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The scene was filled with plausible lies.
It was a brawl where no one was right, and everyone was throwing hands.
The overheated atmosphere bubbled like an active volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
In fact, their auras began to leak out, the building slightly trembling.
Thinking the tavern might fly away if this continued, Victor made his move. He filled two glasses with water and approached a young elf.
"Ice."
"Hey, spirits aren't here for that kind of thing!"
"It seems Miss Alfia will have to know that an elf wants to return to the forest."
"You underhanded human…"
Ice created by an ice spirit plopped into the glasses.
Victor immediately approached the center of the chaos and set down the glasses.
"Drink some cold water and cool your heads."
The self-proclaimed slaves, who had been glaring at each other like cats and dogs, glanced at the glasses. After exchanging looks that seemed to call for a temporary truce, they gulped down the water. Even that seemed like part of the competition as they downed it in one shot.
Thunk!
They set down the glasses loudly and exhaled deeply, releasing their heatedness.
"I apologize. I became a bit too passionate in the heat of the moment."
"Me too. As a long-lived race, I should have been more generous."
Narsha instantly regained her composure.
"So, where is He now?"
"He said he was going to Vestia."
"Vestia…"
If the Great Forest was the paradise of elves, Vestia was the kingdom of the beastkin.
"But why is Miss Alfia here instead of following Him?"
"I'd like to, but he told me to raise the elves as slaves. I'm fulfilling my role."
"Hmm…"
Narsha hummed, deep in thought.
Should I go to Vestia?
No, that would be meaningless. If she couldn't meet him even in the same kingdom, it would be impossible to catch up now that he had crossed into another country.
Then…
She quickly decided her next course of action.
"I will stay here as well."
"What?"
Alfia was waiting for Karami's return while raising the elves, right? In that case, if she stayed here leisurely, Karami would come.
There was no need to go through the trouble of searching for him.
Of course, Alfia immediately objected.
"Absolutely not."
"Why? The city isn't yours, and you seem to be freeloading at this tavern. You're in no position to refuse, are you?"
"We have too many kids, there's no room for you. Right?"
Alfia looked at Victor, but his expression remained indifferent.
"While you're at it, how about holding hands and leaving together."
"Whaaat?"
She had believed without a doubt that he would take her side, but an eviction order came out of Victor's mouth.
"Why?"
"Why, you ask? Do you know how much is going out in food expenses?"
Including his granddaughter Emily, there was Lili, Lala, and Matthew whom Karami had brought. Then there was Hanni, whom Matthew had brought. And Renard on top of that.
It was manageable up to this point. Karami had left ample funds to raise the children, and Renard was staying by Victor's own choice.
But Alfia?
Out of affection for her, he was willing to make an exception. But…
Victor looked at the little elves. There were at least ten of them.
"I can't tell if this is a tavern or an orphanage anymore. Do I have to play orphanage director at my age? This is my tavern that I bought with my own money. I can't live like this.."
"But this is all for the greater cause…"
"Greater cause my ass, I don't care. There's no money. Go out and earn some!"
Victor exploded.
As Alfia stood there flustered, her eyes darting all over, Narsha clapped her hands lightly and interjected.
"Oh my, then there's room for one more person? Unlike some, I'm not shameless, so I'll pay for my room and meals regularly."
"Hmm, if you're paying, there's no problem."
"If you need help, please feel free to ask. I once ran a merchant company, so I am confident in serving customers."
"Sniff, to think there's such a considerate young lady. Meanwhile, I'm surrounded by nothing but brats who don't know the first thing about respecting their elders… Ah, this is how the world ought to be!"
Victor must have been truly upset; he covered his mouth and nose with his arm, holding back tears.
While skillfully comforting Victor, Narsha flashed a smug smile at Alfia.
Seeing that she might be kicked out at this rate, Alfia desperately signaled Renard for help. The dark elf who had been trying to remain a spectator, sighed.
"Master, why do you mean you have no money? Why are you lying?"
"Huh? Lying?"
Victor's shoulders twitched.
"When you all went to the Great Forest, we headed to the merchant group's basement, tipped off by that slave master of yours. Roperman's relic warehouse was there. With just one of those artifacts, you could build several taverns…"
"Renard, you…! I specifically entrusted you not to tell anyone…!"
"Oh, would you look at the time. It's time to feed the kids. Come along now, little white ones."
Renard shrugged her shoulders pointedly at Victor and took the children down to the basement. Victor tried to stop her, but he was pinned down by Alfia's fierce gaze.
The fresh spring gleam in Alfia's eyes suddenly frosted over into a chilling gaze.
"What? You said no money?"
"No, this is my retirement fund…"
"Retirement fund? There's a whole basket of kids here older than you. Aren't you ashamed in front of the children?"
"Why are they kids if they're older than me…?"
"Enough."
Alfia cut off Victor's words.
"Let's expand while we're at it. The kids need to grow up in a place with sunlight. Is it right for them to live underground?"
"But…"
"No. Let's build a new place entirely and separate it from the tavern. I don't think it's good for the children's mental health."
