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Was he that attached to us?
When I said we were leaving, Colton's kind face turned pale. He looked like someone who had just been dumped by a lover.
"L-Leave? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
"I believe her current level of magic skill is sufficient."
"Sufficient?! That child is destined to become an Archmage! There are still a mountain of things she needs to learn!"
I knew that.
To be precise, not an Archmage but a Great Witch.
But if you were me, would you entrust such a talented child to someone like yourself? To a mere Association Head? Do you know how many people in this world want to take her? You're not the final destination, just a stopover.
I couldn't say those things out loud, so I buried them deep in my heart and said something else.
"Haha, well, there are more important matters. As her master, I will help her achieve what she wants."
"Are you referring to the revenge you mentioned before?"
"Oh my~ You have a good memory. Mirabelle's father is the cause of her current situation. Don't you think she needs to cut ties with her past to move forward?"
Colton shook his head vigorously, clearly disagreeing.
"That is utterly false. Revenge only breeds more revenge, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake. Furthermore, kinslaying is an unforgivable transgression. Miss Mirabelle, you must not fall for his manipulation. Come here, I will remove the soul shackles binding you."
Oh, so you could do that too?
I would like to applaud Colton's magic skills, but it was troublesome for me. If the shackles were removed, she might be liberated on her own.
Mirabelle looked uncertain, caught between us. I placed my hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.
"People always say that revenge only brings emptiness. That you shouldn't seek revenge because it only leads to an endless cycle of retaliation."
"That's obviou─"
I cut off Colton's attempt to interrupt and continued.
"But Miss Mirabelle, think about it this way. When a mosquito sucks your blood, don't you have to swat it? Would you let a pest that stole your blood and made you itchy just go free?"
"I suppose I would… swat it?"
Of course.
Is swatting even enough? You should bow deeply to it, preserve it, and then post online bragging about swatting the forum admin.1
"That's right. You should swat it. Would you feel empty after swatting the mosquito that had been bothering you? No. You'd feel satisfaction and be able to focus on other things with peace of mind."
"That's a logical fallacy! We're not talking about insects, but people—her family!"
"Whether it's an insect or a person is irrelevant. What matters is that he inflicted harm, and Miss Mirabelle suffered irreversible damage. She is merely delivering a just punishment. Is it not righteous that the judgment comes from the victim herself, not a third party?"
"Miss Mirabelle! Please do not listen to him!"
"Miss Mirabelle is not at fault. The blame lies entirely with that man. Do you think he would have a change of heart if left unchecked? A man who sold his own daughter wouldn't hesitate to sell another's. He must be dealt with before another victim falls prey to his actions. Miss Mirabelle is walking the righteous path."
My Master of Negotiation skill was in full swing.
I planted these convincing words directly into Mirabelle's ears.
Revenge against her father had become Mirabelle's sole purpose in life. It meant that the cute, kind Mirabelle had been hurt so deeply that even bonds of blood had become meaningless.
Don't even try to deny the depths of this young girl's darkness when you can't even begin to comprehend it, you NPC bastard.
Mirabelle, who had been listening as if entranced, finally made her decision. She bowed deeply to Colton.
"Thank you for teaching me until now."
"M-Miss Mirabelle?"
Oh, my Mirabelle. Look how polite she is, I wonder who raised her so well.
Colton, who had been flustered, soon glared at me murderously. While his eyes looked like they could kill, his mouth spouted madness.
"I see. So that's how it is. No matter how much talent she's honed, her soul shouldn't be so easily manipulated… You… are not just an ordinary slave trader, are you? You are a black mage."
Excuse me?
"I am certain after hearing your words just now. There is an inexplicable power behind your speech. You must have used it to manipulate Miss Mirabelle's mind. She is being brainwashed right now."
What are you talking about?
This guy's just spewing bullshit because he feels cornered.
As if that wasn't enough, Colton began casting a spell. Ice crystals formed around him.
"Please wait a moment, Miss Mirabelle, It might take a while, but I'm sure we can break this spell together."
After saying that, Colton finally launched his spell. Ice crystals scattered cold air in all directions, aiming at me.
Wow, even if he wants Mirabelle that badly, this is too much.
