Volume 2 Chapter 12 Rira-chan Is Furious, Aria-chan Is Filled With Killing Intent
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Rira-chan was furious, and Aria-chan’s eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.
Ranka-san, who had just learned I intended to buy all the slaves with my money, froze for a moment before quickly regaining her composure and diving into calculations. Even knowing I had 500 gold coins, she seriously tried to tally the amounts.
”I can’t quite fathom what Takumi-sama is thinking,” she said, voice steady. “But I understand this isn’t a joke. Here are the figures: this merchant guild handles 114 slaves—47 male slaves at 5 gold coins each, 25 female slaves around 10 coins, 11 female slaves about 30 coins, 23 slaves with useful skills at around 50 coins, 5 virgin slaves at about 70 coins, and 3 with rare skills exceeding 100 coins, myself included. The total is… 3,200 gold coins.”
”Got it,” I replied. “With a 99% discount, that comes to 32 gold coins.”
I promptly pulled the coins from my Magic Bag and completed the transaction. What should have been a purchase worth 320 million yen was settled for just 3.2 million yen. It sounded unbelievable, but Ranka-san accepted the payment without hesitation and began counting the coins carefully.
”…Yes. I confirm receipt. From this moment, ownership rights officially transfer to you, Master. Given the number of slaves, the rewriting of the enslavement magic will be done later. I appreciate your understanding.”
”I appreciate it as well,” I said.
Alongside Ranka-san, Nasharta-san, who had remained quietly in the room, bowed deeply, lowering her head in respect.
”You may use this room for a while,” Ranka-san said. “It’s fine to embrace Nasharta, and if you wish, I can present myself as a virgin immediately.”
”No, that’s not necessary,” I answered. “Rather, I want all the slaves moved to my base at once.”
”Understood,” she said promptly.
Though the base was already at capacity, even excluding those working in the brothel, I wanted to get them away from this corrupt merchant guild as soon as possible. Ranka-san called to Nasharta-san, who began coordinating with the others, instructing them to pause their work and gather their belongings to move quickly to our base. She seemed relieved, suggesting Ranka-san had few fond memories of this place.
”Thank you, Ranka. Now, for the next task, could you price everything currently being sold by this merchant guild?”
*
”Takumi-kun, you certainly bought a lot. But couldn’t you have told me a bit more in advance?”
As we returned to the base, Rira-chan, her forehead tense with veins, greeted us.
”I received a message from Shiori-chan, so I understood about creating a clan, but you’re not planning to keep dogs and cats, are you? What about the responsibilities of an owner?”
The slaves who had already brought their belongings gathered in droves in the courtyard. The worried gaze of Yawashi-kun, clearly lamenting, “We don’t have the facilities or supplies to cook for all these people,” was unsettling. Then Aria-chan’s sharp look cut through the air. “Including the woman beside you, there seem to be six maidens, Tak-kun. So? With me, the busty blonde maid ready for service, are you planning to increase the number of women even more?” Her gaze pierced straight through me.
When the labyrinth exploration team returns, the base will be total chaos.
”Um, for now, I’ll contact Kanare-san to see if we can borrow the base that Ginga-kun and the others were using again…”
”Not enough.”
Rira-chan’s cold voice cut through my hesitant explanation. It was intimidating—Rira-chan, you’re not usually this sharp. Her words were enough to remind me that just Shion-chan and Aria-chan alone would be challenging to manage. Even if we fully utilize the cafeteria and other spaces as a temporary solution, we can’t keep this up forever.
”Master, I have a suggestion. May I have your permission?”
Ranka-san, standing beside me, raised her hand gracefully, ready to make a proposal.
”I’ll allow the suggestion, Ranka.”
”It seems that individual is starting to realize their business is on the verge of failure and is preparing to flee. How about we buy out that private residence and the merchant guild building and seize them?”
Ranka-san was likely referring to Katarina, the president of the Merchant Guild. Since I purchased all the goods from the merchant guild at a 99% discount, they wouldn’t even be able to pay for new stock by tomorrow. It seemed they planned to take whatever operating capital remained, along with today’s sales, and disappear under cover of night.
”The private residence has quite a few rooms, so I believe it can accommodate several dozen people. The merchant guild building also still has rooms suitable for the slaves to live in.”
…Wait, did I jump the gun? Would it have been better to let the slaves stay as they were? For now, since Rira-chan is intimidating, I decided to show Ranka-san that I trusted her with the whole matter.
”I see. That might be a good idea. Do you know where the merchant guild president is?”
”I believe she is at her private residence. I’ll gladly guide you there.”
”Then… Aria-chan, will you come with me?”
I appointed Aria as a bodyguard in case anything happened. Among those left behind, she had the highest combat ability. She possessed ‘Martial Arts – Intermediate,’ but using bare hands against monsters was too dangerous, making it effectively a dead skill during dungeon exploration. I once saw her spar with Rinko, who also had a martial arts skill—it was quite impressive. Well, more than anything, the way her movements flowed was captivating.
