Anju went to the inn at East D-District, to the suite room, to pick up the Brown Slaves. She then brought them back to the Commercial Guild branch in East A-District.
(This is my first time here, but it’s as grand as I expected.)
As expected of a building in A-District, it was no less impressive than the Adventurer Guild. Like the Adventurer Guild, the rooftop was connected to S-District, so S-Class Parties likely come here too. Clarice, who had intended to go to the church, ended up accompanying me.
“Welcome. Welcome, Lord Derus. I am Tamtam, the Commercial Guild Master of Shucco.”
“Y-Yes.”
“I have heard about you. Please, come this way.”
Deep within what looked like a business negotiation room, there was an old woman. A Magician, or rather, a Sage.
(Yes, that staff… she’s a Sage.)
“Now, let’s start with these slaves.”
“Derus, extend your hand.”
“Ah, yes.”
As I extended my hand, Helen’s neck, or rather, her collar, appeared before me. The old Sage held a crystal and concentrated, and my hand and the slave’s collar were connected by a sparkling magical light and vanished.
“Ah, is this…?”
“With this, Derus, you can strangle the collar by thinking ‘strangle.’ As long as the direction is correct, it works even from a considerable distance. If they escape farther, you just need to picture the person…”
“Next, we have this Young Lady.”
“Mew.”
(I see, so that’s how they register. I didn’t know.)
Thus, all the slaves who were present at the morning meeting were processed. Next up were the Brown Slaves from… what was it, Kanikama Country?
“I’ll go first.”
Mother stepped forward. I realized I didn’t remember the names of any of them, except for the one who tried to seduce me earlier. Actually, I hadn’t even heard them, and even though they were all introduced at the Auction, they didn’t stick in my mind.
(It’s only natural, since I had no intention of bidding on them.)
“Speaking of which, Nina, don’t you need to register?”
“I did yesterday, in the underground area after the auction.”
“So you knew…”
I deliberately left unsaid the question, “So you left them behind?”
“I didn’t make the winning bid, so I didn’t have to.”
“Then Anju… No, I shouldn’t blame others.”
“???”
At that time, they probably planned to leave them behind, calling them forgotten items or people, and then sent a messenger from the Commercial Guild to summon me from Mariu’s place.
(Ah, Camilla. She’s deliberately crouching down and showing me what’s in her chest…)
As usual, she’s hinting at things like nighttime company and flashing me. If this were back when I was on the Milishitan Continent, I would have remembered it by nightfall and been lost in a solo festival. But now, with Nina, Clarice, and Anju, and the ones who became sacrifices… well, yeah.
(I’m still recovering from the mental damage from last night.)
One by one, they were registered, and finally, it was the turn of the two princesses. First, the elder sister. I should at least ask for her name.
“I am Derus, once more.”
“I am Nataira, from Karmasol Kingdom.”
“Princess! Directly addressing such a person… Guu!”
Mother tried to say something unnecessary, and Clarice’s mental command tightened her collar! Wait, Clarice had also finished her registration, probably yesterday.
“Baraka, be quiet.”
“Guh… Haa, haa.”
As expected from a Saint, she didn’t torment me as much as Nina did.
“Gwaaaaah!!”
Or so I thought, but then she loosened it and tightened it again! Scary, scary. Is she the type to torment me with repetition? Come to think of it, in bed last night… no, never mind, yes.
(Mother’s name is Baraka.)
Finally, the last one, the younger sister. She’s a cute girl, but isn’t she taller than me?
“…My name is Lyra. Please don’t hurt me.”
“Understood. I will be gentle.”
“Princess! The Princess’s purity… Guuahh!!”
This time, a different Cleric tried to speak and was choked! Was that Nina? Truly, these defeated nation folks, even after their defeat, they care too much about their Princesses. Honestly, they don’t understand their position.
“…That’s all of them, then.”
After Guild Master Tamtam announced that, I was made to sign a document. It seemed to be a pledge that I would treat the slaves properly.
(Come to think of it, I think I saw this form among the papers Nina was processing yesterday.)
After successfully registering, I decided to check. As a prank retaliation, I lightly tightened Camilla’s collar with my hand, as she had been flashing me. Startled by the suddenness, she panicked and her eyes welled up with tears. I’m sorry for surprising you a little.
“…Should I show more skin?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant. I said I’m sorry!”
“Derus, do not apologize to slaves.”
“Ah, yes.”
Still, I felt like apologizing to Pero too, even though I hadn’t done anything to her.
“So, Derus, what are you going to do with these people?”
“Well, Anju, who won the bid…”
“Yes.”
Thanks to school, her responses have become more proper lately.
“Anju, what do you want to use them for?”
“I’ll play with them~ But I can’t choke people while playing~”
“No, I just wanted to test it a little.”
“I couldn’t get registered for choking people… because they said it’s not good to choke for fun.”
“That’s right. That’s still a bit dangerous.”
The way she phrased it! “Registered for choking people!”
“Um, Nina, what is their utility value?”
“At least 200 Platinum Coins. We can either recoup that amount by having them work, or resell them.”
“What! The Princesses…”
“Guh!”
Yes, it strangles properly. It was me who did it just now.
“Baraka, you are not permitted to speak as a slave right now, you know?”
“…Haa, haa. Yes.”
I had been underestimated a bit until now, I guess.
“I will also consider how to use them, but for now, like Helen’s companions, let’s have them go down into dungeons in a separate unit and earn some money.”
“Is that so? However, if there are nine of them, does that mean they will operate in two groups?”
(Hmm, the people from… Salsamaru country? They’ve gone silent. Ah, this is…)
“If you have any opinions, please raise your hand.”
At my words, Mother, who is Baraka, or rather, I’ll just call her Mother from now on, and Older Sister, Camilla, raised their hands silently, almost simultaneously.
“Then, Camilla, please go ahead.”
“Yes. Personally, I have entered dungeons in New Newcomer as a soldier of my country, and I have often defeated monsters to protect the Princess. However, none of the people here have ever been Adventurers.”
“Ah, right. You’re from the country, from the Castle, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are all beings solely dedicated to protecting the Princess.”
“I see. So you haven’t even registered as Adventurers yet?”
Nina was like that when I first met her. Based on her past achievements and former status, I think she started as Hero E-Class.
“Well then, let’s have you work hard as Adventurers first.”
“We don’t mind, but what about the Princesses?”
“Have the Princesses never fought?”
“Yes. While they have learned some self-defense, they are essentially protected by us.”
“I see. But then again…”
I don’t want to give them special treatment. If the two Princesses are left behind, they might say they need their guards too.
(The fact that Nina and Clarice aren’t saying anything means they probably want me to decide.)
“Derus, this is interesting.”
“Eh? Anju, is something wrong?”
“The occupations of these two, Nataira and Lyra.”
“You appraised them? So, what are they?”
“Both of them are… Dancers.”
(Dancers!!)
This was the moment a new option for utilization opened up.
