Chapter 27

After parting ways with Palinchron at the slave market, Maria and I returned to my new home.

The first thing I did upon arrival was check the bathtub. The tub in this house made lavish use of magic stones and apparently drew heat from the “Mana Lines” extending from outside. Of course, using that heat meant I’d be billed for it later.

Channeled through my own mana, the water I’d filled the tub with began to turn into hot water.

While Maria had been somewhat cleaned up for the market, she was still filthy compared to an average person. So, I urged her to soak in the tub.

“Um… there’s hot water, so could you take a bath? Just get yourself reasonably clean.”

“A bath… is it?”

Maria looked at the bathtub with a puzzled expression.

“You don’t know what a bath is?”

“No.”

“It’s like washing with water. But in a bath, the water is warm, and you use it to clean your body.”

“…I see. Understood.”

Answering one word at a time, she sluggishly began preparing to enter the bath.

Maria spoke only the bare minimum. She was clearly interested in me, but just as clearly on guard.

Because of that, I couldn’t quite gauge what kind of person she was. All I knew was the information from her “Display”—that she was a girl gifted at hunting and cooking. In other words, only numerical data.

I left Maria in the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. I pulled some stockpiled food from my “Inventory.” This time, I took out bread and vegetables to make simple sandwiches and a salad.

However, even after the meal was ready, Maria didn’t come out of the bath. I called out to her through the door separating the bathroom from the living area.

“Maria, not done yet?”

“Ah. No, I am finished. But… the water droplets on my body…”

“Oh, just wipe yourself with the cloth nearby. And just put on whatever clothes you find.”

“Understood.”

Since basic necessities were provided with the house, I encouraged her to use them.

I heard the sound of someone rummaging through things behind the door. Before long, Maria emerged from the bathroom.

Dressed in new beige-colored clothes, Maria approached me without saying a word. There was something inherently embarrassing about a girl fresh out of the bath, but I feigned an expressionless face to hide my agitation.

Her black hair, cut level at her shoulders, was still a mess and damp. I wiped her head with a nearby cloth and urged her to sit at the table where the food was laid out.

“Sit there. It’s late, but it’s dinner.”

“Yes.”

Maria gave a hollow-sounding reply. The presence of a meal seemed to baffle her; she made her way to the table with unsteady steps.

I took the seat opposite her. I began eating in silence, but Maria just sat there, frozen, holding a sandwich with a confused look.

“Is something wrong?”

“No… it’s just different from what I was told…”

“I see. What were you told?”

Curiosity about the stories told to slaves got the better of me, so I asked.

“I was told I would regret being born a woman, and that I would bite off my own tongue before a day had passed.”

“…”

I regretted asking immediately. I re-confirmed to myself that I really shouldn’t get involved in slave-related matters.

“You’re going to rape me, or toy with me, or break me, right?”

“I won’t. For now, you can relax.”

“For now?”

“I might put you up for sale as soon as tomorrow. If that happens, you might need that resolve, so I want you to keep it. Buying you today was a mistake. …A momentary lapse in judgment.”

I had been wavering about how to handle this. To be blunt, Maria didn’t seem to have the talent suited for the Labyrinth. Since I had bought her based on a makeshift emotion, I had to consider recouping my funds by re-selling her depending on the situation.

—Logically speaking, that was the right move.

However, contrary to my words, I had a feeling I wouldn’t actually be able to do something like that. It was precisely because I had a spirit weak enough to be incapable of such things that a slave named Maria was here in the first place.

“Hmm… then, why did you buy me?”

“…I’ll ask you the same. Why were you staring at me the whole time?”

I countered her question with another. Partly because I didn’t want to state my reason, but mostly because it was highly likely nothing would have happened if Maria hadn’t been staring at me. With a feeling close to venting my frustration, I glared at her.

“…Because you had black hair and black eyes.”