”We’ll take this shortcut,” Ranka said.
She deftly navigated the narrow, winding alleys—areas where we would have easily gotten lost on our own.
”You really know your way around, Ranka. Is this area your hometown?”
”Yes. The private residence we’re heading to was originally owned by my parents… it was supposed to be the house where I would live.”
Ranka answered, biting her lip. It wasn’t hard to imagine how harsh things must have been for someone who was once a lady of a grand mansion, enough to house dozens of people, to end up a slave.
”I’m sorry, Ranka. I shouldn’t have asked something so painful.”
”No… more than that, Master, please don’t apologize to a slave… it disrupts the order.”
Ranka’s response was tinged with slight unease. Indeed, it might seem strange for a master to apologize to a slave. After walking through the back alleys for a while, we arrived at a mansion with a large gate.
The mansion had the usual atmosphere, but a carriage was parked at the entrance, and a person with an unmistakable presence—clearly the one in question—was struggling to load cargo. The amount that wouldn’t fit in the Magic Bag was impressive, as expected from the private wealth of the president of the great merchant guild.
”What is it, Ranka? I’m very busy right now,” said Katarina, the Merchant Guild head.
”I understand that, Katarina. However, a good story may come your way, even for someone like you—a defeated dog attempting to flee.”
With sharp words spoken casually, Katarina scowled at being addressed by her first name, but it seemed there wasn’t time to quarrel. She had her servants help load the cargo while she snorted in annoyance.
”Hmph, just the moment you are no longer a slave, this is how you act. You have no gratitude at all for having kept you as a virgin for ten years. So, what is your good proposal? Is that young man over there your new master? Hmph, our deal was a failure. Nevertheless, I built a great merchant guild that ranks among the top five in McGaref in a single generation. I will make a splendid comeback in the imperial capital. So, what is it you need?”
”You need cash, right? This Takumi-sama wishes to purchase this mansion and the merchant guild building.”
”Five hundred gold coins.”
Cash was necessary, but I didn’t want to grovel before some young punk who had pushed me to bankruptcy. That was probably a ridiculous price born from pride, but unfortunately, once a price was set, the seller had already lost, Merchant Guild Katarina.
”Alright then. So, we’ll go with a 99% discount, and it’ll be 5 gold coins, yes?”
”Yeah, that works for me. Here’s the deed.”
Katarina pulled some documents from her Magic Bag, about to hand them to me—when she paused.
”Hey, why not take my wife and daughter too?”
”You’re not just leaving your sisters behind, but selling them too?”
Suddenly, Ranka-san interjected with an accusatory tone. How deep did the darkness go with this man? He had the daughters of a man he took over—one as a wife, and one as a slave…
”Oh, I kept them around because they looked good, but I’ve grown tired of them by now. I can just find a younger woman as a wife in the imperial capital and have more daughters. Maybe a girl like that maid over there. Hey, how about a hundred gold coins for the two of them? If I sell them to a pervert, I might make a profit.”
”Alright then. So, we’ll go with a 99% discount, and one gold coin will be just fine, yes?”
Suppressing the urge to strike, I agreed. I could feel Aria-chan desperately restraining her killing intent as well. But stay calm, Aria-chan. It was more important to finalize the deal and protect Ranka-san’s sisters and niece.
”Okay, I’ve received the payment. Now I’m leaving, so do whatever you want.”
Then Katarina gave instructions to the slaves, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished with the carriage.
”Is it really okay, Takkun? Letting such scum live?”
Aria-chan asked me, her voice thick with anger. I understood her feelings. Getting angry here would be the natural reaction.
”Don’t worry about it. Those people have been serving this mansion since our parents’ time, and actually, that last transaction mixed in some of the slaves working here.”
Ranka-san turned to Aria-chan with a cheerful expression. Ranka-san really knew how to handle things. So, those slaves had been pretending to be slaves all along.
”Once we get out into the suburbs, I’m sure they’ll help us take back the humiliation we’ve suffered, alongside the regrets of our parents… and our own as well. Now, let’s go, Master. I’ll give you a tour of the mansion… just now, Father, Mother.”
And just like that, within a single day, I acquired 112 slaves, all the merchandise—including a large amount of equipment—sold by Merchant Guild Katarina, as well as a splendid manor and a prominent base for the merchant guild.
Notes:
• Ranka – She’s a guild shop assistant with a friendly demeanor and a practical mindset. Ranka’s recommendations are based on logical, merchant-minded suggestions, catering to the buyer’s needs.
• Kanare – The stern battalion commander, who once led Chinatsu, shares a solemn mission, his eyes reflecting battlefield memories.
• Shion-chan – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Shion – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Rinko – She’s mentioned as the one who attempted to rescue Shion, but Ginga-kun protected her instead, leaving a scar on Shion’s abdomen.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Merchant Guild Katarina – Described as the epitome of shady practices, this guild is notorious for its alleged involvement in theft and slavery. The public secret of their collaboration with thief gangs stains their prosperous facade.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply