Magnus learned that the chained maid was a woman born in the Phaeton Empire. She grew up as a slave and eventually landed in the mayor's hands. Magnus couldn't convince the two masked maids, so he decided to try his luck on her.
"Do you not want to escape?" Magnus asked in the corner of the house.
Several hours had passed by since they entered this home. He couldn't help but have the urge to ask this question to her. He felt sympathy and wanted to free her. Her current state reminded him of his depressing moment in jail before his execution.
"E-Escape?"
The chained maid's eyes went blank. She slowly backed away from him as fear slowly filled her eyes.
"A-Are you trying to test me?" she fearfully crouched in front of him and covered her head.
"Why would I do that? I sincerely want to help you."
"No! Even if I tried, where would I go?" she responded and ran out of the room.
*Clang* *Clang*
The chain attached to her leg made audible sounds. Magnus furrowed his eyebrows in worry.
Magnus thought to himself, "I need to be more careful."
"What happened?"
The hooded old man who had been following Farqos earlier walked into the room. He looked at Magnus questioningly.
"I tried to kiss her..." Magnus made up an excuse with a wry smile on his face.
Lying had always been his forte. His heart was calm, and he didn't panic. His skills were honed due to his previous business. Sometimes he just had to lie to avoid his peers sending hitmen to kill him.
"Hmph. She's not your slave. Only the Young Master can have her," the old man snorted coldly.
"I understand. I won't try it again," Magnus humbly replied.
"Make sure, or I will kill you myself. Learn to control your urges."
After saying those cold words, the old man turned around and left the room.
Magnus' back dripped with cold sweat. He took a deep breath and stared at his hands. He was so close to death again. He could tell from the old man's eyes that he was not afraid to kill him.
He didn't know what kind of world he was thrown in. There were slaves, an absolute matriarchy, an absolute patriarchy, and magic—all of these pieces combined together made Magnus worry about his future.
"Is this the punishment for my crimes?" Magnus thought to himself.
His crimes weren't light because it led him to get a death punishment. He thought he would end up in hell, but instead, he arrived in this world. Though, it wouldn't be wrong to call this place hell with its messed up social system.
After attempting to free the chained maid, Magnus didn't dare to try it again. They might become suspicious and dispose of him. Due to his previous line of work, Magnus was familiar with this kind of scenario.
...
The middle of the night arrived. The moon's faint light cast rays onto the floor, illuminating the room. Magnus lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
The two masked maids avoided him like the plague while the chained maid dodged his gaze. The chained maid trembled each time he got near her. She would look at him repeatedly with fear.
"This world... is despicable. I need to find a way to survive," Magnus muttered softly.
If he was sent to hell, then he would live in hell. Everything was fair as long as he survived!
This was his second chance in life. It may not be the chance he had hoped for, but it was still better than dying forever.
Magnus shuffled on his soft bed and closed his eyes.
...
Magnus woke up the next morning with a serious expression on his face. He steeled his heart and left his room. He decided to temporarily ignore this world's inhumane concepts and decided to become part of their society.
And by chance, he caught the chained maid cleaning the hallway. The two of them made eye contact, and she quickly shifted her gaze away. She pretended not to see him and continued her chore.
Magnus cast her one glance before looking away and headed down the stairs. While he wasn't looking, the chained maid lifted her head and looked at his departing figure. It was unknown what was going through her mind.
"...was terrific last night. I had fun with her— Oh. Magnus, you sure had a good night's rest. We're leaving in an hour."
Farqos noticed Magnus walking down the wooden stairs and stopped his conversation with the mayor. The old man, the mayor, and the two masked maids turned their heads to look at him.
"Good morning, Young Master. I did have a good night's rest," Magnus replied and faked a smile on his face.
Hearing the contents of Farqos' words soured Magnus' mood. In simpler terms, Farqos bedded the chained maid last night. His already bad impression of the man reached rock bottom.
"Did he not join? That maid of mine has talent in night services," the mayor said with a proud smile.
"Nah. I'm not much of a pleasure-indulging person. I don't like seeing another man's thing, you know?" Farqos replied and casually waved his hand.
The two of them sat on the table with breakfast served on plates before them. It didn't seem like they were discussing something so perverted if someone saw them from a distance.
"Ahahaha! Understandable!" The mayor joyously laughed.
Magnus ignored the two and headed to the courtyard. The way the two spoke about the chained maid unsettled Magnus. He might be a criminal in his past life, but he still had ethics and values.
The sun early in the morning gave a warm light. A slight cool breeze passed and ruffled Magnus' black hair. He looked up and stared at the light blue sky.
He couldn't help but miss his previous life. It had only been a day, but it had been a culture shock for him. Everything in this world was so much more different than he was used to.
He wondered if everything would be different if he had done everything right back then.
*Sigh*
Magnus shook his head and stopped thinking about the past. It was useless to regret now. He had already come to terms with them before his execution.
"I might as well get used to this world," he thought and returned to the house.