Chapter 1: I Bought Her Because She Was Cheap
Chapter 1: I Bought Her Because She Was Cheap
“Are there no more bids? This is a lady of the Lindelheit family, a famous magic bloodline! And a virgin, no less!”
A man wearing a grotesque mask pointed toward the center of the stage with exaggerated gestures.
There stood a crude iron cage, the kind meant for confining wild beasts. But the creature inside was not an animal; it was a human.
Or rather, should I say it was a human?
After all, slaves have no human rights.
Perhaps sensing the visceral gazes from the crowd, the woman inside the cage curled into herself, her expression fraught with terror.
Her platinum-blonde hair shimmered under the spotlights, and her fair skin was flushed crimson with shame.
The dress she wore was so sparse that it left more revealed than covered, yet strangely, she didn't look vulgar.
If one were to paint a portrait of nobility, it would look like this.
Her fragile yet beautiful silhouette, resembling a delicate piece of craftsmanship, possessed a charm that drew people in…
But one single element changed the entire impression.
Her eyes.
Red pupils that sparkled more beautifully than real rubies.
Those tear-streaked crimson eyes were darting around like a frightened rabbit's.
With that alone, she fell from the status of an untouchable masterpiece to that of a weakling who could be violated at will.
It was a sight that triggered a man’s instinctive desire for possession.
Enchanted by her, the guests began to raise their numbered paddles enthusiastically.
“1,000 gold!”
“1,500 gold over here!”
“Don’t be ridiculous with such a pittance! I’m going for 3,000 gold!”
The price skyrocketed.
And as if in response, their desires began to manifest more overtly.
However, unlike their limitless lust, their capital had its bounds.
“10,000 gold! We have 10,000 gold! Last call! Are there no other gentlemen who wish to ‘look after’ this poor lady?”
Despite the auctioneer’s prodding to stir up competition, the audience could no longer respond.
Understandably so. Ten thousand gold was enough to build a massive mansion in the heart of the Imperial Capital and still have money left over.
In a rural village, you could buy the entire town, or you could purchase a well-crafted mithril weapon for that amount.
No matter how much their lust stirred, they hesitated to pour out such a sum so recklessly.
“If there are no more bids while I count down, we shall conclude here! One! Two!”
Only after confirming that no one else was stepping forward did I raise the paddle in front of me.
“Oh! We have another bidder! According to the rules, you must add at least one-tenth of the current bid—”
“20,000 gold.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said 20,000 gold. In cash, of course.”
The previously quiet auction house erupted into a noisy clamor.
“Twenty thousand? Good god, did he just say twenty thousand?”
“He did. I didn’t mishear him.”
“Just who is he to drop such a fortune…”
Even for a top-tier item possessing both beauty and talent, the crowd was stunned by the excessive amount.
This was also true for the portly guest who had originally intended to buy her… Marquis Cyprus.
“Hah… Haaah…”
He simply stared back and forth between his subspace pocket, the cage, and me in utter disbelief. He couldn't bring himself to follow the bid.
Good, it seems to have worked out.
Despite owning numerous slaves, Marquis Cyprus was obsessively fixated on collecting them. If I had followed with a weak bid, he would have felt insulted and sent assassins after me, which would have been incredibly troublesome.
But if you call out more than double the last bid, the story changes. In that case, he acknowledges the difference in financial power and gives up cleanly.
At least, that’s how it worked in the game.
“Going once, twice, sold! With that, we conclude today’s final auction for Carla Lindelheit!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At the sound signaling the end of the auction, the corners of my mouth curled into a smirk.
Of all people, Carla’s price was only 20,000 gold.
At this rate, I got her for a bargain.
*
“Thank you for a fine transaction. As you likely know, the slave you purchased is a talented mage. It would be easier for you to handle her if you first command her to break her mana core.”
“I know. More importantly, can I get a suitable coat? She’s too conspicuous to leave like this.”
“Of course, we should provide that. Please wait a moment.”
Having said that, the manager ordered an attendant—no, looking at the thorn pattern on his neck, he was a slave—to bring a coat. Only after confirming this did I turn my head toward today’s harvest.
“……!”
The moment our eyes met, Carla reflexively averted her gaze.
Her height reached about my chest. But because of her hunched shoulders, she looked even smaller.
Through her long, draped hair, I caught a glimpse of the thorn pattern I had seen earlier on her nape.
That was the slave imprint.
Since Carla was now officially my slave, it was only natural that it was engraved there.
Still, it was fascinating. Was Carla always like this at this point in time?
I never knew because I only ever saw her acting like a lunatic after she became the Saintess of the Evil God, but her current appearance was… well.
She looked like a terrified small animal. It was quite cute.
“Enough to make me want to devour her whole.”
“Eek…!”
Perhaps because my true feelings slipped out unintentionally, Carla’s trembling intensified.
