Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, there’s this so called uncanny relationship. Even though I forgot about her, we meet again--it seems to be fate.”

The slave market occupies around two hundred to three hundred meters of the square, bonfires are lit every twenty meters. Just like with a festival, several pillars of wood stand, connected together with string; there are innumerable thin metal plates hanging from the string, glittering from the Magic lights.

If this wasn’t a slave market, this fantastical feeling would have been perfect for dates--

A rope is stretched around a place that looks like it is the center of the auction.

The proper slave auction hasn’t even started yet, but several musicians on the stage are playing a tune that seems somehow obscene.

We don’t enter the square, and just walk along the square’s street while sightseeing.

“Tek!”

Turning at the sound of the shout I saw that it was Nidoren, the slave trader that we had saved from the spider in the labyrinth. He was coming out from a small tent across from one of the slaves carriages, and he’s coming here. Girls, who are chained together, are lined up on the flat top of the carriage.

“The slaves on that carriage are the main exhibit for the auction today--there are those who have arithmetic and secretary skills among them, how about buying one of them, Tek? Since they are all properly educated, they’re all virgins, but I can guarantee that not one of them will refuse ‘attending’ you at night.”

--Educated huh?

Oops, rather than thinking of that, I have other business.

“I’m sorry, but I must make the Beastkin girls here go through the formal procedure before I can think of buying a new one--”

“Oh, do you want to sell them? If so, please use our firm? If it’s now, you can exchange for beautiful virgin slaves! How about it?” He sure pushes hard.

But I don’t have the slightest intention of that though.

--Not at all, so please don’t look at me so anxiously.

I carefully stroke Tama and Pochi’s heads, being as reassuring as I can--while I can’t see behind me, I know Liza is also nervous--mainly because she gently grasped the back of my robe with one hand.

“I’ve said this before, but I have absolutely zero intention of selling them.”

Yes, well, I do want to release them though.

Pochi and Tama relax their grip on the sides of my robe, so does Liza--but she doesn’t completely let go.

“If that’s so, it’s regrettable. Well, what kind of procedures do you want? It’s not about releasing the slaves, is it?”

I’m not sure how he guessed with that second part.

“Since we’re still on a temporary contract, I thought of changing it to an official one; how do I do that?”

“If it’s that, then I can do it. I have a subordinate who has the Contract skill.”

“Then please do it.”

“Certainly.”

Nidoren invited us into his tent, offering us chairs--then he instructed a male subordinate of his to prepare the contract.

Since the content of the document is already fixed, we only need to write the master’s and slaves’ names to complete it.

“Alright, please write your name here. The slave’s names are not written, so please use this ink and get them to place their thumb prints here?”

I sign where the man indicated.

The lines of the contract read: ‘The slaves cannot injure their master’, ‘slaves follow their master’s orders’, ‘slaves are to maintain their own body’--I’m not exactly sure of what the last line means.

When we finish with the written contract, the man begins the ritual part of the contract.

“******* *** ***** ********, Contract!”

After the last command words are uttered, the documents suddenly combust--and from the ashes appears a blue light, which wraps around the Beastkin girls and I, forming a halo that twinkles two or three times before disappearing.

When I look at the man’s information, he has Contract on his Skill column.

>>Skill: Contract Acquired.

“With this, the slave contract is complete.” Nidoren said with a smile.

“Thank you, could I ask one other thing?”

“Yes, what would that be?”

“Is it rare for someone to release slaves?”

“Well, putting aside the general slaves who have had the time of their sentences decided, I’ve never seen people release lower slaves. I’ve heard stories of it happening, but never seen it in person.”

“So, it is possible to release them then?”

“Yes, it’s--possible. Except for criminal or war slaves--for those, only a state official or senior noble can release them.”

“For releasing, is it the same contract as earlier?”

“That’s right--I’ve done the release of general slaves a few times before, ones who got caught without an ID and no money--anyway, with the Contract skill from earlier, it’s possible to annul contracts too.”

“Master, it may be presumptuous of me, but please allow me to intrude on the conversation?” Liza, who had her head lowered while silently listening to us, begins to talk.

I wonder if Tama and Pochi were nervous while doing the ritual--they’ve fallen asleep at my feet and lean against me. I am currently sitting at a table--now with two adorable Demi-Humans curling up around my feet. They are like slave shoes.

“Of course it’s okay, what do you want to say?”

“If it’s no trouble for master--then please don’t release us, if possible?” She is speaking slowly, and clearly, as though making sure she picks the correct words.

I wonder why she doesn’t want to be released--isn’t it better to be free?

“In this Earl’s territory, Beastkin and Lizardmen can’t live, unless they are slaves. If they’re seen by the army, they would be exiled--there’s also a high possibility that even ordinary citizens may lynch them, resulting in their death,” She paused, a look of sadness passing over her normally calm face, “Further more, my race is--no more, and both Tama and Pochi are in similar circumstances--having been born slaves, and their family dying.”

