I asked Grave to tell me about the nearest slave dealer and I was now headed there.
To put it simply, I’m against buying a slave. This isn’t just because I was j.a.panese in my previous life. This is also due to my own circ.u.mstances.
Slaves are sold to people and forced to do whatever their owners want, regardless of the slave’s own desires. It’s similar to me being held captive by a Yandere and being forced to do whatever she wishes.
However, there is no other way for me to form a party.
— When I left the back room, all of the people in the Guild seemed to fall silent and stare at me. Well&h.e.l.lip;.Sylphy came up to me, but she is Yandere, so she’s an exception.
This confirmed to me that there was no choice for me but to buy a slave.
I’m surprised at myself for being able to so quickly decide to buy a slave&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.Maybe it’s due to the bonuses from my status?
I think I was a rather bold person, to begin with, but ever since coming to this world, I feel like I’ve become even bolder.
That’s why I’m calmly standing in the shop of a slaver.
A middle-aged man greeted me with a pleasant smile.
“Welcome, I am the owner of this shop. You can call me Lang. What kind of slave were you looking to purchase today?”
“Actually&h.e.l.lip;..I was looking for a slave that would be able to act as a travel companion.”
“Companion&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.Forgive me for asking, but if you’re looking for a companion, wouldn’t you be better off looking at the Adventurer’s Guild?”
The slave dealer gave me a strange look.
“There are certain reasons I can’t do that&h.e.l.lip;..In fact, the Guild Master, Grave, was the one that advised me to come here. He told me this was a trustworthy shop.”
“&h.e.l.lip;.Hou, the Guild Master said that. That is indeed&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;an honour.”
The slave dealer showed me a nice smile but it seemed like his words had some kind of hidden meaning.
I decided to tell him that I had the skill ‘To Be Loved To Death By Yanderes’ and that it was rank SSS. After hearing this, the smile on the slave dealer’s face seemed to falter.
“To be loved to death by Y-Yanderes? And it’s rank SSS?”
“Y-Yeah. That seems to be the case.”
“W-Will you please excuse me for a moment?”
The slave dealer continued speaking in a polite manner but quickly ran out of the room.
I could hear his voice coming from the back, “Oi, take all of the girls out of here! Don’t bring them back in here until I say it’s okay!”
Well&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;that’s understandable. Basically, a person with a horribly contagious disease just appeared in the shop. I’m sorry.
Shortly after, the slave dealer returned.
“I’m sorry for the wait.”
“No, well&h.e.l.lip;..I should be the one apologizing.”
“Ah, of course not. It’s just some countermeasures for your SSS ranked skill&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Still, I shouldn’t have made you feel uncomfortable.”
Even though I can’t help it, I still bowed my head to him.
I also noticed this at the Guild, but this world does seem to have some problems with Yandere&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; Maybe this is due to the Yandere G.o.ddess that made this world.
&h.e.l.lip;..That might be the case.
Anyway, I’m only able to survive this skill due to my const.i.tution. Even if I were to isolate myself, I’d be a danger to the world as a whole.
“*Cough* Let’s get back to our conversation. Dear customer, you’re looking for a slave that can act as a travel companion, correct? Forgive me for asking, but what is your budget?”
“Nine gold coins is the most I’d be willing to spend.”
“Nine gold coins&h.e.l.lip;..”
The slave dealers expression hardened.
With one silver coin, I could stay the night at an inn with meals included.
I could live comfortably off nine gold coins for several years, so buying a person for that price seems rather cheap&h.e.l.lip;.Graves told me I could probably buy one for several gold coins.
“With nine gold coins, you’d be able to choose from quite a few different slaves.”
“Well, I’m sure there are a lot of slaves I can buy for one gold coin, but I’m not only looking for a slave. I want someone I can trust and be my companion.”
The slave dealer gave me a slight nod.
“Then, criminals and those with bad att.i.tudes are out of the question.”
“Well&h.e.l.lip;..isn’t there some type of slave contract?”
A slave contract that forces them to obey me. It’s pretty common in a fantasy setting. Rose’s demon eye has a similar ability, so I expected there to be something like it.
“Of course, they would need to form a slave contract first. However, you can’t buy their trust by forcing them into a slave contract. Besides, they would be less effective in combat if they’re under a slave contract.”
“I see&h.e.l.lip;.”
“So, if you’re looking for someone that can be a friend, there are not many options. It would have to be someone that became a slave due to something out of their own control and that is still a competent fighter. There are not many I can think of, but it may be possible to find some from outside this island&h.e.l.lip;.”
“And that would cause their price to increase.”
The slave’s price is dramatically increasing based off of my needs. I may need to save up even more money.
But&h.e.l.lip;..the current situation is pretty dangerous for me.
As I am now, if a Yandere wanted to, she could easily grab me and force me into confinement. Then&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;all of my limbs may be cut off again.
“Are there any slaves fitting those requirements if you disregard fighting ability?”
“Disregard fighting ability? There might be&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Ah, now that I think about it–”
The slave dealer clapped his hands together.
“Do you have someone in mind?”
“Yes. I’d just like to confirm, you want to be able to completely trust your slave?”
“Yes, that is a definite requirement.”
“Then, would a girl around your age be good enough?”
“Eh? You mean&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;a yandere girl?”
Certainly, if a Yandere girl were to be protecting me, she’d be more than willing to give her life to ensure my own safety.
Still, even if I were to be protected from her by the contract, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable with a Yandere girl around me.
So, I tried to refuse.
“Don’t get me wrong. This girl has S rank Yandere resistance.”
“Rank S Yandere resistance?”
Based on the name, I can a.s.sume that this girl has a strong resistance to becoming a Yandere, but&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;these skills. This world was definitely made by that Yandere G.o.ddess.
“It goes without saying that Yanderes are a serious problem in society. So, slaves with a high resistance to becoming a Yandere are very expensive&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Well, this girl has her own special circ.u.mstances.”
“Special circ.u.mstances?”
The slave dealer told me about the girl in more detail.
Apparently, this girl was the daughter of a failing merchant. His daughter was very beautiful and had a very high resistance to being a Yandere. He knew that she could be sold for a high price, and so, it was decided that she would be sold into a brothel.
However, the slaver’s shop that she was being held in caught on fire and this girl suffered a terrible burn to her face. It seems the slave dealer that I’m talking to bought the other slave owners merchandise and decided to sell this girl at a discounted price.
“Burns&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Can’t they be healed with magic?”
“In theory, healing magic should be more than capable of fixing them, but magic does not seem to work on this girl.”
“&h.e.l.lip;.Magic doesn’t work?”
“In addition to her overall abilities being weakened, she also can not be affected by healing magic. This is due to the
[
Curse of Weakness
]
on her.”
“Is that&h.e.l.lip;..Is that also impossible to remove?”
“It would be possible for someone capable of casting a spell of a higher rank than the curse to remove it. However, there is no one capable of that on this island.”
“Is that so&h.e.l.lip;.”
It sounds similar to Rose’s demon eye. If magic can remove her curse, I should be able to manage it someday&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;After thinking about it, it makes sense for me to buy her.
“What do you say? Her looks aren’t great anymore, but she has a strong resistance to becoming a Yandere. Plus, I believe she will go along with whatever you want.”
“I agree&h.e.l.lip;”
I don’t think this girl would be able to protect me from whatever Rose has sent after me, but she should be able to protect me from the average Yandere. And this world seems to have a serious Yandere problem.
I think girls that have a resistance to becoming Yandere are precious.
“I’d like to confirm this with you. My skill is rank SSS; is her rank S resistance enough to counter that?”
“The difference in rank shouldn’t be a problem. The main part of that skill is to attract Yanderes to you. Bringing out the Yandere attribute of a person is only a bonus effect.”
