Nibuer's Request
Nibuer's Request
A few days later. Time for the regular check-in with Nibuer.
I sat alone in my room and activated the magic tool in my hand.
Light radiated from it like a lamp. It struck the wall and resolved into a moving image, almost like a cinema screen.
On that screen stood Nibuer, surrounded by a bustling street scene.
Her ears twitched as she awkwardly stared this way.
-Ah. There we go. Can you see me, Young Master Yune?
"Yeah. Perfectly. This thing is really something."
I marveled at the magic tool's effect. I'd never imagined video calls would be possible in what was essentially a medieval setting.
The tool wasn't all-powerful, of course. The magic stone consumption was staggering. Even knowing how much money our house had, I'd hesitate to use it on frivolous things.
But that didn't matter this time. Nibuer had given me the tool along with several highest-grade magic stones.
"Now that I think about it, was the cost of the magic stones okay? Even for someone as capable as you, an expense like this must sting."
-The profits I've earned thanks to you have been substantial, Young Master. This much is nothing.
"Really? That's a relief. ...Wow, this is fascinating."
-Young Master?
Even while I talked with Nibuer through the communicator, my gaze stayed fixed on the screen. The image also showed the surrounding scenery.
An outside world I had never seen. An ordinary daily life that neither Yune nor Ryu Si-u had ever actually experienced.
A scene that deserved to be called "full of the smell of real human life." I'd unintentionally let myself become completely absorbed.
"Where are you right now?"
-...? Ah. You did say you've never been outside, Young Master. This is a market. It's where merchants gather to sell their wares.
"Then what's that beside you? Those things piled up on the table to your right."
-That is salt-cured meat sealed in jars. Commoners preserve it over the long winter, when fresh meat is hard to come by, and take it out occasionally to at least have a taste of meat.
"Huh. Does it taste good?"
-I couldn't call it good. It's been soaking in brine for a long time and becomes quite tough. On top of that, after boiling it for a long while to draw the salt out, most of the meat's juices are gone as well, so as meat goes, it's the lowest of the low.
Maybe because Yune had never set foot outside the estate except for the dungeon expedition, and Ryu Si-u couldn't recall wandering beyond the orphanage either, I found every bit of the outside world fascinating.
I started pestering Nibuer, asking her to point the tool at this and that.
"What about that? That thing."
-That is...
At my request, Nibuer started walking around and providing explanations.
Through her descriptions, I got a vicarious taste of the imperial capital.
'The capital really is incredible... When I become an adventurer later, I definitely have to go there. Eat that "wurst" stuff, drink at a tavern, even join a festival!'
* * * * * *
Nearly thirty minutes passed before I came back to my senses.
"Sorry... I was supposed to be listening to your request, but I got too excited and pushed things a little too far. I'll pay you back for the magic stones I wasted later."
The video call had been meant for Nibuer's request, not for my remote sightseeing of the capital. I'd gotten carried away and bossed her around for my amusement, so I apologized promptly.
-It's perfectly fine, Young Master Yune. It was my honor to be able to show you the world.
"Thanks. I'll repay you sometime. So, shall we... go now?"
-Of course. Please, follow along.
She accepted my apology readily and began to walk toward today's actual destination.
As she walked deeper into the bustling streets of the capital, the scenery around her began to change little by little.
The lively, clamorous noise that had poured from the communicator just moments before gradually died until a mouse would have seemed loud. The image darkened, and the atmosphere turned somber.
Before even five minutes had passed, Nibuer stopped in front of a building that stood out for its unusually large scale.
-We've arrived, Young Master.
"...So this is, that."
-Yes. It's a slave-trading establishment. This is where I'll be purchasing a slave today.
* * * * * *
The reason I was accompanying Nibuer on her slave purchase today: a short while ago she had made a somewhat unusual request. She'd asked me to watch over her while she bought a slave.
The unease the word "slave" stirred in me made me reluctant at first.
