I have revised and revised this on April 7th and April 25th, 28.
As per our prior arrangement, today has been designated as Adventurer’s Day. I, Hal Raymond, was preparing to board the carriage with the girls from early morning.
The carriage originally borrowed from the Raymond Trading Company was a small, two-horse covered carriage. However, as it became too small, it has since been replaced by a magnificent four-horse, large box carriage.
Furthermore, for this adventure, as we were heading towards the mountainous region, the number of horses pulling the carriage was a considerable four.
“Hal, today we will be heading to the 5th layer of the Yell Labyrinth.”
Elise, the second-in-command of the “Princess Harem,” reported our destination.
“The monsters that appear there are High Kobolds, aren’t they?”
Lyusienne added, but her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her skin was glowing, as if recalling last night’s intimacy.
Last night, Lyusienne had been a lewd female slave, but this morning, she had the demeanor of a valiant young swordswoman.
A girl’s atmosphere can change drastically with her state of mind.
Mai, Swan Hilda, and Kirika, who had boarded with us, were relaxing in their own ways.
Recently, I’ve been leaving their adventurer activities up to their own initiative.
As we were boarding the carriage and performing final checks before departure, Alicia visited.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Hal, you didn’t return yesterday. Was there some kind of trouble?”
“I was just a little tired, so I stayed here.”
I deflected Alicia’s question with my usual excuse.
“Is that so? I’m relieved.”
Alicia was convinced by this, but I didn’t want to explain Lyusienne’s decadent service to her.
“By the way, don’t you have adventurer activities scheduled for today?”
“Yes. That’s right. We’re about to depart for the Yell Labyrinth.”
“Could you please take me with you?”
“If you’re joining as a party member, adventurer registration is required, but would it be okay if you just observe?”
And so, Alicia decided to accompany us.
Currently, we are entering a rugged mountainous region.
The road is narrow, barely wide enough for a single carriage, and below the cliff lies a deep gorge.
I was serving as the coachman, and Kirika, having won the lottery, sat next to me.
“I’ve never been on such a steep mountain road before.”
“In my case, I’ve traveled through similar places during patrol purchases.”
“If we fall, it won’t end well.”
“That’s right… Ah! There’s someone collapsed on the roadside!?”
As I carefully guided the horses forward, we spotted an elderly man collapsed by the side of the road.
Once we approached, we saw several arrows pierced into the man’s abdomen, which was thoroughly soaked in blood.
What surprised me further was that the tips of the man’s ears were pointed.
In other words, the old man who had collapsed was not merely human, but an Elf.
“The Princess… please…”
As I picked him up, he gasped for breath and uttered his dying words before passing away.
Furthermore, there were traces of something having fallen from the road, and looking down into the gorge, we saw that a carriage had plummeted down.
The thought of resurrecting the deceased old Elf crossed my mind, but with my current abilities, I could only resurrect one person at a time.
It would be more prudent to first confirm the safety of the “Princess.”
“Hmm, Hal seems to be destined to meet princesses.”
Kirika was impressed in an odd way.
“Swan Hilda, I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you transport us to the carriage using ‘Sky-soaring’?”
“Sure, I can’t refuse Hal’s request.”
As she said this, Swan Hilda’s attire changed from the hooded robe of the “Princess Harem” to the light armor of a Valkyrie.
And then, carried by Swan Hilda, we arrived at the fallen carriage.
“Truly a terrible sight.”
Lyusienne frowned.
“It’s worse than Elise’s situation…”
As I muttered this, Mai, perhaps feeling uncomfortable, looked down.
“Well then, let’s check inside.”
I roughly pried open the deformed carriage door.
The inside of the carriage was as I expected. It contained what appeared to be a young Elf princess, but her neck and limbs seemed to be broken from the impact of the fall, pointing in strange directions.
She was also coughing up a large amount of blood, staining her light green tunic.
Furthermore, her face was frozen in an expression of terror and agony.
“Now, what should we do?”
“Naturally, you’re going to save her, aren’t you?”
Lyusienne asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“I want to save her more than anything…”
On the other hand, I sighed as I looked at Lyusienne.
“She’s an Elf, so I can’t make her my slave.”
I explained the “Inter-species Accord” to Lyusienne and the others.
