A/N: I wonder if I'll get critiques from this chapter onward... Eh, who cares? Not like this story is popular anyway.
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The next few days I did my daily quests and earned some money to keep up with my excessive spending lately.
These past few days I also inquired about slavery and read a little about them. Even though my heart was still disturbed by it, I was starting to get accustomed to its existence. Eventually, I decided to go and see it for myself. Whether or not I was going to buy slaves was a different matter but I was really curious if what I had learned was true. Could slaves mean just servants?
I finally made up my mind and visited the most terrible place for people— or so I had in mind when I thought of the slave-trading establishment, but the building I was currently standing in front of was a pretty normal-looking building with signs saying Human Merchandise AKA Slaves.
The inside was a fancy lobby with servants lined up to greet, or so I thought, but they all had collars on their necks so they were probably all slaves. Perhaps this was their way to show off their "products".
I regret coming here now. Let's go back home. I don't wanna know anymore.
I was almost ready to turn and go back but one of the slave servants came and greeted me.
"Good day, sir. Please head this way. Master will soon join you."
"No, I, uh…"
The slave had this bright smile on his face, which was most certainly handsome.
I ended up being persuaded by him and entered inside.
Was he really a slave? I could have mistaken him as a normal employee if not for his chocker. Was he something like a poster boy? He sure as hell was charming. I could feel chad energy oozing from him.
The entrance looked like a fancy hotel lobby from a foreign-themed hotel.
I was guided by a demi-human, also a slave, in the guest room and made to sit on a well-decorated sofa. Another servant, this time a female slave, presented me with some freshly brewed coffee. I hadn't had coffee since I came to this world so I ended up enjoying it and waited for the owner to show up.
What the hell, though? This place feels like a modeling hub with a tad S&M touch because of the chokers.
Weren't slave establishments supposed to be dark and gloomy? Why would they have such bright faces? Was it perhaps a facade to cover the ugly truth?
The owner who came in was an overweight man in his late 40s, with a constant smile on his face. How should I put it? He... didn't seem like a guy who trades human lives and more like a local grocery shopkeeper, if not for his fancy attire.
"Welcome, dear customer, to this humble establishment. My name is Herbert Ismail, a foreign merchant who settled in this fine land. So, what kind of slaves is the dear customer looking for? We have all sorts– humans, demi-humans, dwarfs, even elven beauties, and draconic kin." (Herbert)
No, I was actually going back. But…
"Are there a variety of slaves?"
Since I had dipped my feet in the mud, I might as well check out the lotuses.
"Yes, indeed. There are you usual slaves who either chose to be slaves or had circumstances leading them to be slaves. Then, there are debt slaves who couldn't pay their debt and fell into slavery. There are also crime slaves fit to work in mines and other dangerous places. Then there are warrior-type slaves suited for combat and there's also sex slaves who are all top beauties ready to serve their Masters at night." (Herbert)
Ah, no, no. No sex slaves.
"I am just looking for servants who can do all sorts of household chores and do daily errands."
I should probably leave soon.
I didn't care for races that much, but if I were to ask for the gender I would have definitely preferred females. I wanted to have maids and not butlers. There were no ulterior motives here. It wasn't as if I had a thing for maids.
Please tell me I cleared my browsing history before I was sent here.
"Got it. I'll show you a line-up of my best picks." (Herbert)
"Wait, I didn't mean—"
He didn't head me as he clapped his hands and one of the male slaves bowed and left the room. Soon, a line of beauties was standing in front of me. They were all, without any exceptions, pretty. If they didn't have slave collars attached to their necks and wore nicer dresses, I could mistake them for models.
What kind of choices are these? Is this a beauty contest?
The slave trader then briefly introduced every slave and they all obediently bowed when their turn came. Some of them had coquettish smiles on their face while others were standing still. None of them looked depressed, though. I didn't see any signs of malnutrition either so they were probably well-fed as well. That fact could be ascertained by their prim appearance.
"I had this image of slaves as malnourished and gloomy, but they don't look like that."
I muttered subconsciously.
"Of course, these slaves are the precious commodity of this shop. If they aren't in good health who would buy them otherwise. We traders must ensure our goods are presentable at all times so they are given 3 meals a day and proper rest. Of course, it's not like they are living their dream life here, but they are treated quite well." (Herbert)
"I see. My image of slavery has improved (just a little bit) after knowing that. I was not sure if I could see the gloomy faces of slaves."
"This country has strict laws regarding the slaves so it would be illegal to treat them as mere objects. It's the same for them. I take pride in my job and have built a reputable shop for that reason." (Herbert)
"Yeah, I have heard about your popular brothel a couple of times now. Haha."
"Ah, yes, yes. That is a great money maker for me. I keep saying this to everyone but I make more money from that business that I opened on the side than this main business hahaha!" (Herbert)
Even this person is good-natured in the end. Am I being too harsh and biased? But still, brothels, huh.
"Well, sex sells. Always has. Always will be."
I blurted a line that came to my mind as I was thinking about it.
"That's very well said. Is dear customer perhaps a philosopher?" (Herbert)
"Haha. No way. That's just something I once read in a book. I'm just your everyday adventurer by profession."
"That's still a great quote. I would like to borrow it if that's okay." (Herbert)
"Please be my guest."