I didn't expect him to recklessly cast magic like this.
But on my side, I have a beautiful witch maid I've invested heavily in.
As Mirabelle lifted her staff, a translucent barrier appeared in front of us.
Crack!
"What?!"
His spell shattered into ice fragments, unable to penetrate the barrier. Unlike the surprised Colton, Mirabelle calmly continued her spell.
Crackle.
A fireball formed in mid-air. But to call it merely a fireball would be an understatement. It was a massive flaming boulder, easily large enough to demolish an entire building in a single blast.
Even a fireball could become a meteor depending on the caster. This was one such case. Mirabelle aimed her staff at Colton.
I swung my arms around dramatically.
"Go, Miss Mirabelle. Direct attack! Fireball!"
However, Mirabelle didn't move, glancing at me briefly.
"I-I don't think it's right to cast magic on innocent people…"
"Ah."
So she was okay with killing her dad but this was where she drew the line? Even though I planted these ideas, she had still her own unique set of beliefs.
If she wasn't okay with that, then there was nothing I could do about it.
I'd have to just follow her lead. What other choice did I have?
"Mr. Colton, out of consideration for your kindness until now, we won't harm you. But if you insist on stopping us further, you will face the consequences."
"Ugh…"
Colton gritted his teeth.
He must be frustrated. I would be too.
To have your life's work denied by someone who had been learning magic for less than a month. But what could you do? That was life.
If Colton were my slave, I would comfort him and look for ways to help him grow, but he wasn't. I had no intention of taking male slaves in the first place.
"Thank you for everything you've done for us, Mr. Colton."
Leaving Colton behind, we left the association building while maintaining our guard. Mirabelle only lowered her staff when we were out of sight of the Mage's Association.
"You must have been nervous. Good job."
To think she'd handle her first real combat so cleanly. Colton taught her well.
Feeling proud, I patted her head, and this time Mirabelle didn't resist. She just lowered her head, looking embarrassed.
Oh ho. I should take this chance to pat her to my heart's content. I thoroughly enjoyed patting her soft, warm head. But I must have overdone it, as Mirabelle lowered her body to escape.
She tidied up her disheveled hair.
It was a shame, but I should be satisfied with this for today. Now that she allowed it once, there would be more opportunities in the future.
"Where are we going now?"
"We are heading to a nearby city called Delphine."
There was a starter dungeon in Delphine.
While it might be insignificant later on, it was the only dungeon we could explore in the early stages. As the name suggested, it was so easy that even a few ordinary slaves could clear it.
With Mirabelle wielding the Heavenly Covenant, it would be an instakill.
We'll get some spellbooks there, sell some magic stones, and raise Mirabelle's exp.
Her power-up strategy was all set!
***
"A slave trader trying to enter? Get lost!"
This fucker.
I had heard that soldiers' wages were low, but that didn't mean they should try to steal other people's money. Every guy we met tried to extort money from us. They called themselves knights, but they were no better than bandits.
That reminded me, the Knight Order was always the natural enemy of slave traders in the game too.
What I meant was that from the start to the end of the game, they'd come to collect taxes. Sometimes you even had to give up slaves if you couldn't pay the taxes.
I lost to them in the game, and now I was losing to them after transmigration. It was impossible for me to see the Knight Order in a positive light.
I took out one gold coin from my money pouch. If I gave 20 gold every time, my pouch would be empty in no time. I gave too much back in Riveria trying to show off in front of Mirabelle.
Maybe because he was a soldier from a rural city. Thankfully, he was satisfied with that and let us through.
"Let's stop by a tavern and eat first."
I usually tried to secure lodging first, but I was too hungry. We sat down at the largest tavern in Delphine.
We ordered cornbread, lamb steak, and mushroom stew. It was a meal too luxurious even for commoners, let alone slaves, but Mirabelle was now accustomed and ate without hesitation.
That's right, eat lots. We'll be dungeon exploring after this.
I thought it would be just another uneventful meal time.
"Julius, shall we have just one drink before we go?"
"Did you not drink yesterday as well?"
"Yesterday was yesterday, today is today. You need to have one drink a day to keep your energy up, you know?"
Until the clergy entered the tavern.
Footnotes