But she explained that she wasn't planning to use them as slaves, but to train them as employees for the merchant company, and that she'd tear up the slave contract once an employment contract was signed. That changed my mind, and I accepted Nibuer's request.
Because this wasn't about participating in keeping someone as a slave, but about freeing them. Not about suppressing anyone's freedom, but helping them regain it.
Still, she was buying a slave, and I had braced myself a bit for what I'd see. But the inside of the building was unexpectedly clean.
"This is more decent than I thought? I'd braced myself for something dirtier. You know, torture and stuff."
Hearing that, Nibuer gave a soft smile and began to explain.
-How could I possibly show you something like that, Young Master? What you're imagining is something you might occasionally see at the lowliest kind of slave market. Such barbaric places do not exist in the imperial capital, at least.
"Yeah? That's a relief. For my pretty and capable Nibuer, I'd have gritted my teeth through it, but honestly I didn't want to see that."
-...Is that so.
I'd complimented her, impressed by her clear explanation. But Nibuer, who would normally have responded with some self-congratulatory remark, instead quietly lowered her head.
I wondered why, but someone approached Nibuer right then, and I lost my chance to ask.
-Merchant Company Head Nibuer. Thank you for returning to us.
-A pleasure. Merchant Company Head Noelle.
The person who approached was a woman decked out in splendid attire. Unlike the slender Nibuer, she had a fair amount of flesh on her—exactly what you'd picture as a plump middle-aged woman.
After exchanging greetings, the two soon moved, heading to the building's basement.
-Please, look around at your leisure.
-Thank you.
After we reached a space filled with iron bars, Merchant Company Head Noelle told us to look around comfortably and then retreated.
Only after watching for the right moment did I finally open my mouth.
"...You two seemed pretty friendly."
-When you work as a merchant for as long as I have, you inevitably form all kinds of connections. Personally, I dislike the woman.
"Oh? Why?"
-As you can see, I'm an elf. Perhaps because of that, the sight of humans treating other humans as commodities never sits well with me.
"I hadn't thought of that angle. I just dislike slavery in general."
I tossed out my honest feelings without much thought. A flicker of interest crossed Nibuer's eyes.
-May I ask why you're averse to slavery?
"Look at me. I can barely take one step out of the estate, and I'm going half-crazy from the suffocation. Slaves have even less freedom than I do, right? It's pitiful."
-Ah. So you find it hard to keep slaves not because you find them dirty, but because you pity them?
"Yeah. That's why I tore up Chloe's slave contract right away too. And you said you'd tear up a slave's contract once you hire them as an employee, didn't you? Aren't you doing it for the same reason?"
-I am a little different... but anyway. You truly are kind, Young Master Yune.
After that, we talked about slavery for a while.
The longer the conversation went on, the more satisfaction settled on Nibuer's face. She was definitely moved by my manly way with words, no doubt about it.
Nibuer walked slowly, passing by the slaves caged behind the bars one or two at a time.
'Is it just my imagination? It feels like the slaves get younger the further in we go.'
At first, there had been middle-aged people, but the faces grew younger as we moved inward.
Eventually, when Nibuer reached the very end, the slaves caged there were unmistakably minors.
-We've arrived.
"...They're all so young."
-Yes. The younger they are, the higher their value as a commodity. They are considered precious and placed in the very back like this.
Hearing Nibuer's explanation left a bitter taste in my mouth. Seeing children around my age, or even younger, penned up as slaves like this brought back memories of the orphanage where Ryu Si-u had lived.
"So, Nibuer, are you buying a kid too? Because it's easier to teach and boss around a child?"
My question came out full of sullenness. Nibuer denied it instantly.
-That's not it.
"No? Then what?"
-Children like these usually didn't end up as slaves because of their own mistakes. It's often through the collective punishment system, for crimes committed by their families. Or they sold themselves to somehow help their impoverished households. Those are the most common ways.
"That makes sense. What do kids know about anything?"
