Chapter 2: I Bought Her Because She Was Cheap (2)
Chapter 2: I Bought Her Because She Was Cheap (2)
The place I brought Carla back to was a fairly high-end luxury inn.
It wasn't like I was short on money, so why not stay somewhere nice?
As expected of the price, the service was top-notch.
After ordering various dishes from the inn's restaurant to be brought up to the room, I led the restless Carla inside.
"Sit."
"Ye-yes!"
She sat on a nearby chair as told, but she kept her head bowed low, unable to even look in my direction.
And there I was, staring blankly at her.
To break this awkward—well, beyond awkward—atmosphere, I decided to speak first.
"First, I'll give you a brief introduction. My name is Yandel."
"Ah... I am Carla Lindelheit. I-I am Master's slave."
Trembling like a rabbit before a wolf, Carla referred to herself as a slave.
Still, the name Lindelheit belonged to a high-ranking noble family that once held a dukedom...
Ah, is it that?
I'd heard rumors that they put slaves through various types of training before they're sold. This must be part of it.
It didn't feel like she was trying to flatter me; it felt more like she was just reciting what she’d been taught.
"Right, Carla. It's a hassle to keep up formalities, so I'm going to speak comfortably."
"O-of course! Please, do as you wish! Yes!"
It’s been nearly three years since I fell into this world, but this casual way of speaking is still the most comfortable for me.
At the auction house, I had to hide my identity and avoid being looked down upon, so I deliberately used a stiff, formal tone.
Anyway, what should I say now?
...Wait, why am I worrying about what to say? I'm the master here.
I tilted my chin and gave Carla an order.
"I'm bored while waiting for the food. Tell me something interesting."
"Something... interesting?"
"Yeah. To kill time."
"Uh... then..."
Carla pondered for a moment before cautiously opening her mouth.
"Do you know how a cat responds when you say 'Meow'?"
"No?"
"Me-why?"
"......"
"......"
This... this is a joke?
Noticing my expression hardening, Carla began to panic and plead.
"I-I'm sorry! Just once... please give me one more chance! The next one will be really funny!"
"No need to beg like that. Fine, try one more."
"Thank you!"
Her expression brightened instantly, and she began to think again. This time, for even longer than before.
The answer she finally came up with was:
"Do you know why vampires always laugh while they eat?"
"It's not because they're blood-snickering, is it?"
"......"
"I guess it is."
I was the one who asked for it, but man...
I let out a deep sigh and waved my hand dismissively.
"Forget it. Let's stop here. And don't ever try to tell a joke anywhere else."
"T-that's strange... I saw that in the Imperial Giggle Humor Collection... A-ah, it's nothing, Master. I can do it. Really. I'll think of another one right now... so please, just one more mercy...!"
"No, I really mean it, it's fine. So what if you're bad at jokes? That's not what's important anyway."
In truth, the only thing that mattered regarding Carla was whether she knew the proper Mana Breathing Technique or not.
Her lack of a sense of humor wasn't a problem.
However, Carla seemed to misinterpret my reaction, as her face grew increasingly pale.
Her ruby-colored eyes began to well up with moisture, and she looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears.
It was a sight that strangely stirred a sense of sadism.
To be honest, watching this was far more entertaining than those pathetic puns from earlier.
I wonder how long I spent staring at the tearful Carla.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The food I ordered had arrived.
"Wait here for a moment. I'll go get it."
"...Yes!"
Leaving behind the vigorously nodding Carla, I went to the door and took the tray from the waitress.
Soft appetizer bread, warm soup, a steak that smelled delicious with its seasoning, and even a small dessert on a side plate.
The overall food culture of this world lagged behind the modern era, but as long as you had money, you could eat well.
Money really is the best.
Chuckling to myself, I brought the tray into the room.
"Huh?"
For some reason, Carla was kneeling on the floor, looking up at me.
When I told her to wait, I didn't mean for her to kneel...
As I wondered what she was doing, I noticed her gaze was fixed on the tray.
When I slightly lifted a piece of bread, her eyes followed it.
When I swung the bread to the left, her eyes went left; when I swung it to the right, they went right again.
Gulp.
Is she hungry?
This was one of the few proactive reactions I'd seen from the cowering, whimpering Carla.
It was so amusing that I was going to tease her a couple more times before giving it to her, but...
"Ah."
I accidentally let go.
The bread flew off to the left and tumbled across the floor.
Maybe it's because of my memories of Earth, but no matter how much money I have, seeing perfectly good food hit the ground feels like a waste.
It wasn't like I was going to pick it up and eat it, so I was about to call the waitress back to ask for another piece, but then...
"I-I will eat well...!"
Carla scrambled over on all fours and snatched up the fallen bread.
She didn't even use her hands; she just shoved her face down and began tearing into it.
"Huh?"
The Lindelheit family was supposed to be a high-ranking noble house famous for its magic.
In fact, even until a moment ago, her every subtle movement oozed noble etiquette.
But what was this sight before me?
"Mmph... num..."
Crawling on all fours, her rear tilted up as she frantically tore at bread on the floor.
Forget the dignity of a noble lady; she looked like nothing more than a common pet.