It's not like I own it or something. Heck, the quote was from a web short story. What was its name, I wonder. I can only remember this one dialogue.
I didn't realize but I was already walking at his pace. His smooth talk made me forget the initial feelings I had about this whole business.
"Now then, did any of them tickle your fancy?" (Herbert)
I once again looked at the lineup. They were all your usual beauties but other than that, their appraisal result wasn't all that impressive. I knew there was no special need to look at appraisal results, but having that ability made me want to use it time and again. I had even appraised Kenny and Mr. Fredrick Garcell for that matter. They had Receptionist and Merchant as their primary jobs, respectively.
"They're all good but I don't know..."
"I see. Then…" (Herbert)
He then showed me more lineups of beauties but I still couldn't decide.
It was similar to the feeling when you are in a mall filled with likable clothes, it becomes quite a chore to then find something the best and unique since pretty much all of them look good at a glance.
Only, this time it wasn't clothes but people.
I wonder what happened to the part when I was disliking the whole 'not treating humans like object' thing?
"Hmm. It's still unclear huh." (Herbert)
"Yeah... I don't know why but none of them clicked even though all of them looked great."
"Right, then I guess I should present something special. Hey you, go and bring the twins." (Herbert)
He instructed one of his slave-servants to bring out new girls. And they were supposed to be twins?
Was there something special about these twins? I was curious.
Was I going to buy not one but two slave servants?
After a while, two girls wearing white clothing, having pure white hair and identical faces showed up. With just one glance, I was captivated by their beauty. Absolutely mesmerized.
… Do they sell goddesses here?
I wanted to remark but couldn't since I was still dazed by the spectacle in front of me.
If the girls from before were top-tier models mortals could give birth to, they were above humans, somewhere in the divine realm.
Perhaps I was exaggerating but these were the exact thoughts that came to my head as I stared at them like a fool.
"They are the special products of our establishment. Please do not think of them as ordinary slaves." (Herbert)
No shit! They are like princesses or something. Why are they slaves?!
"Both of them are excellent beauties, proficient at both household chores and combat. They are both virgins and have also both agreed to have intercourse so there's no issue with that either." (Herbert)
I glanced at the trader for a moment before turning back to the twin slaves. They bowed professionally, with a hint of proper etiquette you see in women with class.
I… may or may not have gulped at the mention of them ready to have intercourse with their Master.
"But, as I mentioned before, they are special. They come with a specific condition that they will only serve a strong and chivalrous Master. Seeing you are an adventurer yourself owning magic armor, I assume you are fairly strong. So, if you can beat them in a fight, they'll come at a great price. How about it? Want to give them a shot?"
"Eh? Is it possible for slaves to set such conditions?"
"Yes, indeed. Not all of them can, but people who become slaves on their own accord are allowed to do so. They were originally sold by their guardian. They learned household chores here and increased their value during the time they spent here. I can guarantee their manners and work proficiency. The one on the left is particularly excellent in most household chores but also has experience in combat. The one on the right has great combat senses but also knows house chores too. If you do decide to buy them, the only two conditions are that you'll have to buy both of them since they can't be separated and that you'll have to defeat them in battle." (Herbert)
A battle to earn ownership, huh. It's certainly unexpected.
… But I want them. I really want them. I don't care if it makes me the shittiest person on Earth who deserves to rot in hell but these two are unbelievably attractive. I can't help but want them to live with me. Sure it'll only be as servants or something, but I don't care.
In my entire lifetime, I never truly developed a crush on any girl. Part of it was due to my early childhood mostly being spent in education and part of it was because I got aware— was made aware— about these things much later, way after I hit puberty. Even after that, apart from occasional mild attraction towards the opposite gender, albeit with a substantial amount of smut consumption online, I never developed a crush on someone.
I guess part of the reason was that I hadn't yet seen a girl that blew my mind and pants right off me. It was bizarre out of possibly hundreds of thousands of people I saw online and in real life, I never felt my heartbeat as much as it did when I looked at these girls. So, this time when I saw not one but two girls who were exactly my type, at least appearance-wise, I was simply spellbound.
"So… they'll accept me if I can beat them, right? I will do it."
These girls had made me, a person who wasn't that fond of battles with humans, want to fight without reason. No, there was a reason. The reason was the animalistic nature of humankind. A male's desire to copulate with a female, or females, in this case.
Such destructive powers they had on me.
"Very well. I do have a small request that you use wooden weapons and not attack their faces, since if there's a scar, their value will decrease drastically and we'll have to get them treated in the church." (Herbert)
"Got it. I'll try to not harm them."
The twins bowed elegantly once more and left to somewhere.
I was led to the backyard where among some items kept in the corners, there was a large enough space to conduct an outdoor activity.
You know, I kinda accepted it in the heat of the moment, but isn't there a more peaceful way to do it, like an interview or something? I don't wanna fight these girls.
I was offered a wooden sword which was similar to what I used during the Adventurer's Guild's pre-evaluation test.
My opponents, the twins, finally came out, wearing normal attire. The change in their appearance was probably because the attire they wore before was more like rags and was unsuitable for extensive movement. These clothes seemed much more appropriate and normal. One of them, the one with long hair, held a wooden staff and the other, the short-haired one, held a pair of what seemed like wooden daggers. I used Appraisal on them to gauge their strength.
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