Volume 2 Chapter 17 Kidnapping
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was the day of the move.
I left the shopping to Nier and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild. Just as I finished my business at the guild and stepped outside, someone gripped my shoulder from behind.
”Hey, old man. Give us a moment of your time. Whoa, don’t move. Our buddies are looking after that slave of yours,” a man said.
”Gramps. Just come along quietly. Or do you not care what happens to your slave?” another added.
- What?! Dammit! These guys have Nier!
In an instant, my head boiled with rage. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart hammered against my ribs.
(Brat… kill… torture… make them talk… where? …rescue… no… risk… danger… let them run… slaughter them all…)
In a single heartbeat, my brain went into overdrive. I suppressed my anger and chose to follow them quietly.
”This way. Keep your mouth shut and walk,” the man ordered.
”Don’t make a scene, gramps,” the other sneered.
The two men with unshaven stubble took the lead. I walked behind them in silence. I observed them from the rear.
One carried a one-handed sword and a knife. The other had a one-handed sword. These guys were small fry. I could kill them in the blink of an eye.
- This direction… it’s the West Gate. Do they intend to take me to the outskirts and finish me? Or are they leading me to their hideout?
I will rescue Nier no matter what. I’ll slaughter every last one of them. I don’t care who they are; I’ll kill them all and bring her back.
No, wait. Who are these people? Taking a hostage is an elaborate move. Is my money not the primary target? Could there be a mastermind backing them?
- We passed the West Gate and are crossing the bridge. As I thought, we’re in the outskirts. Where did they take Nier? Is she being held in a separate location?
If I kill these two now, I might lose the chance to save her. Is she safe? Has she already been killed? The image of the woman who was raped and burned to death in the Magic Forest flashed across my mind.
- We finished crossing the river and moved deeper into the outskirts. Memories of Nier flashed before my eyes like a final montage.
That innocent, beaming smile when she ate orc meat. The way she rejoiced when we moved into the mansion. Her blissful expression when illuminated by the fireplace. The way she looked ready to cry whenever I teased her.
The passionate kiss before sleep, and her eyes seen from inches away. The gentle gaze she gave me while I slept. The sight of her, so single-minded in her love for me.
That face she made when she shed tears, wishing to see her daughter just one last time. Ah, am I really not going to let her see her daughter again? Is her life going to end because of something like this?
My chest tightened painfully. It had only been a short time since we met. But somehow, her presence had become massive. This feeling of pure affection. My only ally in this unfamiliar world.
I’m going to lose her. I’m going to lose someone again. They took everything from me once, and now they’re taking from me again?
”Hey, old man. This is it. Get inside,” the man said. It seemed we had reached our destination. The pair opened the door to a dilapidated shack and stepped through. I followed them inside.
”Stand right there. Don’t move,” the man commanded. They forced me to stand in the center of the room. The man who had punched me before stood by the door, blocking the exit.
I scanned the interior. It was a single-story building. Dimly lit. One man sat in a chair at the back, about ten meters away. There was a bed in the far right corner. Another man sat on the edge of the bed. Someone was lying on the mattress, covered by a tattered cloth. Is that Nier?
”We brought him, Boss Ganz,” the unshaven man announced.
”Finally showed up, did you? You bastard. You’ve been nothing but trouble,” the man called Ganz replied. He sat on the bed, toyed with a knife in his right hand.
”Take his weapons,” Ganz ordered. The unshaven man next to me moved in.
”Alright, old man. Take off the belt and toss it over,” the man said. I removed my belt as instructed and threw the one-handed sword and my wallet forward. Ganz spoke to me without getting up from the bed.
”You. What did you do to Thor and the others?”
”…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
”The guys who went into the Magic Forest after you,” Ganz clarified.
”…Never heard of them,” I replied.
The pieces were finally clicking into place. Thor was one of the three who had targeted my money. I had dealt with them back in the Magic Forest.
”There’s no way you don’t know! Spit it out!” Ganz barked.
Ganz ripped the tattered cloth off the bed. He grabbed the person by the hair and forced them upright. He pressed the knife to their throat, his face twisting into a snarl.
”You want me to gut this one?! Well?!”
”Mmm-mmm! Mmm-nnn!” the person muffled.
(………)
Ganz hooked his finger into the cloth stuffed in the woman’s mouth and yanked it down.
”Mwah… Gasp! Ryuichi-san! Please help me!!”
- It was Helga. For some reason, they had captured Helga.
(………It was you?!)
