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The day after narrowly avoiding a catastrophe.
I told Mirabelle.
"Let's take a break today."
People, machines, animals, everything needs proper rest.
While it would be great if Mirabelle quickly fulfilled her role, pushing her too hard would only lead to exhaustion. In fact, even in TOS, slaves had fatigue levels that increased the more they worked.
It became difficult to function when fatigue maxed out, and the chance of accidents increased exponentially.
Given the nature of tycoon games where everything was interconnected like gears, if one part faltered, it caused critical issues elsewhere.
Only by properly balancing work and rest could things run smoothly.
Since the dungeon wouldn't appear for a while, I decided to give Mirabelle a day off. Yesterday's events still lingered in my mind.
"Is there anywhere you would like to go?"
"Somewhere I'd like to go?"
"You've been working hard lately. It's a reward."
Mirabelle tilted her head.
Her eyes seemed to say, 'Isn't it natural for a slave to work hard?' I used to think so too, but it turned out that wasn't always the case.
I came to this realization while raising beastkin slaves. Some worked diligently, while others lazily parasitized off others' hard work.
Now that the game had become reality, there were salary thieves among my slaves just like anywhere else in the world.
But who am I?
Aren't I Korean?
No matter the environment, I wasn't satisfied unless I min-maxed, and the fact this was a tycoon game?
Oh shit, no way I'd stand for that.
I would foam at the mouth and have seizures if efficiency dropped.
I couldn't tolerate anything that ruined efficiency. After much consideration, I decided to give rewards instead of punishments.
Punishing is what shitty bosses do.
So I rewarded slaves who worked well. Things like special meals or pocket money. Then the others would work hard too, wanting to receive goodies.
Similarly, it was time to reward Mirabelle for her hard work.
"Anything is fine. Whether it's a place you want to go or something you want to buy, feel free to say it."
"Then, new clothes…"
"Hold on. Let me ask the person in question… Miss Mirabelle, you like the maid outfit, don't you?"
"No…"
"She likes it, she says. The Mirabelle in my head is very pleased and wants me to buy her a few more."
"…"
Mirabelle stared at me with an icy gaze.
You crossed the line first, Mirabelle. This is the one thing I wouldn't compromise on. I met her gaze unflinchingly, having nothing to back down from.
Our staring contest lasted a few seconds. Mirabelle was the first to declare defeat. It seemed this Mirabelle liked the maid outfit too.
Mirabelle pondered seriously again.
"Then…"
Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke.
***
Mirabelle walked along, pulling out snacks one by one.
It ends up being slime fritters, I guess.
After buying slime fritters at the market, we set out to explore the city.
Mirabelle, who had been munching on slime fritters, had her cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk. When our eyes briefly met, she fumbled with the bag and pulled out a fritter.
"Wanf fome?"
"I'll pass."
Mirabelle's expression turned glum.
That pitiful look wouldn't work on me. I fell for it last time, but not this time. I just saw the fritter move on its own.
As we explored the city, we stopped by a magic tool shop. Mirabelle had become interested in magic tools since she started learning magic.
Even when we were in Riveria, she bought one or two and completely disassembled and analyzed them. Just like a witch. She was practically an isekai engineer.
Mirabelle browsed the magic tools. Like a baby just opening its eyes, she wandered around the store with a curious expression.
I waited quietly, holding the staff like a boyfriend waiting for his girlfriend to finish shopping.
"Little miss, you seem very interested in magic tools?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Oh no, I seem to have startled you. I'm sorry."
Mirabelle flinched at the shopkeeper grandmother's words. She had gotten somewhat better in front of me, but she still couldn't shake off her shyness in front of others.
Finding even that cute, the grandmother smiled warmly as if looking at her own granddaughter.
"Is that man your brother?"
"No, he's my master."
"Master?"
"Since I'm a slave."
When the word slave left Mirabelle's mouth, the grandmother shot me a murderous glare. Her eyes said, how could scum like you make a child like this a slave?
What. Wanna fight? I might lose to Mirabelle, but I think I could beat you, grandma.
The grandmother quickly turned back to Mirabelle, sensing her own defeat. That's 2 wins, 0 losses for me today.
Her gaze, which had been looking at a cute girl, changed to one of pity for a poor slave. The grandmother clicked her tongue at Mirabelle.
Mirabelle hesitated for a moment. She soon turned her back on the grandmother. Her expression was only visible from my angle.
Huh…?
