Chapter 233: A New Rule
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: A New Rule
A calm settled in after the storm had passed.
The once-raucous room was now somewhat in order.
The atmosphere was, for the most part, as follows.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
“We became slaves on the same day, so doesn’t that make us comrades?”
“What do you mean, comrades? We were here first. We’re the queen’s seniors.”
There were those who felt a sense of kinship, delighted that someone they admired had become a slave just like them.
“I’m a high elf… I’m a queen, and I’ve become a slave… How in the world am I supposed to explain this to the elders… No, if they find out, I’ll be deposed immediately. I can’t let them know, not even in death.”
“I… I am a slave? Is this divine punishment for betraying the Gumiho?”
“That I, Skadia, would willingly become a slave just to see a human’s smile… Forgive me, my goddess.”
“My daughter sold her own mother into slavery… Ah…”
Then there were those who despaired, clutching their heads, unable to accept reality.
“Master, I get a reward too, right? Right?”
“Mastah, Rin just wants to mate… Ack! Why’d you hit me!”
“Darling~ Mirabelle’s shackles are so pretty. Could you make a red one for my neck?”
“Rami… ring…”
And finally, there were those who had offered others as tribute and now awaited their reward.
They fell into these three categories.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be giving rewards to all of you, so please wait your turn. Before that, please take those people back to where they belong.”
With light steps, spurred by the thought of their rewards, they led the others away.
At last, the room was quiet again.
Only Azyeth, who could simply absorb Skadia into her body, Mirabelle, and her mother, Naredi, remained.
“Master, can’t my mom live here with us?”
“Is there any reason she can’t? Of course, she can.”
“Mirabelle, what are you talking about? You’ve found your master, so you should go home.”
“Mom, a slave’s place is by her master’s side. You’re the master’s slave now, too, so you have to live here.”
Mirabelle squeezed Naredi’s hand.
“Mom, let’s get trained as maids together and attend to the master’s needs.”
“What…”
“Miss Mirabelle, ‘attending to his needs’ might be open to misinterpretation. Let’s just say ‘serving him.’”
Despite this, the hostile glint in Naredi’s eyes as she looked at Karami did not fade. Karami paid it no mind and simply shrugged.
“I’m not forcing you. You’re free to leave if you don’t want to.”
“How can a mother leave when her daughter has been captured by a slave trader? I have to stay and watch you to make sure you don’t try anything funny.”
“Oh, Mom. You have to call him Master, not ‘you.’”
“Ugh.”
“Mom!”
Naredi bit her lip in frustration. Her mouth opened and closed, but the word wouldn’t come out. Finally, she gave up.
“Ma… Master…”
“You heard her, Master, didn’t you? Mom said she’s staying, too!”
“I see. If she’s to become a maid, then Naredi should have the proper attire as well. Miss Mirabelle?”
“Yes!”
When Mirabelle used her magic, Naredi’s clothes transformed. She was now in a custom-fitted maid outfit, identical to Mirabelle’s.
And by identical, that meant it was the short, thigh-exposing maid outfit that Karami had personally selected.
Her legs felt bare.
The air traveled up past her ankles and calves, creeping up her thighs and under her skirt.
At the cool sensation, Naredi pressed her thighs together and hastily tried to pull down the hem of her skirt.
“W-Wait a minute! What is this outfit? The skirt is too short!”
“What do you think, Master? It suits her perfectly, doesn’t it?”
“I can see who Miss Mirabelle takes after. More importantly, Miss Mirabelle, is the part underneath…”
“Don’t worry. It’s white lace!”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
Karami gave a thumbs-up.
It took Naredi a moment to understand what the two of them were talking about.
By the time she realized what “white lace” meant…
“You…! You…!”
Her face flushed crimson as if it were about to burst, and she could only sputter out syllables, not words.
*
“Here is a list of the main operations currently managed by the Merchants of Death.”
Narsha handed me a stack of documents.
The pages were filled to the brim with text.
The basics and core of the business were item management and transport, tavern operations, and what could be called the main enterprise of the Merchants of Death: business involving elves and spirits.