“Can’t we resurrect her first and then decide?”
Elise, from the side, made a practical suggestion.
“That’s right. If we wait too long, resurrection will become impossible.”
I dragged the Elf princess’s body out of the carriage, gently laid it down in the shade of the trees, out of sight from the road, and used ‘Resurrection Magic.’
The effect of ‘Resurrection Magic’ was dramatic. The broken bones rejoined in their normal positions, and now the blood-stained chest of the light green tunic was rising and falling; she was breathing on her own…
“This is the first time I’ve witnessed Hal-sama use ‘Resurrection Magic.’ What a miracle!”
Lyusienne shed tears, perhaps moved.
“It’s truly amazing.”
Swan Hilda agreed. Meanwhile, Alicia and Kirika were frozen in surprise.
“According to my experience, she’ll probably regain consciousness tomorrow.”
I drank a Magic Potion from my jacket pocket to restore my depleted mental energy and used ‘Washing’ to remove the bloodstains from the Elf princess.
At this stage, the Elf princess’s hair, which was naturally silver, changed to a madder red partway down and shone with a vermilion hue at the tips.
“This princess is likely skilled in ‘Fire Element Spirit Magic.'”
I muttered this, while something nagged at the back of my mind. I had no connection with her, even including my past life…
“Hal-sama, how do you know that?”
Lyusienne tilted her head and asked.
“Well, Lyusienne, with Elf royalty, you can infer it from their hair color.”
Elise explained with a smug look.
“Shall we give up on adventuring today and head back for now?”
I looked around at them and asked.
“I suppose we have no choice.”
Elise and the others nodded.
We laid the Elf princess on the floor of the box carriage and headed back to the “Princess Harem” base mansion.
Currently, the Elf princess was resting on the bed in an empty guest room.
I had prepared bedding and other necessities, as I never know when I might pick someone up.
Back in the living room, we began discussing the Elf princess’s treatment.
“I believe we should protect her.”
Lyusienne argued strongly.
“But I can’t make Elves my slaves, you know?”
I raised the point again.
“If no one finds out, it should be fine.”
Swan Hilda seemed to agree with Lyusienne, but she was overly optimistic.
“Swan Hilda, you’ve put it too plainly.”
Lyusienne sighed.
“In reality, the ‘Slave Contract Magic’ we’ve had cast on us isn’t official, so I don’t think there will be a problem.”
Kirika also joined the discussion, supporting Lyusienne, but the conclusion was to respect the awakened princess’s wishes.
“Hal, the sun is starting to set, so I’ll be heading back to the Raymond Mansion. Will you be staying here again tonight?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. Be careful on your way back.”
With that, Alicia returned to the Raymond Mansion.
“Hal-sama, the Elf we brought back yesterday has woken up.”
The next morning, before noon, Freya, who had been nursing her, reported that the Elf princess had woken up, and everyone gathered.
“Who are you all!”
Upon entering the guest room, the Elf princess sat in the center of the bed, covered by the comforter from head to toe, and questioned us with a wary gaze.
“Is… is old man not here?”
The Elf princess, in a state of distress, called out for her attendant, “old man.”
“Your old man passed away yesterday. And you were dead too, but I resurrected you.”
I explained yesterday’s events to the Elf princess.
“Lies! That’s impossible!”
The Elf princess, apparently not believing my explanation, refused to listen.
Normally, I would have used the ‘Punishment Spell’ of the ‘Slave Contract Magic’ I had cast beforehand to make her understand reality, but I had decided against it this time, so I had no means.
“Hmph, what a racket.”
Kirika suddenly retorted.
“It’s certainly unsightly. While they say she comes from noble blood, it shows her true origin.”
Lyusienne also disparaged her, and the Elf princess’s face turned bright red, her mouth opening and closing.
“My name is Hal Raymond, the one who resurrected you. My family runs a major slave trading business. May I know your name?”
“My name is… Dietlinde.”
Saying this, Dietlinde glared at me.
“You said you’re a slave trader. Do you intend to make me a slave?”
“Usually, I would… but Dietlinde, you’re an Elf, right?”
“Indeed, I am an Elf, but not just any Elf. I am of Elf royalty, and thus deserve to be treated with respect.”