Maria answered while stuffing her face with a sandwich. It was a simple answer. It was true that black hair and eyes were rare in this world. It was a bit of an anticlimax that such a thing was the reason.

“Just that? You’re the same, aren’t you?”

“It’s because… I am too. My clan was exterminated because of this hair and these eyes. I command a high price because of this hair and these eyes. That’s why you, possessing the same… were very intriguing to me.”

As she spoke, Maria ran her hand through her long black hair. I felt there was no lie in her words. Intertwining it with her own circumstances, Maria was speaking her true feelings.
Hearing those straightforward words, I decided to answer the question she’d asked earlier.

“I see… that’s unfortunate. For the record, the reason I bought you was purely a coincidence. There was a strange connection between us. Because of that, it ended up hurting my heart more than others, so I bought you out of self-satisfaction. That’s all. …Really, that’s all.”

I repeated the words twice, as if to convince both people in the room. In truth, the background of everything that happened today and the skills I possessed were involved, but I didn’t feel like getting into a long story.

“…I understand. But if that’s the case, did your heart not ache for the other slaves?”

“It did. So don’t say any more than that. I don’t want to think about it.”

“I see… Well, that may be fine for you, but now my heart aches with guilt toward the other slaves.”

As the conversation continued, Maria’s reserve began to vanish. Along with it, her personality started to surface. I felt a slight irritation at her blunt, unvarnished way of speaking.

“You’re quite the cheeky slave… Don’t you think my mind might change if you sour my mood?”

“I have confidence in my ability to judge people. I’ll be fine.”

Just as she said, Maria continued eating with an air of absolute confidence. Based on my limited knowledge, this was hardly the attitude a slave was supposed to take.

Up until a moment ago, she had been focused on observation and was extremely quiet. Had she seen right through the kind of person I was in just these few dozen seconds?

“Why are you so sure—”

“Because you are the kind of person who feels a sense of relief, even while pitying them, when you see someone weaker than yourself.”

Directly.

Maria anticipated my question and answered with surgical precision. I was stunned, left completely speechless.

Maria continued.

“The kind of person who gains satisfaction and a sense of achievement by helping the weak… To put it generally, you are a far too kind person who is incapable of doing anything harsh to me.”

Maria’s eyes locked onto mine. Those eyes were no longer the colorless pits they had been on the stage of the slave market. They had transformed into something capable of seeing through everything, much like Palinchron’s eyes had earlier.

“……!”

I gasped at Maria’s character assessment of me. Or perhaps it would be better to say it took my breath away.

Maria was asserting things with conviction that even I hadn’t fully grasped. I felt a surge of fear toward this girl who understood me better than I understood myself.

Driven by that fear, out of habit, I turned my Focus toward Maria.

Her stats couldn’t be called high by any stretch.

However, there was one singular strength unlike any other.

In short, a skill I had never seen on anyone else—Keen Eye was her core.

Most likely, Maria used this skill to pick me out from that vast auction hall. And even now, she was using it to strip my character bare, trying to create a situation advantageous to herself.

I maintained a firm front so she wouldn’t look down on me.

“I won’t lay a hand on you, but… I might still sell you, you know?”

“Do as you wish. If that happens, the pain in my heart for the other slaves will be eased.”

Maria responded resolutely.

Seeing her stand firm despite my having total control over her life and everything else, I felt something close to respect.

At the same time, I reflected.

So much for “it’s easy to take the lead with a slave”… Not at all.

Part of it was that Maria was special, but I had intended to seek out an “exception” from the start. I couldn’t use that as an excuse.

“Sigh… Are slaves always this troublesome? It really was a momentary lapse in judgment. I have nothing but regrets.”

Perhaps out of a sense of defeat, the expression I had been trying so hard to hide leaked onto my face.

Seeing my weak expression and hearing my words, Maria replied with a trace of hesitation.

“W-well… as for me, I have a grudge against the city folk who slaughtered my clan…”

“If you’re going to be like that, it’d be easier for me if you’d just act scared and tremble like a proper slave…”

“You really do love the weak, don’t you? It’s worthy of contempt.”