These were their primary sources of income.
“As expected, the profits from the spirits are the largest.”
“Yes. Not only do they enrich the soil, but they can also be utilized in places where the land has dried up from drought. With spirits, we can farm on any barren land.”
Magic was highly developed in this world and thus closely intertwined with daily life, but creating waterways and making crops grow was not something just anyone could do.
My sense of reality was a bit skewed thanks to an outlier like Mirabelle.
Even so, not even Mirabelle could match the spirits when it came to matters of nature.
There was a reason noble families were so desperate to get their hands on elves.
And a reason they sent armies into the Great Forest to abduct them.
“Have there been any attempts to seize the elves we’ve dispatched?”
“There have been a few, but we’ve never suffered any losses. We don’t send the elves alone in the first place. They still lack worldly experience, so Sir Victor or Lady Renard often accompany them.”
“A good countermeasure.”
Those two were residents of the shadow world. They knew the dark side of this world all too well. They were perfect for protecting the naive elves.
“What we’re doing now is sufficient, but there’s something I’d like to add.”
“Just give the word.”
“I’d like to send people to slave markets across the continent and bring slaves here.”
“Understood,” Narsha replied instantly.
“You’re not going to ask why?”
“It is a slave’s duty to follow the master’s command. Of course, if I were to interpret your meaning, I surmise it is to provide shelter for slaves who have nowhere else to go.”
“Something like that.”
It wasn’t for such a grand reason.
I’m going to have fun raising slaves.
I might not be able to run a merchant group, but I was good at raising slaves.
I set the documents down.
“There’s nothing more for me to handle here. In the first place, Narsha is far more capable as a leader than I am.”
I may have played a lot of tycoon games, but they were just games. Reality was different.
Just because I was suddenly placed in the leader’s seat didn’t mean I would awaken some crazy talent.
Narsha would continue to manage the group, and I would stick to the role of an advisor, tossing out ideas from the sidelines.
“You’ve worked hard to grow this group to this point. You were practically on your own. As I thought, Narsha is the only one I can trust with this.”
“You praise me too highly. To be of use to you is a slave’s greatest honor and their everything. It was no hardship at all.”
She had such a way with words.
This is why people needed to be educated.
“Ah, there’s one thing I forgot. Keep a close watch on the Dawn Travel Company.”
At the mention of her family, Narsha’s cheerful mood from the praise instantly cooled.
“May I ask why?”
“The fates of those who cross me have never been good. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but I can’t help but worry about the Count.”
Since Rin had twisted fate, something was bound to happen.
For example, the family could be ruined.
“I know the company holds many memories for you, Narsha, and it pains me as your master to think of those memories being shattered. If it were to fall into someone else’s hands…”
“I understand what you mean. What should be done about my parents?”
“Well, wouldn’t it be a good life to spend their remaining years in a quiet place with no worries about their future?”
A life of retirement, living off a pension without working.
I would gift Narsha’s parents the kind of life anyone would envy.
To think I was giving a comfortable life to people who tried to kill me, instead of revenge.
Truly, there was no one else in the world quite like me.
*
The merchant group’s headquarters served as both a workplace and a dormitory.
Various people, including the slaves, Victor, and Renard, slept here.
The same went for the main slaves who had joined later. Each was assigned a room, and Mirabelle shared one with Naredi.
Sleep wouldn’t come, despite the late hour.
There was still so much to talk about.
Naredi held Mirabelle in a light embrace as they chatted cheerfully.
“You really surprised me, Mom. When did you learn such incredible magic?”
“I went to the Magic Tower. There were so many books there, and after I read them all, I became able to use it.”
“The Magic Tower? I heard only great mages can go there. How did you?”
“Because I’m the Magic Tower Master! A lot of people there like me.”
“Oh… um. I see.”
She should have been happy about her daughter’s growth, but it felt like she had gone too far.
Well, as long as Mirabelle was happy, it didn’t matter.
