Chapter 4: To Riveria
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: To Riveria
I arranged for a carriage to Riveria.
As Mirabelle climbed into the carriage, her expression was uneasy. She couldn't use magic yet, but she must have had a vague sense that she was a witch.
‘And the cause of all her misfortune.’
But I had no other choice. I had to turn Mirabelle into a witch to liberate her in her optimal state.
In truth, liberating a slave was possible anytime, as long as the minimum conditions were met. For Mirabelle, that minimum condition was removing the ‘Distrust in Humanity’ debuff.
The clergy who had shown her kindness killed her mother. Her only remaining relative betrayed her and sold her into slavery.
If I could somehow resolve that issue and make her ‘normal,’ the liberation condition would be met.
But this was a tycoon game.
You can call rice wrapped in seaweed kimbap, but it’s only natural that a beef kimbap, filled with beef, spinach, and pickled radish, sells for a higher price.
I was going to invest everything I could into the base product that was Mirabelle. That was the only way to get a handsome reward I could use later, and the only way I could go home. Among all those investments, Mirabelle learning magic was essential.
The two-horse carriage rolled its wheels, leaving the city behind.
As we entered the forest path, the scent of the woods filled the air, and the chirping of birds reached my ears. Mm, how peaceful.
Screech.
I thought I heard the sound of a demonic beast dying, but I casually ignored it.
With nothing else to do during the journey, I decided to do a quick check-in and opened my status screen.
[Name: Karami]
Title: Slave Reaper
Points: 27,000
First, the title.
To be honest, titles are pretty useless. Some games have stats attached to titles, but TOS wasn't one of them. It was a tycoon game about raising slaves, not an RPG where I was the one getting stronger.
But there was one strange thing. Back when it was a game, the ‘Slave Reaper’ title didn't exist. But as people started calling me that, the status screen officially recognized me as the Reaper.
Next, points.
This was the currency I received for liberating slaves. I could use them to buy various items from the shop, but the most useful function was exchanging them for gold coins.
The point-to-won ratio was one-to-one.
In other words, it was cash. The gold coins I could buy with points were the same as if I'd paid real money, meaning I had 2,700 gold coins I could use in an emergency.
Next were my skills…
[Master of Negotiation Lv. 3]
- Makes your words more plausible and increases your persuasiveness.
The description was vague, but the effect was undeniable. Even if I spouted complete nonsense, the other person would pause and think, ‘Huh, is that right?’
I'd certainly gotten my money's worth out of this skill so far.
The problem was this bastard.
[Transmigration: Slave Trader]
- You have possessed the slave trader Karami. Synchronizing with Karami's soul.
This skill existed to help me, a man from the 21st century, adapt to this place that wore the mask of the Middle Ages. Even if someone died right in front of me, I'd just end up saying, ‘Oh, dear.’
The problem was that it changed the way I talked. Instead of just ‘Oh, dear,’ it would add something on, like, ‘Oh, dear. It seems they've gone to see their parents.’ All while wearing a uniquely sinister smile.
‘I went through so much shit because of this.’
And I would in the future, too.
Seeing nothing else of interest, I closed the screen. Then, my eyes fell on Mirabelle, sitting across from me.
Mirabelle's gaze was fixed on the floor. Her expression, clouded and dark, was no different from when I first saw her at the slave market.
Her lively reactions when I named her and dressed her in the maid outfit made me think, ‘Is this going to be easy?’ but it was only a temporary change. The wounds in Mirabelle's heart would not heal so easily.
Still, I didn't feel like leaving her like this. As they say, a beautiful girl's value increases when she smiles. As her master, I had to lift my slave's spirits.
“The way you're sitting, I can see your panties.”
“……”
Mirabelle slowly brought her thighs together and glared at me as if I were a piece of filth.
I just shrugged.
“I'm the one who bought them for you, am I not? There's no point in hiding them. I already know what color and pattern they are. Haha.”
“Th-That's different!”
Mirabelle shrieked.
It was the loudest I'd ever heard her voice.
This is much better.
This is TMI, but they were white lace.
“Miss Mirabelle, is there anything you're curious about? We'll be spending some time together, so it wouldn't hurt to get to know each other.”
“Some time…? Not for my whole life?”
“Did you want to be with me forever? Hmmm, such a sudden confession puts me in a difficult spot.”
“……”
“I'm joking.”
Her expression was so murderous I felt I had to apologize.
“When you said ‘for some time’… does that mean you're going to k-kill me, too?”
“Kill you? What a dreadful thing to say.”
“I know why they call you the Slave Reaper.”
You don't seem to know at all.
“Those slaves… what did you do with all of them?”
“Which slaves might you be referring to?”
“The beastkin slaves. You bought dozens of them.”
“Ah, them. Of course, I remember.”
How could I not?
They were my first slaves after I transmigrated, the precious children who brought me good fortune. If it weren't for them, I'd still be working at some inn.
“I sent them to a good place. A much better place than the Traul Kingdom. I'm sure they're doing well right now.”
“Oh…”
“If I were to go there, wouldn't they be there to welcome me?”
I love this story.
