The day after we narrowly averted catastrophe.
I turned to Mirabelle.
"Let's call it a day."
People, machines, and animals all need proper rest.
It would be good for Mirabelle to work quickly, but she would tire quickly if pushed too hard. In fact, on Taosl, each slave has a fatigue level, which increases the more they work.
When it's full, activities become difficult, and the chance of an accident increases exponentially.
In the tycoon genre, everything is a cog in the wheel, and a creak in one place can be fatal elsewhere.
You need to balance work and rest to keep things running smoothly.
I decided to give Mirabelle a break today because the dungeon is going to take a while to appear. I'm also worried about yesterday.
"Do you want to go somewhere?"
"Anywhere you want to go?"
"I've been working hard lately. It's a prize."
Mirabelle shakes her head.
She looked at me as if it was natural for a slave to work hard. I thought so, too, but it's not necessarily true.
I realized when I was raising the Sioux slaves that some work hard, while others feed off the diligence of others and slip away.
By the time the game became real, I had a salaried Lupin, who could be anywhere in the world, among my slaves.
But who am I?
I'm not Korean.
No matter what the environment, if I don't pursue maximum efficiency, I'm not going to be able to function. And that's a tycoon?
"Ouch. I can't stand it.
If it's not efficient, he'll gag and have seizures.
I can't tolerate losing efficiency. What I've decided is not to punish, but to reward.
"Punishment is for fucking bosses.
So I rewarded the slaves who worked well. I give them special food or pocket money, so they work harder because they want to get the rest.
Similarly, Mirabelle worked hard, so it was time to reward her.
"It doesn't matter where you want to go, or if there's something you want to buy, just tell me."
"New clothes.... then?"
"Wait, let me ask the party, Miss Mirabelle, do you like maid's clothes?"
"No...."
"I know you like them. The Miss Mirabelle in my head likes them so much that she wants me to buy her a few more.
"...."
Mirabelle stares at me with cold eyes.
You crossed the line first, Mirabelle. I'm not going to give in on this one." Unable to back down, I glared back.
A snowball fight that lasted a few seconds. Mirabelle was the first to declare defeat. This Mirabelle seems to like the maid's outfit too.
Mirabelle pondered seriously again.
"Then...."
She opens her mouth again and says.
***.
Mirabelle walks around and takes out snacks one by one.
"Slime fritters, after all.
She bought a slime fritter at the market and went out to explore the city.
Mirabelle stuffed her cheeks like a squirrel as she ate slime fries. When she bumped into me, she fumbled with the bag and pulled out a fry.
"Hehe."
"There you go."
Mirabelle's expression turned sour.
I didn't fall for it last time, but I won't this time. I just saw a fry come to life.
While exploring the city, we stopped at a magic tool shop. Mirabelle has been interested in magic tools since she started learning magic.
She bought one or two when she was in Libria, but she took them all apart and analyzed them. I thought she was a witch. It's like something out of this world.
Mirabelle looking at her magic tools. Like a baby who has just opened her eyes, she wanders around the store with a curious expression on her face.
I was holding my cane like a man waiting to take his girlfriend shopping.
"Hey, little lady, I see you're interested in tools, huh?"
"Yeah, what?"
"Oh dear, I must have frightened you, I'm sorry."
Mirabelle jumps up and down in surprise at the shopkeeper's words. She's gotten better in front of me, but she still hasn't gotten over her timidness in front of other people.
Her grandmother smiles like a grandmother to her granddaughter.
"Is that man your brother?"
"No. He's my master."
"Your master?"
"I'm his slave."
The word slave comes out of Mirabelle's mouth, and her grandmother shoots me a death glare. A look that said, how could a human horse breed like this enslave a child like this.
I may not be able to beat Mirabelle, but I think I can beat her.
The old woman must have realized her defeat as well, because she turned her attention to Mirabelle. That makes her two wins and zero losses today.
The look in her eyes changed from that of a cute little girl to that of a pitiful slave. The old woman flicked her tongue at Mirabelle.
Mirabelle froze in her tracks, her back turned to the old woman. I could only see her expression from my angle.