”How about it? If you’re honest, I’ll make your death quick,” Ganz threatened.
”Ow! Stop it! Don’t pull my hair!” Helga cried out.
I didn’t understand the situation at all, but it was clear that the one kidnapped wasn’t Nier.
”…Phew. Fine. I’ll talk. I’ll talk,” I said.
As the words left my mouth, I unleashed an invisible blade of air. The head of the unshaven man standing next to me slid cleanly off his neck. Ganz’s right forearm, still clutching the knife, spun into the air.
”Gwah!” Ganz shrieked.
Next, I fired a small ice bullet directly into the forehead of the man in the chair. Thwack. The man with a hole between his eyes let out a pathetic croak and died.
I spun around and fired a mass of compressed air at the man guarding the door.
”Igyah!” the man screamed. Both of his knees snapped backward into a sickening ‘V’ shape as he collapsed.
I stepped toward him and kicked his face with everything I had. Crack. After confirming his nose was pulverized, I fired an ice bullet into his brow. I made sure he stopped breathing.
I turned back to Ganz. He was the only one left.
”My… my hand!” Ganz wailed.
”Heee… w-w-wait,” Helga whimpered.
Ganz was screaming, clutching his stump with his left hand to stem the blood. Helga, hands still bound, was scrambling backward on the bed.
Approaching Ganz, I summoned a Fireball² after the first occurrence only. and let it hover in the air.
”Ganz, was it? Do you know what this is?”
”Hic… A Fire… Ball,” Ganz stammered.
”Ganz. Do you want to find out what it feels like to be burned alive?”
”S-stop! I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were a sorcerer!” Ganz pleaded.
”Then it’s your turn to be honest,” I said.
”I will! I’ll tell you everything!” Ganz shouted.
”Good. Then talk. Why is this woman supposed to be my slave?”
”Eh? A-ah… Yesterday, one of my guys saw you cornering her… trying to sell her off to a slave merchant,” Ganz explained.
”What? Me, cornering her?”
”Isn’t that right? You harassed her until she quit her job. You were going to force her into slavery so you could have your way with her, right? It’s a classic move,” Ganz said.
Now that he mentioned it… when I saw Helga yesterday, she was rambling about selling herself to a slave merchant or something.
I looked at Helga, who was listening to the explanation in silence. “Ah-ha, ah-ha-ha… Now that you mention it, I might have said something like that~?” Helga chirped.
This girl… she is truly exhausting. It was her fault. Again.
”…I see. So, did you kidnap anyone else?”
”N-no… just her. We didn’t take anyone else,” Ganz managed.
”Good. I’m done with you. ‘Air Hammer’¹,”
I slammed a mass of compressed air into Ganz’s face. With a sickening crunch, his head snapped 180 degrees backward, and he crumpled to the floor.
”Hieeee…” Helga squeaked.
Seeing Ganz slaughtered before her, Helga began to tremble. I dispelled the Fireball and lit a small flame to see her better. Her hands were bound behind her back.
She was wearing nothing but tattered, patched-up rags. Does this girl really own nothing but her uniform and these scraps?
”Now then, Helga. The question is what I should do with you,” I said.
”Ah-ha-ha… Ryuichi-san, you’re so strong! That was amazing! You’re so cool!” Helga said.
”You saw my magic. Now that the secret’s out, I can’t exactly let you walk away. I suppose I should finish the job,” I threatened.
”Wait! Wait a second! Just a tiny minute! Huh? That’s weird… why am I even here? I don’t remember a single thing! Ah-ha!” Helga stammered.
I stared at Helga.
I wouldn’t have minded even if a “Fireball”² level spell were seen, but this woman had seen too much of my magic.
I didn’t know what might happen.
It would be best to erase her here and now.
”Ah, that’s right! I was thinking… maybe I could become Ryuichi-sa… sama’s slave! Aha, ahaha!” Helga chirped.
I activated interdimensional magic¹ above Helga’s head.
Helga trembled, staring at the pitch-black void that suddenly appeared before her eyes.
”L-Lies, right? No way… aha, ahaha,” Helga stammered.
It couldn’t be helped.
I decided to kill her.
—Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!
”Ah, my stomach growled. …Ah, I’m so hungry. Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten a single thing since yesterday, you know?” Helga said.
She started talking about being hungry as if she were just making small talk.
This was not the attitude of someone about to be killed.
This woman… she had some serious nerves of steel.
I took some pig jerky out of the interdimensional space and showed it to Helga.
