Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: A Tool's Prayer
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Throughout the empire,
there were countless slave dormitories owned by House Riddle.
Farms, estates, cities, provinces—
to fully manage the vast assets scattered across the expansive empire,
one building alone was far from sufficient.
Some slaves stayed in one place for a long time,
but generally, to prevent them from banding together, it was standard practice to periodically shuffle them between dormitories, tearing the slaves apart.
And.
Among all the empire's slave dormitories, there was only one that the slaves truly preferred.
"Please let me go to the mansion...!"
The main estate of House Riddle.
The slave dormitory located within the grounds of the mansion where the family head resided.
The place where they could receive their master most directly.
That was the paradise, the ideal haven that all slaves longed to reach.
"What. Is there really anything better about being assigned to the mansion?"
"What."
"Slaves of the house all get similar treatment anyway. Talants can be spent anywhere."
In truth, a slave's treatment didn't vary greatly between dormitories.
In some places, overseers might whip slaves harshly or work them brutally, but the fundamental principle of paying 'Talants' based on a slave's value was strictly upheld everywhere.
And.
As long as they had Talants, slaves were unlikely to suffer truly poor treatment.
Whether buying rest rights, delicious food, or medicinal herbs,
the right to spend Talants
was guaranteed by their master, His Excellency 'Karl Riddle'.
No matter which overseer was appointed,
this was an absolutely inviolable rule.
"...You’ve never actually seen him in person, have you?"
"I've seen him twice. He even held our hands."
"Ah. If that's all, then you wouldn't understand."
Once upon a time,
an overseer had confiscated the Talants paid to slaves, falsified reports,
and skimmed off their allotted bread and food.
And then.
During the master's 'regular inspection',
it all came to light with a single handshake.
There was no need to even read the overseer's past.
Numerous slaves had witnessed the overseer's embezzlement.
"The promise I made in the name of the house must have seemed utterly ridiculous to you..."
"Y-Your Excellency, that's not—"
"If not, then you must have thought me a fool. You believed I wouldn't discover your petty corruption, or that even if I did, I wouldn't punish you for it."
"......"
"Torsso. Bring the Talants."
"Yes."
He returned all the unjustly taken Talants to the slaves.
Then, after staring at the trembling overseer for a moment,
he turned to the slaves and spoke.
"For you all, I will add one new item available for purchase with Talants."
"Pardon?"
"The right to flog this foolish overseer."
"What do you...?"
"I know many slaves here suffered severe whippings from this man. Being greedy, he must have pushed you to overwork for results. Viewing the house's assets as lightly as pine needles, he must have treated your bodies carelessly."
"......"
"You are my property. Your hands are the whips in my grasp, and your feet are the shoes supporting mine."
"......"
"He dared tarnish the honor of a great merchant house. If it ends with harsh whippings and humiliating kicks, that would truly be merciful. I wish to show this man mercy. How harsh that mercy will be depends on how much you're willing to spend on revenge."
The slave who had been whipped by him
now whipped him in return.
It was utterly humiliating punishment.
"10 Talants... no. 5 Talants per strike."
"......"
"If you're unsure, I'll demonstrate first. Torsso. Deduct 5 Talants."
"Understood."
Their master handed five Talant notes to his adjutant nearby.
The adjutant recorded it in the ledger,
and the master
kicked the anxious overseer squarely in the chest.
With a choking gasp, the overseer collapsed.
"Like this. If you want, you can borrow a whip. This overseer is dismissed as of today, so no need to fear repercussions. So, any slaves who wish to purchase?"
"......Me. I'd like to buy it."
While the other slaves hesitated, one stepped forward and raised her hand.
She was a slave who had been whipped particularly harshly by that overseer.
Then, the others began raising their hands one by one.
"Me too..."
"I want to buy it too."
It was a precious opportunity.
Miss this, and there'd be no chance to get revenge on a freeman again.
Thus, every slave bought one turn.
Some even bought three or four.
The overseer's form became a mess of whip lashes and kicks,
and their master asked once more.
"No more buyers?"
"......"
There was no reply.
Though the slaves still held plenty of Talants after recouping the exploitation in one go,
none wanted to inflict more violence on the overseer.
Not out of pity for his wretched state...
But for a far more selfish and practical reason.
"Indeed. It would feel wasteful. Spending Talants just to get revenge on a mere overseer like that."
The Talants in their hands were too precious to waste on mere violence.
Once they actually swung, it felt refreshing, but didn't change their mood as much as expected.
Watching him get beaten by other slaves was satisfying enough.
"With Talants, you can do anything. Buy white bread, rent soft blankets, take real rest on grueling days. Borrow books or write letters. But that doesn't mean you can do 'everything'. Choosing one means giving up another."
"......"
"Violence is the least valuable thing you can buy. Sometimes, there are knots so tight you can't endure without unleashing violence like this. This time it was 5 Talants, but next time, it might cost all your Talants—or even your life."
"......"
"When the moment comes that you want to choose violence, remember this feeling. Aren't the Talants in your hands too precious to waste on something so trivial?"
The slaves alternated glances between the Talants in their hands and the overseer's pathetic form.
The master stared fixedly at the overseer for a moment,
then grabbed his head,
forcibly lifted his limply drooping face,
met his eyes, and said,
"Don't think saving your life was an act of mercy."
"......Th-thank you. Sniff."
"It means punishing the likes of you is utterly worthless. That's the extent of your value. You could wield the whip only by borrowing my authority, wasn't it?"
"......Y-yes. Ugh."
"But a wretch like you would just be glad to have your life spared right now."
The emotion in the master's voice was not anger.
It felt closer to self-reproach or resignation.
"You have no idea what it means to survive. You don't understand that struggling to survive isn't just about saving your neck this moment. A beast like you could never grasp it. I almost envy you for not distinguishing between a beast's survival and a human's."
What that could mean,
a mere slave like her couldn't understand.
No.
Even the freeman overseer, trembling in relief at having survived,
couldn't understand what the master meant.
"Torsso."
"Yes."
"Get rid of him. I don't want to see him anymore."
"Understood."
She couldn't understand it—but.
In that moment, she suddenly realized one thing.
Ah.
This man,
alone knows a life beyond birth and death,
how lonely he must be...
Surrounded only by beasts,
he alone is truly human.
"I... don't want to go to his side just for better treatment."
"Then?"
"I want to go to his side to be of even a little help to him."
To be of even a little help to him.
"I want to be a valuable slave. If I'm to be his tool, I want to be the most useful one. If not useful enough, at least one that's well-sharpened and fits perfectly in his hand."
If it was arrogance for a mere slave to think of aiding her master,
at least she wanted to be a pleasing existence in his eyes.
"......It sounds kinda religious. Well. I don't really get it... but good luck getting assigned to the mansion."
The slave prayed.
And.
It came true.