“And did you see the sister in the nun’s habit? She’s the Saint, and she said she’s going to make it so witches can live freely now.”
“Really? She sounds like a very kind person.”
“She is. Everyone here is so unique. Especially that gumiho named Rin…”
Mirabelle’s stories seemed endless, threatening to last the whole night. It was only as dawn approached that silence fell.
Once Mirabelle confirmed Naredi was asleep, she picked up her pillow and quietly slipped out of the room.
She tiptoed carefully toward Karami’s room. Her mother’s embrace was nice, but Mirabelle preferred her master’s.
A sentiment that would have shocked Naredi had she heard it.
Finally, Mirabelle reached her destination in the darkness and was about to grab the doorknob when—
Thump.
“Eek?”
Something bumped against her hand.
“You scared me. What the—Mirabelle?”
“Lady Alfia? What are you doing at the master’s room at this hour…?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
A brief silence.
Their objective was the same.
A corner of Alfia’s mouth lifted in amusement.
“You sly witch. Acting all innocent in front of others while secretly pulling stunts like this?”
“W-Well, you’re doing the same thing, Lady Alfia. We’re in the same boat.”
She hadn’t expected to have a competitor.
“Why don’t you yield to your big sister for today? You can come tomorrow, can’t you, Mirabelle?”
“No. I know you were alone with the master until you came to Vestia. It’s been a very long time since I’ve slept with him. You should be the one to yield, Lady Alfia.”
“What a cheeky little thing. I understand your situation, but I’m not giving up my spot.”
“I’m not giving up either. Why don’t we go in together?”
“You think saying that will make me back down? Don’t come crying to me when I have the master all to myself.”
Their whispered negotiations failed to find a compromise. The two of them grabbed the doorknob and opened the door at the same time.
If Karami woke up, they would both have to leave. On this, they had an unspoken agreement, and they approached the bed as quietly as mice.
Karami was sleeping so soundly it seemed he wouldn’t wake up even if they carried him off.
Mirabelle and Alfia glanced at each other, nodded, and split to either side of the bed.
Alfia climbed onto the bed with a movement as delicate as a scattering flower petal. She was about to lie down beside him when—
“…?”
She felt something was off.
The blanket over Karami’s stomach was rounded like a hill, bulging like a pregnant woman’s belly.
But Karami was a man, so that was impossible. In that case…
Alfia gently lifted the blanket and lowered her head. Inside, she saw eyes the color of gold and dawn.
“There’s a draft. Close the blanket.”
Rin was curled up on Karami’s stomach.
“What are you doing here?”
“Rin is Mastah’s pet. It’s only natural for a pet to sleep next to its Mastah.”
“Since when were you his pet—!”
Alfia, about to shout in a fit of anger, quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
She was dumbfounded.
To think someone had already beaten them to it!
“This is cheating. Rin, you already get your regular dose of essence from the master!”
“That’s that, and this is this. They’re two separate things.”
“How is that fair? You even took the best spot…!”
All bets were off.
A struggle began for even a slightly better position.
As the competition intensified, they grew careless. Forgetting things like the shaking of the bed, or the rustling sounds they made.
Such changes were bound to wake even the soundest sleeper.
“What are you all doing?”
Eventually, Karami’s eyes opened.
“Well… Rin was being cheap and wouldn’t share…”
“Rin was here first! First come, first served!”
“But you already get your essence!”
A faint smile touched Karami’s lips.
“All of you, get out.”
*
In the end, they were kicked out.
They trudged away with heavy steps, still bickering and blaming each other.
I can’t let my guard down for a second.
After sending everyone out, Karami pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes.
“……”
Then he opened them again.
Lying down, he could see the ceiling of the room.
A medieval-style pattern.
A chandelier, and…
An upside-down bat.
His eyes met the bat’s red ones.
“……”
“……”
They stared at each other in silence for a moment before the bat sighed and descended.
“They got me caught, too.”
Elize trudged out of the room, not forgetting to grumble as she left.
The next day.
“From now on, entering my room without permission is forbidden.”
A new rule was made.