”Well, it’s the end of your life anyway. Want to eat?” I asked.
”Eh!? Really!? I can!? Yay! I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” Helga shouted.
”…Turn around. I’ll cut the rope on your hands,” I said.
I made Helga sit facing away and cut the rope tying her hands with Ganz’s knife.
”Ugh! Your hands are covered in crap. I touched it… God, you stink,” I grumbled.
”That’s right~. I mean, after I chased Ryuichi-sa… sama, I was caught by those people,” Helga explained.
It seemed she had been captured ever since that time.
The stench of filth and rotting garbage drifted from Helga’s entire body.
Looking closely, the filth on her limbs had dried, turning pure white and caked onto her skin.
I held the very edge of the jerky to avoid touching Helga and handed it over.
She took it with her filth-caked hands and began devouring the jerky.
It was gone in an instant.
When I took out another piece, that one also disappeared in a flash.
I let her eat jerky until she was satisfied.
It was her last supper, after all.
”Ah… I ate my fill… I’m so happy…” Helga sighed.
”Alright, you’ve satisfied. Now then, are you ready?” I asked.
”Wait, wait! I’ve decided! I’m really going to be Ryuichi-sama’s slave! I really will! I’ll do it! Please let me be one!” Helga pleaded.
”Hey, hey. What the hell are you talking about?” I asked.
”I mean, if I become Ryuichi-sama’s slave, you’ll let me eat food like this, right?” Helga asked.
”Well, I let them eat, at the very least,” I replied.
”Yay! I’ll do anything! So please make me your slave!” Helga cried out.
Just when I thought she was overjoyed to hear she could eat, she pressed her hands together as if praying and began to beg.
(Hmm. Well, she doesn’t seem to have any ill intent herself. She’s just way too much of an idiot.)
(If she becomes a slave and swears loyalty to me, would it be okay to keep her around?)
(Come to think of it, she was a guild staff member. There might be various uses for her.)
(Well, if I try using her and it doesn’t work out, I can just dispose of her then.)
”Will you really do anything?” I asked.
”I’ll do it!” Helga shouted.
”Becoming my slave means your body becomes my toy, you know,” I said.
”Yes! I want to become Ryuichi-sama’s toy!” Helga replied.
”Can you offer your everything to me?” I asked.
”Please use all of me!” Helga cried out.
This girl, she answers immediately with a pretty light attitude.
(Because she’s an idiot… I can’t quite trust her…)
”Hou. Then, if I told you to drink my urine, you could drink it, right?” I asked.
”I’ll drink pee!” Helga answered.
I thrust my hand into interdimensional space¹, pour urine into a cup, and pull it out.
It’s the very first, incredibly dark urine I produced in the Magic Forest on the first day I came to this different world.
”Alright. Then, try drinking this. It’s my urine,” I said.
”Yes! Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp… Ahhh!” Helga gasped.
She finished it in one go.
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.
”Ah~ that was delicious!” Helga said.
”Hou… You. Aren’t you quite the capable one,” I said.
”Ahaha! I happened to be thirsty anyway,” Helga laughed.
(This girl’s level of idiocy is through the roof…)
”…Well, fine. I guess I’ll take you along for now. I don’t really want to stay here long anyway,” I muttered.
”Yay! Thank you very much!” Helga cheered.
”Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m only going to test if you’re useful,” I stated.
”Yes! I’ll do my best!” Helga promised.
”…Then, work starts immediately. Help me strip the clothes off these corpses,” I commanded.
”Oka-ay!” Helga chirped.
The two of us strip the corpses buck naked and gather the clothes and belongings.
Helga, while saying “Heave-ho, heave-ho,” strips the clothes from the corpses without any sense of aversion.
I store the gathered belongings in Storage².
”Alright. That’s about it. Now then, what should I do with these corpses?” I wondered.
”Ryuichi-sama, isn’t it fine to just leave them like this?” Helga asked.
”Won’t it become a problem if we leave them?” I questioned.
”I think it’ll be fine. In the Outskirts, things like corpses aren’t rare or anything,” Helga explained.
”I see. Then let’s leave them as they are. It’ll serve as a warning to the fools who target me,” I decided.
I leave the shack together with Helga.
Returning the way I came, I talk with Helga while aiming for the West Gate.
”Helga. Speaking of which, you. Yesterday, weren’t you trying to throw poop at me?” I asked.
(Gulp…) “Yes… I was trying to throw poop…” Helga admitted.
