobles and wealthy-looking adventurers around.
The bath is huge, which is a big plus in my book. It has a magical stone to fill it, but it takes a while to do it while Roxanne can just use [
Water Wall
] and a [
Fireball
] to make it ready in just ten seconds, and it seems she practiced that a lot. The toilet is a small little room beside the bathroom.
Alissa will start cooking tomorrow, so today is still an "Items"-ready meal. After the three of us fill our bellies, I cuddle with Alissa in the living room while she reads a book. It's quite warm today, so we don't need to light the fireplace. Roxanne retires to work in her room, and once in a while I hear the twinkling of glass, metal hitting each other, and some mutters.
I'm honestly somewhat bored in this world. The lack of games and internet makes me quite the pervert since it's the last big source of dopamine that I have available to me. I guess this is why people drank so much in the past.
The book Alissa is reading is a bit boring. It's an epic, but I could find more interesting light novels on the internet in a few minutes back on Earth.
I guess I should keep practicing magic, so I choose to train [Mana Control] while I think about [Golemancy]. The [
Infuse
] spell was such a mindfuck I'm still processing that experience.
Our evening ends quite fast, and I suggest to Alissa some fooling around before we go to sleep.
We eagerly enter the Master bedroom and drop on the bed, then I notice that it's actually enormous. I think three people could easily sleep here together. Ridiculous.
Then we test the cushioning of the bed and the soundproofing of the wall with the Clothes of the Berserker.
Today, I'm going to meet Ghulam, and I wake up feeling nervous. While I build the courage to get up, Alissa goes down to make breakfast, and I begin to hear Roxanne working again.
I slap my face and power through my anxiety. I can't let Alissa do it all by herself.
I help make ground meat dumplings while Alissa fries them and makes a salad with some cider vinegar Roxanne has here.
Once the smell of good food starts wafting out, she comes down looking disheveled and sleepy, though even that isn't enough to make her
not
-gorgeous.
We sit down to eat, and I curiously ask her, "Miss Roxanne, how often did you cook?"
She smiles both wryly and embarrassedly as she answers, "Erm, rarely. There was no time, so I made a lot of steamed or roasted vegetables and stored them for the day-cycle, then I'd buy meat from nearby and eat it with bread."
That's kind of boring, so I pity her a bit.
Better not dwell on such a topic, so I change it to something more neutral, "I'll be going to the Golden Necklace today with Alissa. Will you stay home?"
She nods slowly. "Yep, I still have finish my new work with the Moonlight Moss."
"What are you trying to make with it?" I reflexively ask.
Her face lights up with childish happiness. "Heheh. Secret!"
I just shake my head and focus on my meal.
But now it's her turn to curiously ask, "Ah, Mr. Ryder, are you going to buy another slave there?"
I shrug. "I don't know. Mr. Bhatt called me there to 'conduct business,' but I have no idea what to expect."
"It's a woman," she states matter-of-factly.
I almost choke on my tea and give her a surprised look. "W-why do you say this?"
She smirks suggestily. "What else would it be? You're the town hero for now, so you'd certainly be worthy of a powerful Blood Slave. Also, if he called you, it means he found someone
really
good," then she turns her teasing gaze to the quiet foxgirl- "and after Alissa, it'd be difficult to sell a man to you."
That's… absolutely true. I don't want a man near Alissa, slave or not. I think I've become overprotective, but I'm happy! That's what counts.
--
We arrive at the Golden Necklace at 8 AM, then we enter, and Sebastian greets us with a wide, polite smile.
"Welcome, Grand Ryder. Would you like to meet the head now?" He calmly inquires without even glancing at Alissa once, which annoys me a little.
I simply nod, and he leads us to the same room from before. Alissa wants to remain standing, but I make her sit beside me. After a minute, Ghulam comes in, wearing his wide and handsome smile. Sebastian follows behind him, and offers us the heavenly cookies and tea again.
"Welcome again to the Golden Necklace, Mr. Ryder," Ghulam calmly greets with his deep and stimulating voice, then he takes a seat before ours. "I'm glad you came so soon. I thought that the reclusive hero would take a long time to leave his nest, but I'm happy that he has chosen to spend his precious time here."
He puts so much emotion in each word it's almost like watching a play. How high is his "Charisma"!?
"Uh… hero?" I concernedly question with a frown.
He gracefully nods and amusedly explains, "Yes, you should know by now you're the talk of the town. There are even some voices asking for you to appear before the lord and get a commendation for your service, but it's rather refreshing seeing how you aren't that concerned about such matters."
I snort. "I try to live quietly, so I don't want to get involved with nobility and neither do I need to bask in glory. I'll just embarrass myself greatly."
He hums thoughtfully and categorically points out, "You have the guts to face the Symbol of Hate without hesitation, but not to face the crowd that's giving you glory?"
Well, how am I supposed to answer that? I just stay quiet and smile, and I feel Alissa's hand twitching as she holds mine.
After an awkward couple of seconds, he briefly bows and apologizes, "Ah, forgive me, that was rude of me. It's not guts you lack, but self-importance. It's good to live a quiet life, but unless you're a priest, it'll be helpful to be mindful of the importance of receiving your deserved rewards."
