Volume 3 Chapter 10 Slave Children
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Having finished taking revenge for Nier’s daughter, I set fire to the main building to make it look as if Torben and his associates had died in the blaze.
I had been asked by Nier, and I knew I had to do something for the Slave children.
If left like this, they would surely starve to death.
I drenched the building where the Slave children were kept with ‘Water Breath’ to keep it safe.
It was far enough from the scene of the fire that I didn’t think the flames would spread, but it was just a precaution.
When I arrived at the ‘Portable shelter’ and went inside, Nier was sleeping soundly, looking comfortable.
Perhaps she was meeting her daughter in her dreams.
I stroked Nier’s head and spoke to her.
”Nier, it’s over. Can you wake up?”
”Fua… mm… Goshujin-sama…”
”Shall we go home soon? Once we return, I’ll consult with Roman about the children.”
”The children’s… oh, yes!”
Nier, who had been dazed, jumped up at the mention of the children.
By the time I returned with Nier, the entire building was engulfed in flames, roaring as it burned.
I stood side by side with Nier, watching the fire from a distance.
”Nier. It’s a fire.”
”…Yes, it is a fire.”
”It was already burning when we arrived. At this point, even I can’t do anything about it.”
”…Yes, it is something that couldn’t be helped.”
”At this rate, I don’t think anyone in Torben’s group will be saved. Yes, there’s no doubt about it.”
”…Surely, divine punishment has descended upon them.”
”Yeah. I’m sure that’s it.”
The two of us, Nier and I, retraced our steps and walked along the side road.
My stomach growled.
It seemed like it was past lunchtime.
I took some food out of my ‘Interdimensional Space’ and ate with Nier while we walked.
When I looked back after walking a little further, the intensity of the fire seemed to have weakened.
When I looked at Nier next to me, she was staring with a distant look at the place where her daughter had spent her final moments.
It might be that she would never visit this place again.
* * *
I walked back with Nier to the Brooke-Taylor Mansion in Niver City.
I caught Sebastian immediately to ask him, and since he said Roman was inside the Mansion, I requested an appointment.
Currently, I have been shown into Roman’s office, and the two of us are talking.
I had Nier rest in the guest room.
”It seems you have something you want to talk about. Did something happen?”
”I have something I’d like to consult you about. Do you remember the guy named Torben, the slave merchant I mentioned yesterday?”
”Yes, I remember. The slave merchant who operates in a land a little ways away from Niver, right? You said he went all the way to Grimm to buy child Slaves.”
”Yeah, that was the one. Actually, I went there a while ago, and the main building had burned down completely. None of Torben’s associates survived.”
”Burned down? In a fire?”
”Yeah, a fire.”
”Why did a fire start?”
”I don’t know. It was probably just an accident.”
”…Just an accident, huh? Ryuichi, is that the truth?”
Roman narrowed his eyes and questioned me.
I took a stack of documents from the stool I had placed to the side and dropped them onto the table.
”It’s the truth. Look at these.”
”Hmm…? These are land deeds, and these are building deeds, are they not? These must belong to the Torben whose place caught fire. Why do you have these?”
”Oh, nothing much. It was right in the middle of the fire, but with my Magic, I managed to secure at least these. Since I had something to consult you about, I was thinking of leaving the handling of these to you, Roman.”
”…Hmm. So you are offering these to me. Then, Ryuichi, let me ask. Did that fellow Torben really burn to death?”
”Yeah, both Torben and his relatives all burned to death there.”
”…Are you sure? Are there any survivors among his family?”
”Yes. There is no mistake. …If there is any inheritance right to Torben’s assets, there is not a single person left in this world who holds it. I can guarantee that.”
I intentionally implied that I had finished off Torben and the others.
Our eyes met, and silence filled the office.
Roman’s sharp gaze was searching for the true meaning deep within my eyes.
After a while, Roman’s loud laughter shattered the silence.
”Wah-ha-ha! It seems that is the truth. When it comes to you, dealing with a slave merchant or two is an easy task, isn’t it?”
”Well… who knows about that.”
”I don’t know what happened, but if there is no one left to file a complaint, then it’s a simple matter. In that case, the land and buildings without heirs will be confiscated by Niver City. Is that alright with you?”
”Yeah, you can go ahead and do that.”
”Hmm, understood. In this location, the asset value of the land alone should be no less than 300 Gold Coins. It will be no small income for Niver City. With these deeds, the confiscation should proceed easily. …So, what is it that you wanted to consult me about, to go that far?”