"What...?
Her eyes seem to have been squinting for a moment, but when they met mine, she smiled brightly and then disappeared. Maybe it was my mood.
"Let's go, master."
"Can't I buy something?"
"There's nothing to buy in a place like this."
"Ah, yes...."
I walked out without buying anything this time.
"Is there anywhere else you want to go? If not-"
"No, I have somewhere to go."
Mirabelle states my case in a clear voice. With a bold, angry stride, she walked to a jewelry store.
"Have you become interested in decorating?
As far as I knew, Mirabelle was far from pretentious; as a witch, she was only interested in musty, musty texts, or, as I said earlier, magic tools.
No, she's a girl, so it's not unusual for her to be interested at any time. In case she's hesitant, I'll encourage her a bit.
"Haha, Miss Mirabelle is also interested in makeup... ...."
Mirabelle was speechless as she stared at what she was looking at. What she was looking at were shackles. Shackles that they put on slaves.
...?
Why is she touching that?
I asked, just in case.
"You're not interested in the shackles, are you?"
"Just a little."
What?
Of all the trinkets, why the shackles?
"Well, I'm a slave, and I don't have any markings, so people get confused, like they did just now."
"It doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Everybody says something to my master."
Well, it's especially bad in my case.
It's not like slavery doesn't exist in the modern world, and every family with money buys a slave or something. One is something, double digits in some places.
Considering that, I only have one Mirabelle. Considering I'm a slave trader, I'm the only one who's being harsh.
Maybe it's Mirabelle's fault.
She's so pretty.
I'm trying to be nice to her, but she's a slave, so it's causing a backlash.
I don't know why Mirabelle cares about that, but I'm against it anyway. I can't be a slave lover and walk around in shackles.
"You don't have to. I've gotten used to the negative attention long ago."
But Mirabelle shakes her head fiercely.
"You don't deserve that kind of attention, Master," she says, "and if you don't care about me, pick one."
"No...."
My head is spinning, and I'm reminded of a feminist cartoonist from the archipelago. Even if limbs are chopped off, in the end, both men and women are happy....
"Come on."
I hesitate, and Mirabelle wipes me down.
I'm dizzy, but it doesn't matter because Mirabelle is insistent. As I've said many times, Mirabelle is the boss, and I don't want to offend her.
I can't decide which one to choose.
Red is too colorful and leash-like, gray is too dull....
I settled on the black shackles. It was plain, and it fit in with Mirabelle's static vibe, making it look more like jewelry than shackles.
"I suppose this might work, but...."
"I'll take that, then."
Sarak.
Easily agreeing, Mirabelle flipped her hair back over her shoulder and revealed a small face. The way she waited with her eyes closed, she looked like someone on the receiving end of a proposal.
Except it's a neck ring, not a finger ring.
'I don't know anymore.
I carefully placed the shackles around Mirabelle's slender neck, which looked like it might break if I touched it. With a click, the shackles locked.
"There you go."
Mirabelle stroked the shackles around my neck with a gentle touch, the corners of her mouth forming a soft arc of approval.
***]
We'd been everywhere we could go, and nowhere we wanted to go. We took an uncharacteristic stroll along the Haedo Road.
Mirabelle walking alongside me. She walks with her shoulders straighter than before, perhaps because of her mood.
Occasionally, other slaves pass by, and I glance at them, smiling at their superiority. It's like the look of a wife carrying an expensive designer bag.
I don't understand why she does that, but she does it anyway.
It's disturbing to see.
"Am I raising her wrong?
In-game, as you build up a rapport, the slave side of the game will try to court you. Once they've verified their age, they're not shy about their sex appeal.
My concern is that it's not the right time yet. I haven't been around long enough to build up a good rapport, and the only item I have is a Celestial Oath.
It's hard to feel like I've earned her likeability now that this isn't a game, but real life. Mirabelle was repulsed by the deceased's belongings.
"What the fuck?
A day of trying to normalize Mirabelle went from bad to worse.
After a few more days of panic, the dungeon finally appeared.