I get what he means. You can't just ignore tradition in a warrior society. "Well… what you say isn't wrong, it's just difficult for me. I'm actually really shy."
And he very kindly replies, "No shame in that, just make sure you live without regrets, Mr. Ryder." Then he flashes to me his unnervingly handsome smile.
I chuckle. That's kind of my motto already.
"I try, I try…" I mumble and sigh.
Then he slowly becomes more serious as he continues, "Now, Mr. Ryder, you may not be basking in the glory others want to give you, but accept a little bit of mine. I know how your party is rather lacking in front line power, so I have the perfect addition to your party." Then he claps his hand twice.
Oh, boy. I knew it.
The door opens and a nearly two meters tall dragonkin comes in, and it's a woman. She has red, wavy hair with such volume it's almost a mane; yellow, lizard-like eyes with a naturally intense stare; a slender and sculpted body that'd make anyone envious; a large and perfectly round pair of breasts,
too
perfect in fact; a fearsome face and narrow eyes that makes her look like a model. The worst thing is that she has one of my weaknesses: faintly tanned skin.
I shudder when I see the jiggle under her white silk one-piece that barely covers her body. She also has small, round patches of neatly-arranged, shining, emerald scales on the back of her hand, side of her cheeks, top of her bare feet, and at the side of her arms and legs.
All the slaves shown so far, even Alissa, had their eyes and posture slightly lowered to show their submission, but this woman is different. Her eyes pierce me, her gaze makes me feel small, as if I'm a prey and she's merely toying with me, then a small grin appears in the corner of her mouth.
She's not a slave, she's a man-hunting woman, and I feel like prey. Is this how women feel when men leer at them?
I don't know how long we stare at each other as I lose myself in her striking yellow eyes, but then Ghulam's honeyed voice pulls me back to reality, "This is Hanafuria. She's a dragonkin with affinity for fire. She is twenty-three years old, and an experienced adventurer. But don't worry, she's still a virgin as certain types of dragonkin normally wait until they're past their physical prime to marry and have children.
"Her skills are in the martial arts, and she's extremely sturdy even for normal dragonkin. She can use the spear, sword, bow, and pole arms with ease. If she doesn't know a weapon, she can learn it as she has a talent for learning new weapons. She has enough 'Endurance' to use full plate armor for extended periods of time, lasting even longer than lightly-armored soldiers, though she isn't able to fly with such heavy equipment.
"Her magic skills are ordinary and forgettable, so her specialty is being the front line of any sort of attack. As she is a dragonkin, she can fly for short bursts, so this means she can also be used as a swift shield to protect anyone anywhere as long as it is within flight distance. Lastly, she can also use this power to charge towards enemies and empower her attacks."
"Master… she's perfect..." Alissa whispers, her tone full of awe.
You aren't supposed to say things like this. How is a man supposed to think rationally when there's such a meal in front of me…? I agree with you, Alissa, she's perfect, now come to me and strip!
"W-why are you offering such a woman to me?" I stiffly ask, sweating cold.
He answers with absolute calm and composure as he knows I've fully fallen into his trap, "Your party is extremely unbalanced right now. Miss Roxanne is weak in close combat, as the reports of your battle say, and if you don't bring a proper front line warrior, she'll be put in danger once again. I'm sorry, Mr. Ryder, but you aren't enough to protect her
and
Miss Alissa at the same time.
I stare at him in fear. "How did you know that Roxanne had joined us?" I only registered her yesterday.
And he gives me a perfectly innocent smile. "Fellowship records are public, also, extremely easy to learn this kind of information about hunters if you just ask a little. Since my job is to find the right clients, it'd be shameful if I did any less."
And suspicion of him gives me just enough courage to question, "And you are offering her to me just because you think my party is unbalanced?"
He shakes his head and soberly states, "It's only one of the reasons. Your subjugation of the Symbol of Hate demonstrates you have enormous potential, your behavior shows you have strong character, and Hanafuria herself is interested in serving you."
"She can choose?" I blur out.
She grins excitedly at me, making me feel a shiver, and Ghulam politely explains, "It's part of her contract. She's too powerful to be sold to just about anybody, and she needs someone with the potential to give her the future she deserves."
I get a chill when I hear the word "sold." She's not a companion to join a fellowship, she's considered another object that will serve me, just like Alissa.
"And if I don't do my job to my best, then the Gods will punish me," he chipperly adds, but I ignore his tone as a sudden realization falls upon me.
The gods are indirectly telling me to create a slave harem.
"What's her price?" I ask, suddenly feeling quite sharp.
"One rose coin."
Oof.
"I don't have that money."
He shows me his infuriatingly handsome smile again as he had already foreseen this. "It's no matter. The auction is coming soon, and the lowest predictions say you'll earn at least
two
rose coins, so we can defer payment until then."
I don't have a way out. I'm cornered, and I'll be left alone with the man-eater as not even Alissa wants to save me from her.
Why am I hesitating? I'm already past the point of no return.
"Then I'll take Hanafuria."