As she spoke with us, Dietlinde seemed to have calmed down somewhat.
“Did I and old man truly die yesterday?”
“Lord Old Man perished while mustering his last strength, saying, ‘I entrust the Princess to thee!'”
“Is that so… Even my last ally, old man, is gone… Won’t someone kill me?”
Dietlinde said this and hung her head.
“I can offer you a knife for self-harm. But I won’t allow you to defile this place.”
Then, Elise approached Dietlinde with a small knife and handed it to her.
“I’ll lend you a corner of the garden, so please take care of yourself. As for the remains, I shall dispose of every last speck of ash with my ‘Flame Magic.'”
Dietlinde took the small knife, withdrew the blade from its sheath, and gazed intently at her reflection in the blade. After a moment, tears welled up in her eyes.
“I don’t want to die yet…”
Dietlinde muttered in a small voice, then threw away the small knife and burst into tears.
And then, we patiently waited for Dietlinde to calm down.
“Say… Hal-dono… was it…”
“Yes?”
“If I become your slave, can I stay here?”
“That’s right… but Dietlinde, you’re an Elf, an异種族 (different species)…”
I faltered and couldn’t finish my sentence.
“She’s not human either, is she?”
Then, Dietlinde pointed at Swan Hilda.
“Hoh, as expected of an Elf-sama.”
Swan Hilda said this, seemingly surprised but also intrigued.
“But it’s not Hal-sama’s ‘Slave Contract Magic’ that connects me to Hal-sama.”
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s not a lie. My slave contract with Hal-sama is based on my divine word as a God Clan member.”
“Are you claiming to be a God Clan member?”
When Dietlinde cast doubt, Swan Hilda instantly manifested her divine sword and pointed it at Dietlinde’s throat.
“…What do you think of this?”
“Th-this is undoubtedly a divine sword.”
Dietlinde’s eyes widened in awe.
“…I shall become Hal-sama’s slave… No, please make me your slave!! And please take care of everyone else as well!”
Thus, Dietlinde was persuaded to become my slave through her own plea.
I immediately performed ‘Slave Contract Magic,’ and Dietlinde became my slave.
For a royal of the proud and noble Elf race, a demi-human, to become my slave… it felt like a dream.
And then, after the “Princess Harem” members completed their self-introductions without a hitch, Dietlinde’s greeting began anew.
“I am Dietlinde Tinde Tintar, the fifth princess of the Tintaal Kingdom, the largest power in the Elf nations. My age is, as you can see, 15 years old.”
W-what! Dietlinde was the illegitimate younger sister of Edelgard Tinde Tintar, the fourth princess of the Tintaal Kingdom, who, along with Priest Lester and his party, had gone to defeat the Demon King in my previous life.
According to my memories, Princess Dietlinde was assassinated while we were defeating the Demon King.
“What? She’s not a loli-hag. How boring!”
Kirika exaggeratedly stated, clearly disappointed.
“What did you say!!”
Dietlinde, whose character was somewhat overlapping, narrowed her eyes.
“Could you please continue with your self-introduction?”
I urged them to continue while appeasing Kirika and Dietlinde, whose relationship had suddenly become hostile.
“My specialty is Fire Element Spirit Magic. Due to its rarity, I was considered a candidate for the throne along with my elder half-sister, Edelgard. However, my sister left with the Hero Party, and her faction, left behind and anxious, began sending assassins.”
Dietlinde spoke about her circumstances calmly, but her expression sometimes turned pained.
“Yesterday, while attempting to escape to my maternal ancestral village with my only remaining trusted retainer, the Head Chamberlain, we were attacked.”
“I see… a common family feud. Then, please undress and let us see all of you.”
Elise said, with her usual dark smile.
“Why? Why do I have to undress??”
Dietlinde looked confused by Elise’s sudden request to undress.
“When one becomes a slave, they need to undergo a ‘Quality Check’ by their master.”
Lyusienne explained kindly and politely.
“That’s right, it’s what you call an initiation rite.”
Swan Hilda agreed, putting on an air of knowing what she was talking about.
“Mhm.”
Mai nodded in agreement.
“Well… I guess it can’t be helped.”
Freya, who had recently undergone a “Quality Check,” treated it as if it were someone else’s business this time.