I could've sworn her eyes looked twisted for a moment. But when our eyes met, she flashed a bright smile, and that look vanished without a trace. Was it just my imagination?
"Let's go, Master."
"Are you sure you don't want to buy anything?"
"There's nothing worth buying in a place like this."
"Ah, I see…"
In the end, we left without buying anything this time.
"Is there anywhere else you would like to go? If not─"
"Yes, there's somewhere I want to go."
Mirabelle asserted her opinion in a clear voice. With unwavering and seemingly angry steps, she headed to an accessory shop.
Has she developed an interest in dressing up?
As far as I knew, Mirabelle was far from being interested in jewelry and the like. Being a witch, she only showed interest in musty old books or magic tools like earlier.
No, well, she was a young girl after all. It wouldn't be strange for her to develop an interest at any time. She might be hesitant, so perhaps I should encourage her a bit?
"Haha, so Miss Mirabelle is also… interested in dressing up…"
I lost my words the moment I saw what Mirabelle was looking at. Because what she was staring at were shackles, the shackles put on slaves.…?
Why was she fiddling with that?
Just in case, I asked her.
"You're not interested in shackles, are you?"
"A little bit."
What?
Out of all the accessories, why shackles?
"I am a slave, but I don't have any distinguishing marks, right? That's why people get confused, like just now."
"Is that truly a problem though?"
"Everyone keeps saying things to you, Master."
I mean, it was particularly bad in my case.
This wasn't the modern era without a slave system. In any wealthy household, everyone had at least one slave. What was the big deal with having one? Some places had more than ten!
Even after taking into account that I was a slave trader, people were unusually harsh with me considering I only had Mirabelle.
Though, the cause might be Mirabelle.
She was just excessively pretty.
People wanted to dote on her, but learning she was a slave provoked a backlash.
Still, I didn't understand why Mirabelle was worried about that. Anyways, I was against it. As a slave lover, I couldn't have her walking around in shackles.
"There's no need to bother, I've grown used to the negative looks."
But Mirabelle shook her head vigorously, insisting that it shouldn't be this way.
"Master isn't someone that deserves such looks. Please don't worry about someone like me and choose one."
"No…"
My head was spinning. This scene reminded me of a drawing by some feminist mangaka from the Land of the Rising Sun. Even with their arms and legs cut off, in the end, both the man and woman were happy…
"Come on."
As I hesitated, Mirabelle pressed me.
Though I felt dizzy, I had no choice since Mirabelle was so insistent. As I had said many times, Mirabelle was the boss. I couldn't go against her wishes.
Hmm, which one would be good?
Red was too flashy and looked like a dog collar, gray was too dull….
I ended up choosing a black shackle. It was neutral and matched well with Mirabelle's quiet atmosphere, looking more like an accessory than a slave collar.
"I suppose this is the least objectionable, but…"
"Then let's go with that."
Rustle.
Mirabelle readily agreed, brushing her hair behind her shoulders and presenting her small face. With her eyes closed, waiting, she looked like someone receiving a proposal.
The problem was that… this wasn't a finger ring. It was a neck ring.
I don't even know anymore.
Whatever happens, happens.
I carefully placed the collar around Mirabelle's delicate neck, which looked like it might break at the slightest touch. With a click, the collar locked.
"All done."
Mirabelle gently caressed the collar on her neck, and soon, seemingly pleased, her lips curved into a soft smile.
***
Having been everywhere we could go, unable to find anywhere new to visit, we found ourselves taking an unremarkable walk along the road.
Mirabelle walked beside me. It might just be my imagination, but she seemed to carry herself with more confidence than before.
Occasionally, when other slaves passed by, she would glance at them with a smile full of superiority. How should I describe it? Like the look of a wealthy madam carrying an expensive designer bag?
I didn't understand why she had such an expression, but that's how it was.
Seeing this made me uneasy.
Am I raising her wrong?
In the game, as affection increased, slaves would sometimes start to court you. For age-verified players, they would even make sexual advances from time to time.
What concerned me was that the timing wasn't right for that yet. We hadn't been together long enough for the affection level to be that high, and the only item I had given her was the Heavenly Covenant.
Still, now that this was reality and not a game, it was hard to believe affection had developed so quickly. After all, Mirabelle had an aversion towards the deceased's belongings.
Seriously, what the fuck's happening?
It was a day that only got worse the more I tried to normalize Mirabelle.
After a few more days of anxious waiting, the dungeon finally appeared.