“I’m just saying I would’ve preferred a quiet girl who listened to what she was told. …Fine, I give up. I surrender. Just do whatever you want. Once you’re done eating, you can sleep in that bed. I’ll figure the rest out tomorrow, so don’t wake me up.”

With that, I didn’t even wash the dishes; I just flopped down on the nearby sofa.

I gave up on taking the lead and prioritized resting for the time being.

“Wait! …Are you not going to register the collar?! At this rate, someone else might steal me!”

Maria raised her voice in a sudden panic.

I didn’t understand what she was anxious about. Looking up, I saw her pointing at the collar, which still had a blank registration.

I recalled the information I’d gathered at the market.

If a contract using blood was performed on the collar, a formal master-slave relationship would be established. This would trigger the magic circuits designed to prevent escape and, occasionally, inflict pain.

“Oh. Now that you mention it, there was something like that. Stay still.”

I picked up the Heirloom Sword of House Alais leaning against the wall.

“Eek—”

Maria let out a short scream.

Her previous expressionless mask shattered, replaced by a face distorted in situational terror.

“Ah, sorry… Are you afraid of blades? Don’t worry. My hand won’t slip, so just stay still. —Magic: Dimension : Gladiator.”

Surprised by her unexpected reaction, I deployed my magic.

Then, I swung the sword down. The blade fell with surgical precision, slicing through nothing but the collar.

I heard you could have it removed at a specialized facility, but for me, this method was sufficient. I’d heard it was fine to forcibly break an unregistered collar like this, though it would be a problem if it were already contracted.

“Kyaa!”

Maria screamed, but as told, she accepted the falling blade without moving a single muscle.

“If you want to run, run.”

I leaned the sword back against the sofa and lay down again.

If she ran away after this, so be it. I’d just consider it four gold coins spent to buy peace of mind for the day. In fact, if she left, it would be a relief not to have to worry about her.

However, Maria picked up the broken collar with a look of shock and muttered:

“…There’s a limit to how much of a softy someone can be.”

“I’m not a softy. I abandoned plenty of people today. Just like you said, I’m just a coward who can only trust those weaker than himself.”

“What I said before was a joke.”

I already had my eyes closed.

Though I was gripping my sword just in case, I was in full sleep mode.

Even so, Maria kept talking.

“It’s okay to run… you say. But there is no one in this country who will help me. I have no home to return to. That is why I am a slave. There is nowhere to run to. Half-hearted kindness changes nothing…”

“I know, but it’s not my problem… I’m going to sleep.”

Those brought in as slaves can only survive by relying on the master who bought them.

Maria explained this to me.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

No one to help. Nowhere to run.

That’s exactly the same as me.

Even if I have a home to go back to, it doesn’t exist in this world.

I thought to myself that I was something like a slave too, and I couldn’t help but mock myself.

A slave meant to clear the Labyrinth.

If that’s the case, who is my master?

The Labyrinth? Or the “System”?

I don’t know.

And I shouldn’t know.

“Goodnight… my Master…”

In the darkness behind my closed eyes, I heard Maria’s voice.

She was calling me “Master” now.

Thinking it was a fine piece of irony, I replied.

“…That’s sarcasm.”

Behind me, I heard the sound of her getting into bed.

Relieved that I could finally sleep, I felt the long day come to an end.

As usual, I tried to refine my plans until I fell asleep. But perhaps because I was more exhausted than I realized, I immediately fell into the depths of darkness.

Into the very bottom of a lukewarm slumber.

—Just as my consciousness faded, I felt as though I heard Maria’s voice again.

I had been active until late last night, but out of habit, I woke up early.

I hated breaking my rhythm by starting late, so I sacrificed some sleep. I washed my face and began preparing for the day.

With a cleared head, I thought about what to do with Maria.