”I knew you were doing it! Hey. Absolutely stop throwing poop at me ever again. Got it?” I snapped.
”I’m sorry… I’ll stop throwing poop,” Helga apologized.
”That’s not all. From now on, don’t do a single thing that results in a disadvantage for me. Don’t hold any grudges either,” I warned.
”Yes… I won’t do it anymore,” Helga whispered.
”So, about that. You said you’d become a slave. What should I do to make you my slave?” I asked.
”Eh? Ah, if we go to a Slave Merchant, they can make me Ryuichi-sama’s slave. …Um, the procedure will cost some fees, though,” Helga said.
”I see. Well, the fact that it costs money is fine. Then, let’s head to the Slave Merchant’s place as we are,” I said.
”Yes!” Helga agreed.
I pay Helga’s passage fee at the West Gate.
It seems that if you carry a bucket for cleaning the roads, the passage fee isn’t taken, but she doesn’t have a bucket right now.
When we go to the Slave Trading House where I bought Nier, the master, Hilbert, attended to us.
”Ryuichi-sama. Welcome. What is your business for today?” Hilbert asked.
”I want to make this girl my slave. I’d like to request the procedure,” I said.
”In that case, we will charge 20 percent of the market sales price as a fee, is that acceptable?” Hilbert inquired.
”Yeah. I don’t mind,” I replied.
”Understood. Then, this way,” Hilbert said.
I am guided to the same spacious private room as before.
I sit on the sofa, and Helga sits in seiza on the floor next to me.
Hilbert, who went to get the necessary documents, returned with a thick booklet.
”Now then, I will ask the slave a few questions and record them in our establishment’s Slave Ledger,” Hilbert explained.
Hilbert writes in the ledger while asking Helga questions.
Helga’s age is 18. She apparently just turned it today.
She was born as the second daughter of parents who were serfs on a manor.
She escaped the manor at age 12 and had been living in hiding in Grimm’s Outskirts.
If one can spend more than a year in the city while evading the owner’s pursuit, they are apparently automatically released from slave status.
Therefore, Helga was a former serf, but her current status was a Free Citizen.
She is not someone’s slave.
The procedure to make her my domestic slave was carried out without any problems.
Helga’s market value was 3 gold coins.
I pay 6 silver coins as 20 percent of the market price.
”Thank you very much. We look forward to your next visit,” Hilbert said.
”That was a help. I’ll count on you again,” I said.
Facing the incredibly smelly Helga, Hilbert handled everything without showing a single look of disgust.
He was a professional.
I thank Hilbert and leave the Slave Trading House.
When I return to the mansion leading Helga, Nier had started preparing dinner.
I call Nier out to the garden.
Seeing her safe appearance, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.
”Nier… was everything okay?” I asked.
”Yes, there were no particular problems but… Goshujin-sama, who is that person?” Nier asked.
”This girl is the new slave, Helga. She said she’d do anything so she wanted me to make her a slave,” I explained.
”A new slave… Helga-san…” Nier murmured.
”Hey. Helga. Listen well. Nier is my head slave. You are… let’s see, a 10th grade Slave³. Understood? Of course, you are the subordinate, okay?” I stated.
”Yes, I am the subordinate,” Helga nodded.
”Helga. Call Nier with an honorific. Think of her words as my own words and obey everything,” I commanded.
”Yes, Ryuichi-sama. I look forward to working with you, Nier-sama,” Helga said.
”Nier. You call Helga by her name without honorifics. Your positions are different,” I told her.
”I understand. …I look forward to working with you, Helga,” Nier said.
(Because Helga is an idiot… I set the ranking firmly from the start so she doesn’t get the wrong idea.)
”Helga. Anyway, you smell too much like poop,” I complained.
”Sniff, sniff… Sniff, sniff? …Yes, I’m sorry,” Helga said.
Helga is putting her nose to her arm and sniffing.
She doesn’t seem very convinced.
Even from a distance, she smells terrible.
”I’ll fill a tub with hot water for you, so go wash the dirt off thoroughly,” I ordered.
”Eh!? There’s hot water!?” Helga exclaimed.
I have Nier bring out a large tub.
I place the tub in the middle of the garden and fill it with hot water.
”Get naked here and bathe. Don’t enter the mansion until you’re completely clean. Make sure you clean your head, your p**sy, and your asshole properly,” I instructed.
”Amazing! Yay! Oka-ay! I’ll make everything clean!” Helga cheered.
Helga is overjoyed at the bath.