I picked up the ‘Slave Ledger’ and the string with many keys from the stool and placed them on the table.
”This is the Slave Ledger and the keys to the building where the child Slaves are kept. Now that Torben is dead, the children will starve to death if things continue as they are. I want you to please do something to protect the children.”
”Hmm? Is that all you want?”
”Yeah. Can you do it?”
”That is an easy matter. The Slaves who have lost their owners will also be confiscated by Niver City. Even if you hadn’t told me, I would have sent officials there immediately to bring them back. They won’t end up starving to death.”
”Oh, I see. In that case, what will be the destination for the secured children?”
”Let’s see. If they were adult Slaves, I would have sold them off to slave merchants in the city, but there are few slave merchants who will take on Slaves that don’t have buyers. I suppose I would have to find a dealer like Torben who specializes in children and have them take them off our hands.”
So they would be kept by a slave merchant similar to Torben again?
If so, there isn’t much point in saving them.
”…Torben’s place was a terrible environment. I imagine other dealers are much the same. Even healthy children would easily die if kept like that. Isn’t there any other way?”
”Hmm…? Other ways, you say? If they were Free Citizens, there would be options, but with Slaves, it is difficult.”
”What can be done if they were Free Citizens?”
”If they were Free Citizens, there is a method of entrusting them to the church orphanage. Though, one would need to make the necessary donations.”
”Oh. Then how about freeing them from being Slaves and putting them in an orphanage?”
”Freeing them from being Slaves, you say? …Hmm, that is a bit…”
Roman rubbed his chin with his hand and pondered.
He seemed unable to decide.
”What is it? Is there some problem?”
”What do you think would happen if the city confiscated and freed Slaves who lost their owners? Next thing you know, Slaves would pop up one after another trying to kill their masters so they could be freed too. Once you create a bad precedent like that, it could become a problem that shakes the foundations of city governance.”
”…Hmm, I see.”
Indeed, if that were the case, it would be a “winner takes all” situation for those who killed their masters.
Slaves might revolt one after another, and eventually, a slave liberation movement might even occur.
That is certainly a problem that the governing side cannot allow.
”Then, what if I buy the Slaves and set them free? Then it would just be a matter of me personally freeing my own Slaves. After that, I could just entrust them to the orphanage, couldn’t I?”
”Hmm…. If it is that, it might be something that could be tolerated. How an owner treats their Slaves is not something the city concerns itself with, at least on the surface. However, Ryuichi. Why do you go so far as to take the side of those Slaves?”
Even if he asked me why, I could only say it was Nier’s wish.
I personally don’t have a desire to save unrelated people by bending the economic principles created by people of another world.
I am not a person from this world. I am an outsider, after all.
”…Well, just because. They were being kept in such a terrible way that it’s just been on my mind.”
”…Very well. I will grant your request and arrange it that way. However, make sure this kind of thing is for this time only. Buying a large number of Slaves and setting them free is something that normally would never be allowed.”
”Yeah, I understand. I appreciate it.”
With the general policy decided, I worked out the details with Roman.
Although it would be under the pretense that I personally bought them and entrusted them to the orphanage, in reality, Roman’s subordinates would handle everything.
I would just pay 20 Gold Coins to Roman as necessary expenses.
Since I had taken more than 120 Gold Coins in cash from Torben, 20 coins was neither painful nor itchy to me.
Since the coordination and procedures with the relevant parties would take a considerable amount of time, it was decided that for the time being, the children would live in tents set up in a corner of the Brooke-Taylor Mansion grounds.
He also said he would think of ways to reduce the number of freed Slaves as much as possible.
Once the response was decided, Roman called Sebastian and gave him instructions.
Many servants began moving busily to prepare for the reception of the children.
Having finished my talk with Roman, I returned to the guest room and instructed Nier and the others to help with the care of the children.
It was just as the sun was setting and it began to get dark that the officials who had headed to Torben’s base returned with a total of 36 children.
Children who were too weak to walk were brought on wagons.
The maids had the children sit around a bonfire and began distributing food.
Along with the maids, my 4 Slaves were also helping to take care of the children.
I wandered around the area, watching everyone’s state.
Nier was sitting next to a small girl, feeding her.
With a worried expression, she gently stroked the child’s back and spoke to her softly.
”Nier. How are the children?”