I decided to stick to the original plan: she would help me with the Labyrinth exploration. Of course, there was a high chance she wouldn’t be able to handle combat. However, that Keen Eye skill was an unknown factor, and there were things I wanted to test in the Labyrinth using her.

I relayed this to Maria once she woke up later.

“—And that’s the gist of it.”

“Impossible. I’ll die. I’ll die so easily.”

“Run away if you don’t like it. But if you’re going to live here, you need to earn your keep. You understand that, right?”

I charged Maria “rent.”

Maria stroked her neck where the collar used to be and seemed to understand the fairness of it.

“I’ll help with the housework.”

“No need. I can do that myself.”

“There isn’t much I can do. Are you indirectly telling me to use my body to earn money?”

“I am not. Apparently, I’m a ‘far too kind’ person, according to someone.”

“But the Labyrinth is absolutely impossible. Isn’t that a place where specialists risk their lives?”

“Just try it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll think of something else. Right now, all I want is help with the Labyrinth.”

“Sigh… I thought you were just a soft-hearted rich boy, but I can’t believe you’re an explorer. My life might not have much time left…”

Maria hung her head as if resigning herself to fate.

However, there was no sense of tragedy. Perhaps she had already given up on her life when she became a slave. She didn’t seem to have much resistance to the idea of dying.

“No, I won’t let you die, Maria. I won’t even let you get hurt.”

I felt a surge of irritation at her attitude.

It was because I remembered the armless Dia and the blood-soaked slave from before.

“I-I see…”

Maria stared at my enthusiasm with a puzzled look.

She probably thought it was impossible.

It was common knowledge that challengers died every day in the Labyrinth. Her eyes showed she was certain that a frail person like herself would naturally perish there.

But I wouldn’t let that happen.

I wasn’t taking her along without a plan for victory.

That plan—it wasn’t just about the benefits of my search abilities or carrying capacity. More than anything, I believed the benefits of the Party System would be huge.

Until now, I had formed a party with Dia without question, and we had split the experience points 50/50.

But that was abnormal.

That doesn’t happen with other parties. Basically, the one who lands the kill gets everything. Based on what I’d heard from veterans, mages who focused on support often struggled to level up.

Yet, when I made someone a comrade through the Party System, it became a perfect 50/50 split.

In short, I was privileged in the task of leveling up a party. The result was someone like Dia.

Most likely, just by exploring the Labyrinth with me, Maria’s level would rise too.

“Maria, I have a plan for how you’ll make it in the Labyrinth. So, I want you to come with me.”

“…Understood.”

Maria nodded, swayed by the conviction in my tone.

“First, let’s go shopping for supplies.”

“Yes, Master.”

I started to leave the house with her, but stopped at her choice of words.

“Don’t call me Master. You don’t need to worry about titles. My name is Christ Eurasia, so you can call me whatever you like.”

“I am your slave. Isn’t ‘Master’ only natural?”

Maria insisted with a faint smile.

“What are you talking about? You aren’t a slave anymore. The proof is that you don’t have a collar.”

“Well, actually, I’ve decided that being your slave seems like an easier way to live.”

“Even so, please stop calling me ‘Master.’ It’s embarrassing.”

“No, no. Calling you ‘Master’ is the minimum etiquette for a slave. I must uphold it—”

“What, so it’s just harassment?”

Once she started fluently discussing slave etiquette, I realized she was teasing me.

“Hehe. No, no, of course not. It’s truly out of respect.”

But Maria denied it, giggling.

I couldn’t read her true intentions. However, since her eyes were no longer hollow like before, I decided not to press further.

Behind my back, Maria whispered in a small voice.

“—I am your slave. In terms of how my heart feels, that must be how it is.”

“…”

I was ignorant of the culture surrounding slavery.

I lacked the information to flatly deny her words, and I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or joking. So, I didn’t say anything in response.

After that, we stopped talking about slavery and headed toward the shopping district, discussing the Labyrinth exploration instead.