This, too, was likely something drilled into her by the slave traders, just like her earlier declaration.
To be honest, if I had to choose between liking or disliking it, I'd say I liked it—it gave me a dark sense of satisfaction.
However, it would be a problem if Carla became a slave in the truest sense of the word.
I still had much to learn from her.
My mouth moved to command the round, wiggling buttocks.
"Carla. [Throw that bread away, sit at the table, and eat.]"
"Aah... Ye-hes...!"
*
Inside the spacious room, the only sound was the quiet clinking of silverware.
Now that she was seated, Carla displayed perfect table manners, unlike before.
However, her eating speed was another story.
"...You're really packing it away."
"Huh? I-I'm sorry..."
"No, it's nothing to apologize for. I bought it for you to eat."
I was just wondering what that bitch-like behavior from earlier was all about.
"Even if this is a luxury inn, it can't compare to the Lindelheit estate. Is it really that delicious?"
"Ah... the truth is, I haven't been able to eat properly lately..."
"What?"
As I blinked in confusion, Carla hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking.
"Well, there's something called slave education..."
Carla's following words turned my suspicion into a certainty.
As evidenced by the fact that some people can break them through sheer willpower, Slave Imprints are useful but not perfect.
After all, the commands aren't a physical force; they just create an intense sense of compulsion.
Therefore, it's necessary to break the slave's spirit beforehand. If their resolve is weakened, even a simple compulsion will feel like an absolute revelation.
This groundwork is what's usually referred to as 'education.'
The method of education varies depending on the grade of the slave, but for most, violence and conditioning are actively used.
In the case of beautiful virgins, they supposedly don't touch their virginity... but there are plenty of other ways to condition them.
In cases where they decide the profit margin isn't worth it, they don't even bother with a Slave Imprint.
They just educate them harshly instead.
"But I am... well... 'top-grade'... right?"
"That's true."
I watched Carla silently as her face turned beet-red, seemingly embarrassed to call herself a top-grade slave.
A beauty that looked as if she were meticulously crafted by a god. The dignity and knowledge honed as an elite mage. And the fact that she was from a high-ranking noble family that one normally couldn't even dream of touching.
If she had even one of those three traits, her price would have skyrocketed, but Carla possessed all three.
"A slave more expensive than most mansions... I guess they didn't treat you the same way as an ordinary slave."
"T-that's right. I received a special kind of education."
They couldn't hit her, and they couldn't subject her to sexual torture.
In fact, it would be more valuable to ensure she didn't get used to that sort of thing.
A slave trader is, in the end, a merchant. They don't do stupid things that would recklessly damage the value of their merchandise.
"And what was this special education?"
"...They only gave me pills instead of meals."
"Pills?"
Was it some kind of drug? That would be a problem.
When I unconsciously frowned, Carla hurriedly continued.
"I-it wasn't a strange drug! It's something the Magic Tower made as a meal replacement."
"Ah, I've heard of those. The pills adventurers take when exploring the wilderness, or that knights and mages take during secluded training when they're aiming for a higher realm, right?"
"Yes. Except for one specific part."
"What part?"
"The hunger."
"Hunger?"
According to Carla, since they were originally made as emergency rations, they were rich in essential nutrients and provided a sense of fullness.
However, the pills Carla had been given were missing the magic that provided that sense of satiety.
In other words, while it didn't cause health problems, she was forced to suffer from endless hunger.
Anyone who has ever been truly hungry knows. Hunger can drive a person mad.
On top of that, this entire process was carried out while she was forced to watch the conditioning process of ordinary slaves.
Even if it was just simple whipping or beating... to Carla, whose mind was already weakened, there could be no greater threat.
To the ordinary slaves, it would have looked like Carla was resting comfortably, so she had to endure their glares as well.
They slowly wore down her spirit until she reached her limit.
Then, they would give her a moderately humiliating command, and if she followed it, they would provide her with a proper meal.
And if she refused? Then she went back to eating only pills for a while.
The slave declaration and eating off the floor on all fours were things she had been trained to do back then.
I had wondered why a lady of the Lindelheit family, who surely feared nothing before her fall, was so timid...
If you go through that repeatedly, it's only natural for a person to be half-broken.
Perhaps the memories of that time had resurfaced; Carla put down her silverware, which had been moving incessantly, and began to shiver.
Watching her look like a rabbit before a predator, a sense of sadism that had been hidden deep within my heart began to crawl out.
I shouldn't do this. There's no need to go this far.
Even though I knew that, I couldn't stop.
There was something about Carla that provoked a man's impulses.
In the end, I let my lips curl into a smirk and moved some of my own food onto Carla's plate.
"Eat up."
"T-thank you...!"
"Because you won't be able to eat for a while after this."
"...Eh?"
"Controlling meals. That's an interesting method."
"......"
In an instant, Carla froze as if someone had hit a pause button.
She looked exactly like a herbivore that had encountered its natural enemy.
"Hic."
As Carla's face crumpled into a sob, an unknown sense of satisfaction spread from deep within my chest.
...So this is why the original Carla ended up like that.
Bullying her is just way too much fun.