In front of me and Nier, she stripped off her clothes without hesitation and became buck naked.
She’s in full view from the windows of the neighboring mansions too.
She’s also visible to passersby through the gaps in the gate.
Leaving the idiot be, I entered the mansion taking Nier with me.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi follows suspected kidnappers into the outskirts believing Nier has been taken. He discovers the hostage is actually Helga, who was mistaken for his slave. After brutally eliminating Ganz and his gang, Ryuichi confronts the terrified and air-headed Helga
Ryuichi prepares to eliminate Helga to protect the secrets of his magic. The execution is derailed when Helga’s overwhelming hunger leads to an impromptu meal of pig jerky. This shift in atmosphere prompts Helga to beg for enslavement as a means of survival
Ryuichi officially inducts the airheaded Helga into his household by finalizing her legal slave status at Hilbert’s establishment. Despite her past as a manor runaway and her crude habits, she readily accepts a low-ranking position beneath Nier. The group returns to the mansion where Helga’s lack of modesty causes a public spectacle during her outdoor bath. The social standing and hygiene of the new addition remain a source of exasperation for Ryuichi
—
Trivia:
- The man who previously punched Ryuichi is the one guarding the door
- Ryuichi uses compressed air specifically to snap necks or break limbs
- The mention of ‘Thor’ connects this group to the bandits killed in the Magic Forest
- Helga’s hands were covered in filth specifically described as having turned white and caked-on
- Helga was previously a guild staff member, a fact Ryuichi recalls while weighing her utility
- The ‘dark urine’ used as a loyalty test was specifically from Ryuichi’s first day in the Magic Forest
- The 20% commission fee is based on the current market value of the slave being processed
- A slave can become a free citizen if they evade capture in the city for one yea
—
Character Insight:
Ryuichi moves from protective rage to cold, calculated execution, showing no mercy to those who threaten his peace, yet he remains exasperated by Helga’s antics.
Ryuichi moves from a purely lethal mindset to a utilitarian one, deciding to spare Helga if she proves useful, while Helga demonstrates a complete lack of dignity or fear when food is involved.
Ryuichi demonstrates a highly transactional and pragmatic leadership style, using a ‘loyalty test’ involving filth to gauge Helga’s submissiveness. Helga shows an almost supernatural lack of shame or critical thinking, transitioning from a homeless runaway to a slave with exuberant joy.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Nier – A twenty-seven-year-old Japanese-esque beauty with long black hair, refined features, and large breasts, she is Ryuichi’s primary slave and attendant. Deeply devoted to her “Goshujin-sama,” she provides domestic, culinary, and intimate care at their new mansion, even teaching him literacy. Separated from her daughter Mia, she suppresses past trauma, finding security in Ryuichi’s kindness. While emotionally vulnerable, she has an innocent smile, loves orc meat, and protectively manages and educates his other subordinates.
• Ganz – An adventurer turned criminal boss who sits on a bed in an outskirts shack. Armed with a knife, he seeks revenge for his fallen associates and previously leaked details about Ryuichi’s earnings to a bandit group.
• Thor – A lanky copper-rank adventurer who led a trio to ambush Ryuichi for gold in the forest. He became a past antagonist after being killed during the attempted robbery, an attack originally instigated by Helga’s actions.
• Ryuichi – Forty-year-old Japanese adventurer Poison Snake is a weary, pragmatic sorcerer with a beard. Hiding immense power—fire, ice, air, speed, healing, and an Item Box—from nobles, he hunts monsters for profit. Though detached and viewing companions (like slaves Nier and Helga) as tools for his satisfaction, he feels protective rage if they are threatened, executing cold, efficient violence.
• Helga – A twelve-year-old former Adventurer’s Guild receptionist with waist-length blonde hair, pale skin, silver eyes, and a doll-like Northern European appearance. After a conflict with Ryuichi and the Guild Master, her bratty, flighty, and irritating personality led her into squalor and slavery. Highly focused on food and bathing, she survived the Grimm region alone, can perform household tasks, speaks in a raspy voice, and wears tattered rags. She was recently mistakenly kidnapped by Ganz’s group.
• Hilbert – A middle-aged merchant with a neat beard and gentlemanly air, he professionally runs a high-end Slave Trading House. He handles high-value transactions with composure, showing no personal bias regardless of a slave’s condition, and provides detailed legal explanations to clients. Having previously sold Nier to the narrator, he uses his carriage mail and slave trade network to help track Nier’s daughter.
• 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.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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