I reach out without thinking, first trailing my fingers over Liza’s collar before patting her on the shoulder.

“Alright, I won’t release you.” I smile at her.

Liza smiles back, with slightly flushed cheeks, her tail twitches a little behind her.

***

Seemingly to lighten the overly serious atmosphere, Nidoren brings five girls in.

All five are beauties, and all wearing thin clothing that stops just above their knees--the breast area is completely transparent.

“Have you finished your contract? Please take a look at these ones for now.” Nidoren speaks with a merchant’s smile.

“Before that, I’d like to pay the fee for the contracts if possible?”

“No, no, since I was kindly rescued from the labyrinth by you, there’s no such thing as a service fee. Of course, since it won’t be enough to buy a new one--I’ll give you a 30% discount for a new slave.”

I can’t refuse such a tempting offer.

It has been decided for Nidoren to introduce the slaves in rotation.

Since I would also doze off, like Tama and Pochi, if I just listen to him talk, I decided to practice with my Appraisal skill; it is a skill that is always active, but I need to think ‘I want to know’ or ‘I want to appraise’ while looking at an object--then the result will appear on my Heads-Up-Display.

Since the details will be displayed normally, without activating the skill, I turn off all my other indicators, other than the radar.

During the rotation of two sets of ten people, I main just gave half-hearted replies.

Still, the points that Nidoren dwelt on were that they were a virgin, or their skills, why is that?

Do the people of this country love virgins that much?

“Are you tired? Please bear with it for a little more, the next one is the last.” He says while bringing in the next set--the black-haired Japanese-looking beautiful girl from several days ago is mixed in with this lot.

I see, so he brings the best out last, truly a skilled merchant.

Compared to the black-haired beauty, the others are--there.

However, I notice that the violet-haired girl with the interesting titles is standing there too--furthermore she looks over here, she is staring at me rather intently.

Tearing my gaze from hers, I look at the other girls.

A blond, freckled girl who is fifteen and looks rather disgruntled; a tall, brown-haired woman who looks to be in her twenties, with an oval-shaped face; and a girl who looks like she is less than ten years old, with dull blond hair and a body that looks unhealthily thin.

Most of them look inferior to the ten before them, do they have some kind of special skills?

When I look with appraisal, the freckled girl has Negotiation, the oval-faced woman has Sex Technique, and the thin little girl has no skills.

While I’m at it, I take a look--the violet haired girl has no skills, and the black-haired girl has Etiquette.

What kind of lineup is this?

“They may all have inferior looks, but they will work hard for their master.” While saying that, Nidoren begins to explain about them one by one.

Does he think the black-haired girl is plain looking too?

“How about it, I could give you six for the price of three gold coins!” Nidoren is working hard at promoting them, “It’s been decided that those who don’t sell today and tomorrow will be brought by caravan to the mining city.”

Hearing Nidoren’s words, the unmotivated slave girls move hurriedly behind me.

When I turn and look, they all try to appeal to me by various methods, whether it is shifting their clothing to show off their bodies, or just looking teary-eyed and pleading.

The only two who don’t move are the violet-haired girl and the black-haired girl. The violet-haired girl is staring intently, like before, and the black-haired girl just looks sad, silently staring at the floor.

When they slave girls understand that their attempts to appeal to me aren’t working, the give up, one-by-one.

Just as Nidoren begins to instruct them to withdrawn, the violet-haired girl seems to recover, “Master! Master thinks that since you have those excellent Demi-Human slaves, you don’t need any others, aren’t you?”

“That’s right, I don’t need other slaves.”

“However, those girls are Demi-Humans.”

“That’s right, but I’m not dissatisfied with them, you know?”

“Yes, just by looking at them, I understand that they’re cherished. That’s why! Please purchase me!”

I don’t really understand her reasoning.

“Demi-Humans are disliked in this city. If you only have those girls as slaves then you wouldn’t even receive bread if you make them go shopping.”

Oh, I understand--I didn’t think about that before--I seem to miss simple things--I may think I am adjusting to this new world, but I still overlook so much--I need to fix this soon, so I don’t get any of my companions hurt.

“If I was there, I’d do chores in place of those girls! The price is reasonable too, so please, by all means--purchase me?” The violet-haired girl looked up at me.

Her hair has been cut to around the middle of her back, she has violet eyes that seem to draw me in, and small lips--according to appraisal, she is the same age as me--and she is charming--I don’t know if I can resist her appeal--

--I--I guess I’ll buy her?

I bought the violet-haired girl, whose name is Arisa, and per her recommendation, I also bought the black-haired girl, whose name is Lulu.

Well, I say ‘by her recommendation’--but I didn’t need much convincing, and I would have bought her anyway--since I decided to buy slaves.

Despite starting to question myself if I did the right thing, falling for Arisa’s charm and buying her without thinking--I am now the master of not only the Beastkin girls, but Arisa and Lulu too.