-The Young Master is also still... no, never mind. At any rate, I found that deeply pitiful. Humans may not understand, but elves have a low birth rate and cherish children fiercely. I'm the same.
As she spoke, Nibuer approached the bars and looked down at the children trapped inside. They lay asleep on rough straw mats spread over the stone floor.
My gaze naturally drifted toward them too.
"So that's why you're deliberately buying a child? To save them?"
-Yes. Saving all of them would be impossible, but at least I can salvage the future of one innocent child. That is my hope.
Nibuer's voice was quiet. Then she added:
-I believe that children, at least, should never become slaves. ...What do you think, Young Master?
She asked the question while looking straight at the screen at the perfect moment. I felt like our eyes met. Even though she couldn't actually see me right now.
So I decided to be honest.
"You're kind, Nibuer."
-...I am not.
"No, you really are."
'If there had been someone like you around Ryu Si-u, I would have been a lot happier.'
She knows me as the youngest son of the Grand Ducal House, and technically that's correct. But I also carry the memories of Ryu Si-u, who was half-imprisoned in an orphanage much like these kids.
So I couldn't help but agree with her.
"You're right, doing this to kids is too much. I agree that children shouldn't be slaves either."
-I thought you might say that.
"Thought I might?"
-I knew that you, Young Master, would answer that way.
Nibuer smiled with deep satisfaction, as if she was truly pleased. Seeing that smile, I figured I could guess why she'd asked me to watch her buy a slave.
'...She wants me to help her make more money, right?'
What other meaning could there be in asking me a favor like this? She was probably aiming to look good in front of me so she could get more information about profitable artifacts and the like out of me later.
But at the very least, the pity clouding her eyes as she looked at the children hadn't been false. Her desire to rescue them was real.
So I decided to play along, pretending not to see through her ulterior motive.
"Alright. I'd like to help those kids myself too, but I can't leave the estate, so that's out of the question. Instead, you help them on my behalf, too. Artifact information, money-making tips, stuff like that. I'll send you even more. ...From my mother!"
I'd voiced what I thought she was secretly hoping to hear. But Nibuer tilted her head for a moment, then scratched her cheek as if troubled.
-I think there's been a misunderstanding. I definitely did not ask this of you to wring more information out of you, Young Master... or rather, out of the Northern Grand Duchess.
"Huh? Wasn't it because you needed money?"
-Not in the slightest. How could I scheme such petty tricks in front of you, Young Master? I only wanted to hear your thoughts.
So my guess had been completely off the mark. She had only wanted to know what I thought.
She opened the iron-barred door and gently picked up one particularly small-looking child as she spoke.
-I'm already happy just knowing that you, Young Master, sympathize with this ideal of mine.
And so, carrying the child whose cheeks were still stained with dried tear tracks—a child who reminded me vividly of Ryu Si-u—Nibuer headed outside.
"...Still, I want to help with something. Are you sure you don't need anything from me? Just ask. I'll do whatever I can."
-A merchant is, by nature, someone who gives as much as they receive and receives as much as they give. I've yet to offer you anything, Young Master. How could I have the audacity to ask such favors?
Nibuer couldn't seem to tear herself away, the sight of the other children clearly weighing on her. But she closed her eyes for a moment, opened them, and started walking forward again.
-Even so... once you are grown, Young Master. When I have become your retainer, yours alone—not the Grand Duchess's, not anyone else's—and dedicated everything I have to you. I would be grateful if you could remember this youthful wish of mine.
"...Retainer?"
-No. It's still a bit too early for that talk.
I was briefly taken aback by the heavy topic of retainers and such, but Nibuer quickly backpedaled, calling it a slip of the tongue.
Soon after, she opened the door leading from the basement to the surface—a door through which bright light streamed down—and said this:
-I look forward to our continued partnership. Young Master Yune.
"Yeah! Same here, Nibuer!"
At the bright smile she gave then, I answered with a wide grin of my own.