”Yes, the small ones are particularly weak…. Besides that, their hands and feet are chapped from the cold, and they have terrible wounds on their bodies.”
”I see. Let me take a look.”
When Nier lifted the child’s clothes, there was a wound on her back where the skin was peeled off the size of a fist, exposing the flesh.
It was right around her lower back, so it might have been a bedsore.
The frostbite and chapping on her hands and feet were also severe.
”Alright. I’ll cast healing Magic on her. ‘High Heal’”
When I cast the healing Magic, suppressing the power so it wouldn’t glow, the wounds on her hands and feet healed right before my eyes.
The wound on her back didn’t fully heal, but a thin layer of skin had formed, and it was on its way to recovery.
If I left the rest to natural healing, it would heal nicely.
For external injuries of this degree, ‘High Heal’ seemed to be enough.
”Ah… does it not hurt? My bottom and hands don’t hurt anymore…”
”That’s good, Rita. Now, you must say thank you properly. Goshujin-sama cured you with Magic, you know.”
”Thank you… mister.”
”It’s not ‘mister’, call him Goshujin-sama.”
”Yes, big sister. Thank you, Goshujin-sama.”
”Yeah, I’m glad you’re healed.”
”Goshujin-sama, thank you very much.”
Nier bowed deeply and thanked me.
The expression on her face when she looked up was very happy.
At her request, I decided to perform healing Magic on the children.
I used ‘Heal’ for children with few wounds, and ‘High Heal’ for those in bad condition.
After finishing casting healing Magic on everyone, Nier thanked me and returned to the circle of children.
The children naturally gathered around Nier.
It seemed she was already being liked by them.
Looking around to find John and Reina, I found them sitting side by side in front of the bonfire.
When I approached, they were eating together, sandwiching a small child between them.
”Here, try eating this. It’s delicious. It’s Orc meat I’ve been saving up little by little as my secret stash.”
”Nom nom… delicious!”
”John, I always thought you were asking for seconds. You were hiding it in a place like that?”
I watched the two of them eating with the child between them from behind and felt warmed by the sight.
If I had Reina bear my child, these guys would surely raise them like this.
Maybe I’ll plant my seed in Reina sometime soon.
Suddenly, Mira’s figure entered the edge of my vision.
Seeing Mira walking around with her hand on her chest looking around, I remembered an urgent matter.
I went around behind the tents and pondered while looking up at the night sky.
Now is not the time to have unnecessary talks with Mira. Especially about n**ples.
I went back out to the front, timing it with Mira leaving.
A private well has been dug in the garden of the Brooke-Taylor Mansion.
When I went to the well, Helga was giving a small child a bath.
I had created a large amount of hot water with Magic in advance.
”Alright~, now you’re clean~! Come on, come on, next child come here~!”
Helga efficiently washed the children, who emitted a foul odor that made it hard to even get close, from head to toe.
Children who finished eating bathed, changed into new clothes, and returned to the tents.
Straw is spread inside the tents.
I thought that tents in the cold night air were something, but the children had been living in even harsher environments.
Clean bedding with straw would probably be like heaven.
The children who returned to the tents seemed to fall asleep immediately.
After that, we helped the maids with the care until all the children returned to the tents.
I was just wandering around and watching, though.
It was impressive to see Nier caring for the children as if they were her own.
* * *
I returned to the guest room with Nier and Helga, and after finishing the bathing and Toothbrushing, I had Helga go to sleep first using Magic.
I lay on the bed, gave Nier an arm pillow, and hugged her, enveloping her.
To her who closed her eyelids facing me, I also closed my eyes and overlapped my lips.
In the darkness where not a single sound could be heard, we confirmed each other’s body heat.
After being like that for a while, her lips suddenly began to tremble.
Her breath leaked out from her nose, and I felt my right arm, which I had used for the arm pillow, get wet with tears.
I stopped the kissing and gently pulled her head into my arms; she was crying quietly while trembling in my chest.
Nier would not have hesitated to offer her own life if it meant saving her daughter.
She was an existence more important than life itself to her.
The same existence as Yuki is to me.
From our joined skin, her deep sorrow was transmitted.
Until she cried herself to sleep, I continued to hold her and stroke her back in silence.
Wishing to heal her sorrow even a little.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi burns Torben’s estate to conceal his actions, then returns to Nier at the shelter. After observing the aftermath of the fire, they return to Niver City to consult with Roman about the rescued slave children. The status of the children remains pending as Roman considers the political implications.