Victor tried to appeal to Narsha for help, but…
"Oh my, if we're building new, there should be plenty of space. Then I'd like my room to be a bit bigger. I need space for a large bed and a dressing table."
She was already confident she'd have her own room, even making requests on top of that.
"We seem to get along well."
"Fufu, after all, we're slaves serving the same master."
These self-proclaimed slaves were lost in their own little world, feeding off each other's delusions.
At that moment, Victor saw his future turning pitch-black!
***
That evening.
The Peacock's Night Gathering was bustling with some rather famous individuals. Thanks to the rumor that elves were taking orders and serving drinks, it had become a must-visit spot in Noctar.
Of course, the only one actually working was Renard. Alfia insisted she was Karami's slave and absolutely wouldn't serve anyone else.
What kind of slave does whatever they want?
This isn't a slave, it's a slave cosplay.
Victor had no intention of supporting a parasite, so had strategically positioned Alfia behind the bar. At the very least, she could act as a hostess. Even Alfia couldn't refuse that much.
"Sir, I've been thinking."
There was one more person drawing people's attention, though not as much as the elves. It was Narsha, who had taken a room at a nearby inn due to lack of space and had dropped by the tavern.
"About what?"
"I think it's a waste to run just one small tavern with all this talent and resources."
"I've always run a tavern, these guys are the ones who barged in."
"A merchant should know how to change their business method to fit the changing environment."
"What?"
Victor was greatly surprised.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's a miracle! To think I'd meet a normal person before I die!"
Recently, intelligent life forms had gone extinct around Victor.
Little brats running around the city trying to make slaves. Elves barely reaching his waist yet speaking informally.
All around him were idiots spouting nonsense like, I'm gonna be a slave master, tee-hee!
When Emily said, should I become Big Brother Karami's slave too? he thought his heart would stop. He nearly grabbed a bottle and went looking for Karami right then and there.
To Victor, what he just heard was the first sensible statement in a long time. He couldn't help but be surprised.
Of course, Narsha showed signs of being cut from the same cloth as the others, but this much was tolerable.
Narsha smiled stiffly.
May you live long, old man.
"What are you planning? You're not thinking of anything strange, are you?"
Alfia, who had been standing nearby, couldn't hold back and interjected.
"I'm thinking of expanding the business."
"Business?"
"Yes."
Narsha had thought deeply about it after returning to her inn.
Alfia had brought elf slaves. When Karami returned, he would surely be pleased. Having even one elf would make others envious, let alone a whole bunch.
If that happened, Alfia would monopolize the master's love and trust. Conversely, Narsha herself would be compared unfavorably to Alfia.
I can't let that happen.
So she set her sights on building an achievement that wouldn't be left in the dust. To 'do what she does best'.
What Narsha was confident in, even before picking up the sword.
It was none other than the art of business.
"From what I've gathered, the city has been in chaos recently. Getting ingredients is like plucking stars from the sky, and even then, the prices are astronomical."
Taking advantage of the Desert Rose Merchant Group's downfall, small-scale merchant groups and individual merchants had entered into a power struggle. The market had become fragmented.
The supply of goods that the Roperman Group had been handling was cut off, causing shortages and price spikes in everything from grains and food ingredients to spices and metals.
This economic downturn was an opportunity for Narsha to step in.
She absolutely wouldn't rely on her family's power.
She wasn't shameless enough to worry them and then ask for help.
Besides, she didn't particularly need her family's help.
Because all the pieces were already in place.
First, there was herself, and though she had pretended not to notice earlier, she knew Baron Bardelli was secretly expecting something. If she said she would stabilize the market economy, he would give her his full support.
Moreover, Victor had a good sense of business. The decision to create an upscale tavern showed he understood customer needs.
Then there was his capital to expand the business.
Victor's establishment.
Victor's connections.
And above all, the most important element of this business.
Elves.
With them, she could run a one-of-a-kind establishment. She would snatch up the money of the rich and establish an entirely new merchant group.
That was Narsha's plan.
As for the name of the merchant group…
Merchants of Death.
If she presented the entire merchant group to Karami, she was guaranteed to be loved.
Ahh, what expression will Master make? What praise will he give me?
As expected of Narsha.
Among my slaves, Narsha is undoubtedly the best.
Just imagining it brought an ecstatic expression to Narsha's face.
What could He be doing right now?
He must be doing something she couldn't even imagine.
***
"NO! FUCK! MY POINTS!!!"
In an inn located in a city on the way to the beastkin kingdom of Vestia.
A man's desperate cry was heard.
All sorts of junk were scattered about in the room.
In the man's hand was a single shabby piece of paper.
[Points : 3,120 points]
In an instant, he had spent all the points he had carefully saved up by liberating slaves. The devilish temptation had driven him—who was usually able to coldly assess situations—to utter ruin.
[New System: Slave Gacha]
He was powerless against gacha.
Even if his angel grandfather descended from heaven, he'd still have succumbed to temptation.
In the end, his lack of restraint had brought about his own downfall.