Well… if I were in her position and heard something like that, I’d probably be terrified too.
While I was feeling briefly awkward, the manager’s slave brought a large black coat.
This should be enough to cover Carla’s near-naked attire.
I tossed it to her, watched her hurriedly wrap her body in the coat, and then turned around.
“Now that I’ve received the goods, I’ll be going.”
“Yes. We look forward to your next visit.”
I certainly will. There’s more than one or two items I need to buy from this auction house in the future.
Perhaps she felt a bit more secure now that she was covered, as Carla’s trembling had subsided, though she was still watching me warily. I focused my mind toward her.
More accurately, toward the invisible chain that should be connecting Carla and me.
I perceived Carla clearly and spoke with intent.
“[Follow me.]”
“Ye-Yes…”
Carla followed my words obediently.
However, she wore a confused expression, as if she didn't quite understand why she was acting this way.
So this is what it feels like.
I recalled the explanation of slave contracts I had heard beforehand.
Unless it was a command that strongly went against one's instincts—such as an extreme case like taking one's own life—actions could be forced.
To be precise, it makes the person feel a compulsion that they must follow, but it amounts to the same thing.
To think that a single imprint could turn a human into nothing more than a tool.
Hearing it like that, slave contract magic sounds truly terrifying. In reality, it’s not that convenient.
Like most mental magic, it’s difficult to engrave, but conversely, it’s easy to dispel.
That’s why when a capable mage becomes a slave, they sometimes dispel the imprint themselves and escape.
The manager’s advice to command her to break her mana core first was likely for that reason.
Not that I have any intention of doing that.
It has been three years since I fell into the game Hero & Academy, also known as H&A.
How long have I waited for this exact moment?
I muttered the words that had become a habit under my breath.
‘Status Window.’
Ding!
======================
Name: Yandel
Title: Lost Stranger
Basic Stats
* Strength: 11
* Endurance: 10
* Agility: 12
* Dexterity: 14
* Magic: 18 (Locked)
Traits
* Endless Mana (A) (Locked)
* Elemental Affinity (B)
* Excellent Memory (B)
* Crude Weapon Technique (E)
* Mana Insensitivity (S)
※ Some stats and traits are sealed by the 'Trait: Mana Insensitivity'.
To delete or mitigate negative traits, a special experience is required.
====================
Stats and traits that looked like they were made specifically for a mage.
In fact, this was a sub-character I had created specifically to raise as a mage.
I just didn't expect that the random penalty given at the start would be Mana Insensitivity.
On top of that, for some reason, I ended up falling into the world of H&A several years before the original story begins.
It’s not like I sent a complaint email to the developers, and H&A wasn't some legendary trash game or a masterpiece.
…I did play it long enough to be called a "stagnant water," but there were plenty of "rotten waters" who played even more than I did.
Anyway, without any particular omen, I just woke up to find myself as my sub-character in the game.
I was shocked at first. To the point where I sat blankly on the street for about three days.
Well, I snapped out of it and started moving once I got hungry.
The silver lining was that, as the status window showed, I had entered the body of the character I used to play.
The problem was that it was a sub-character rather than my main, and the random penalty given at the start was absolute garbage… but even so, my long years of playing hadn't been in vain.
In H&A, there was a peculiar system where all characters on the same account shared an inventory, but only for gold.
If they were going to do that, they should have just given us an account warehouse; why only share gold?
I grumbled about it back when I was playing, but now I’m sincerely grateful that I at least have the gold.
The world that serves as the setting for H&A—the Eurelia Continent—is fundamentally fantasy, but it’s a place where various technologies and commerce have developed to a level close to the modern era.
In other words, money is king here too.
Furthermore, unlike online games where developers control the amount of gold in circulation, H&A is a package game that just happens to have multiplayer elements.
Gold inflation in the late game is an inevitable fate, and my playtime exceeded a whopping 7,000 hours.
Imagine how much gold I must have accumulated during that time.
Even the 20,000 gold I spent to buy Carla wasn't that large an amount to me.
However, regardless of that, this is a fantasy world.
It’s a world where individual martial prowess is far more important than on Earth.
As a mage who couldn't use magic, how much had I suffered?
The trait called "Crude Weapon Technique" that was randomly attached was a trace of my own struggles to survive.
But that ends today.
With the mana breathing technique of the famous Lindelheit magic family, I should be able to cure my Mana Insensitivity.
As I stared at Carla’s chest, where her mana core would be located, a satisfied smile naturally spread across my face.
Whew. Look at that mana tank.
To handle that much mana, she must have properly mastered the mana breathing technique.
“Hieeek!”
What did she mistake my gaze for?
A terrified Carla hugged her arms to her chest, trying to cover herself.
Not that her size was something that could be hidden like that.
Hey now. I told you I’m not going to eat you.
Probably.