—
Trivia:
- The specific magical composition of ‘Water Breath’
- Details regarding Nier’s daughter’s final moments
- Specific contents of the meals provide
—
Character Insight:
Ryuichi demonstrates a growing, albeit reluctant, sense of responsibility toward the children, while Nier transitions from deep grief to a sense of purpose in caring for them.
Notes:
• Torben – A Free Citizen who operates a slave-trading business out of a red-roofed, single-story house outside the city walls of Niver. He justifies his actions through the social stratification of slavery before being bound and executed by Ryuichi.
• Nier – A 27-year-old Japanese woman with long black hair and refined features, she carries a motherly warmth despite profound trauma from the slave trade. Devoted to her captor, Ryuichi, she manages domestic and scholarly tasks while acting as a protector for other rescued children. Devastated by the tragic death of her daughter, Mia, she remains a soft-spoken, surrogate figure to those she nurtures.
• Roman – A stout, sixty-year-old official in Niver, he sports a signature curled Kaiser mustache. As the authoritative head of the wealthy Brooke Taylor merchant guild and father to Mira, he balances managing city assets with a bureaucratic demeanor. Though dignified, he is a pragmatist willing to compromise his personal principles whenever he believes it will ultimately benefit the city.
• Brooke – The family lineage to which Mila and her father belong. The Brooke Taylor family holds substantial aristocratic and financial influence within the city-state of Niver. The noble family name carried by Mila. The lineage holds aristocratic status within the region of Niver.
• Taylor – The family name carried by Mila and her father, representing a prominent noble lineage in Niver. The secondary component of the aristocratic family name carried by Mila Brooke Taylor.
• Man – A roughneck wearing a hat who participated in a group assault. He suffers the loss of his right arm and later his left arm during an experiment by the protagonist before being stored.
• Sebastian – An immaculate middle-aged butler at the Brooke-Taylor residence who welcomes Mila and Ryuichi upon their arrival. Beyond his duties serving the household, he acts as a key intermediary for Roman.
• Grimm – The name of a large settlement and community located near the Forest of Magic. Grimm is a walled city featuring a bustling marketplace and diverse population, though it suffers from severe lack of sanitation and a legalized slave trade.
• Ryuichi – Poison Snake is a 40-year-old, bearded Japanese silver-class adventurer and sorcerer. Driven by calculated pragmatism to protect his family, he masters earth, spatial, healing, and blue fire magic. While he views his dependents, Nier and Helga, as tools, he defends them with lethal rage. He effectively leverages noble connections to dismantle criminal rings, balancing ruthless justice with survival.
• Rita – A small child and slave who was rescued, suffering from severe physical neglect.
• Reina – A 19-year-old village hunter and skilled archer, she has fair skin, a brown ponytail, and wears a leather cuirass. As one of Ryuichi’s four slaves, she is deeply submissive to him while serving as the emotional heart for friends Allen and John. A wilderness expert, she helps manage the carriage and security, recently taking on the additional duty of caring for the rescued children.
• John – A large-built, twenty-year-old blond vanguard mercenary with an arrogant, gruff demeanor. He wears chainmail, a helm, and a wool coat, wielding a massive two-handed sword and heater shield. Raised with Allen and Reina, he now serves as Ryuichi’s combat slave and carriage driver, protecting his partners, managing routes for Mila, and assisting in the care of the children rescued by their group.
• Mira – The second daughter of Niver’s noble Brooke Taylor family, this thirteen-year-old girl is currently one of the protagonist’s slaves. She sports intricate braids in two coils, heavy makeup to appear older, and an elaborate, floor-length dress. Despite the trauma of a bandit ambush that killed her retainers, she retains aristocratic pride and deep geographical knowledge, negotiating coldly with Ryuichi.
• Helga – A former Adventurer’s Guild receptionist, this doll-like, raspy-voiced woman with blonde hair and silver eyes is Ryuichi’s doted-on companion. Once bratty and high-energy, she now assists with household tasks, horse care, and the bathing of rescued children. Known to John, Reina, and Ryuichi, she balances her domestic duties with a love for meat snacks, always wearing her signature fluffy gown.
• Yuki – The four-year-old daughter of Okabe, Shoko, and the narrator. Born with a monkey-like face that grew to be very cute, she loves birthday cake and is remembered from a kindergarten playground on Earth.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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