“They'll welcome you, alright. So they can pay you back for everything they suffered.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Then I might be able to live the rest of my life happily. Of course, I'm going home, though.
After that, the carriage rolled on for two more days before finally arriving in Riveria.
*
“Halt. Do you have anything to prove your identity?” a guard at the city gate asked in a business-like tone. I presented the identification card issued by the Slave Traders' Association.
“A slave trader… Tsk.”
Seeing it, the guard's face soured like a shriveled apple. It was a familiar reaction, so I wasn't particularly hurt.
“Riveria is no place for scum like you. Get lost.”
“As far as I'm aware, there are no regulations prohibiting the entry of slave traders.”
“How dare a piece of trash like you lecture me about regulations? Get lost while I'm asking nicely. Can't you see the line behind you?”
Thump.
The guard roughly shoved my chest with his gauntlet. My flimsy body staggered like a piece of paper.
‘So damn tired of this.’
The reason he was acting like this was obvious. He wanted money. He wanted me to offer up the dirty money I'd earned through inhuman means.
I mean, does dirty money magically become clean just by entering his pocket?
‘Is what I'd like to say, but that wouldn't be wise.’
This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. A frail man like me couldn't possibly stand up to a trained soldier, so I just put on an amiable smile and fumbled inside my pocket.
“Sir, I understand perfectly why you're doing this. But what can I do? A certain nobleman inside is waiting for me.”
“Are you trying to threaten me?”
“Haha, of course not. I'm just saying we're all just trying to make a living. Here, it's not much, but it's a token of my sincerity. I've included enough for your colleagues as well.”
I handed the guard a pouch containing twenty gold coins. After checking the contents, his eyes went wide.
A soldier's monthly salary is about ten gold. He was bound to be surprised, since I'd just paid double his monthly salary as an entrance fee. It was an excessive amount, but giving this much now would prevent them from asking for more later.
‘I hate dealing with annoying hassles.’
The soldier, unable to hide his surprise, looked back at me, and I gave him a light smile.
“May I go in now? The nobleman will be waiting.”
“Huh? Oh, o-of course. We can't keep a nobleman waiting. Go on in.”
“Thank you.”
The guard stepped aside, and I walked leisurely through the gate with my hands clasped behind my back. Mirabelle scurried after me.
“How much did you give him?”
“Twenty gold coins.”
“T-Twenty gold coins?”
Mirabelle tried to calculate the amount, folding and unfolding her delicate fingers. She muttered, “One loaf of bread a day is one, two, three…” before letting out a sharp “Hiek!”
Her cute reaction made me chuckle.
“What's so surprising? You cost a thousand gold, Miss Mirabelle.”
“A th-thousand…”
At the astronomical sum, Mirabelle's expression went blank. Her fingers stopped moving, having given up on counting, and her mind had already taken a trip to the Andromeda Galaxy.
*
When arriving in a new city, the first thing to do is obviously find lodging. Dilly-dallying and failing to secure a room would be a disaster.
Security in the medieval era was so trash it made South America look safe, so unless you wanted to die without a trace, sleeping outdoors was out of the question.
The inn I chose was ‘The Mage's Rest,’ located near the main road. Just as you'd expect from a city of magic, even the inn's name was on theme.
For the record, I got a two-person room.
It had two single beds.
If it were just a master and a slave, the master would take a single room and make the slave sleep on the floor, but who am I? A gentleman among gentlemen. I couldn't possibly let my lovely slave sleep on the cold floor.
“Miss Mirabelle, you can sleep in that bed.”
“M-Me, too…?”
“Yes. It would bother me if you slept on the floor. We have to be out and about early tomorrow, so don't stay up too late. Well then, I'll be turning in first. I'm tired from the long carriage ride.”
I took off my shoes and lay down on the bed. I thought I felt a gaze on me, but soon after, the candle was extinguished, and the feeling vanished.
*
At the same time Karami's party was settling down to sleep in Riveria.
“Ah, the young lady is gone!”
“Where on earth could she have gone? She was in her room just a moment ago!”
“Narsha! Where are you!”
A commotion erupted from the estate of the Bryan Count. Narsha, who had returned to her family after two years, had disappeared in the middle of the night. The entire household was once again thrown into an uproar.
“……”
On a tree not far from the estate, a woman stood bathed in the moonlight, looking down at the mansion.
Her name was Narsha Bryan. Once again, she offered an apology that would never be heard.
“Mother, Father. I'm sorry.”
But she couldn't even imagine a life without that man.
The world may insult Karami, calling him a reaper, but Narsha knew the truth. She knew he was the complete opposite of his public reputation.
And that he was a loner with no one to lean on.
Narsha believed she had to be by his side. Clutching the sword she had taken from her family home, she turned her back.
“Wait for me, Master.”
She didn't know why he had left her here, but she was sure he had his unavoidable reasons. He was always seeing something that others couldn't possibly fathom.
Of course, she was hurt. No matter the reason, for him to leave without a word between them…
I'll have to ask him when I see him.
‘The promise we made to be together forever… I'm coming to keep it now.’
And I'll get my revenge for being left behind as a bonus.