“Ah, I see.”
‘To Be Loved To Death By Yanderes’ main “perk” is to increase the attention received by any surrounding Yanderes by 100%. There is also an added effect of a 10% increase to the Yandere attribute of any surrounding women.
If the Yandere resistance is meant to counteract the Yandere attribute being pulled out, an S rank resistance should be more than capable of countering that 10% increase.
“But, as I mentioned earlier, that curse has reduced her abilities. The Yandere resistance is no exception to this.”
“Will&h.e.l.lip;..Will that be okay?”
“There should be no problem — Still, you should be prepared in case I am wrong. That’s what the slave contract is for.”
“I understand&h.e.l.lip;..Then, what will the price be?”
“How about two gold pieces?”
She meets my minimum requirements and that price is relatively cheap for a slave.
Moreover, I should be able to remove that curse at some point in the future. I don’t have much choice but to buy her. Though, I’d like to be able to see if this girl will become Yandere or not.
“Can I check to see if this girl will become Yandere?”
“Well, of course. Though it is daytime now, so there is no chance she will become Yandere. If you purchase her, and she does, in fact, become Yandere, we will accept any returned goods within three days.”
“&h.e.l.lip;..It’s safe during the daytime?”
“Yes. Of course, the only way for you to truly know is for you to see how she behaves overnight.”
“That’s true.”
What does that even mean? I just agreed with him because he was acting like that was common sense. Even at the Guild, I heard something similar. Is it easier to turn someone Yandere at night?
I’m worried&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;If that’s common sense in this world, it’s probably better for me not to ask about it here.
“Well then, if you’ll please wait a moment while we get her ready.”
— I waited a few minutes. And then, a slave appeared. However, the slave was wearing a hooded robe and it was impossible for me to tell whether the slave was a man or a woman.
“Claudia, please introduce yourself to our dear customer.”
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Yes, nice to meet you. My name is Claudia.”
Oh, it is a girl. And she sounds like a beautiful girl. A beautiful, clear voice could be heard coming from under her hood.
“&h.e.l.lip;..Umm, dear customer?”
“Ah, sorry&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;My name is Yuzuki. I’m considering purchasing you.”
“That’s&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;umm&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.You know about my face and my curse?”
“I heard about your curse and the burns&h.e.l.lip;.I’m sorry if this is hard for you, but I’d like it if you could show me your face, Claudia.”
It may be impolite of me to ask, but if I do purchase her I’ll be looking at her face a lot.
“&h.e.l.lip;..Of course.”
Claudia grabbed the edge of the hood with a trembling hand. She slowly moved it back and the robe fell to the ground. She was completely naked underneath.
But I wasn’t focused on that. She had several severe burns spreading from her face to the right side of her chest.
For a slave, her bluish silver hair was very clean, but this just caused the burns to stand out more.
“Thank you. That’s enough.”
“&h.e.l.lip;.Yes. I’m sorry for showing such an unsightly appearance.”
Claudia put the robe back on but did not hide her face. She looked straight at me with her clear, emerald green eyes.
“&h.e.l.lip;..What do you think? After seeing my burns, do you still wish to purchase me.”
“Ah, the burns don’t really matter to me. I’m more concerned about the type of person you are.”
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;..Eh?”
Claudia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Maybe she’s gotten used to people deciding not to buy her after seeing her burns.
“What I’m looking for is someone I can trust completely. That’s all I want.”
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;..That’s why you want a slave? Is there something I’m missing?”
“Ah, well, I actually have the skill ‘To Be Loved To Death By Yanderes’ and it is rank SSS. So, I want you to be my companion because of your Yandere resistance.”
“Well&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;Is that so..&h.e.l.lip;”
Claudia’s eyes widened but she didn’t seem to be afraid. I’m feeling confident that her S rank resistance can counter my own skill.
“So, what did you want to do with me?”
“–Ahem.”
The slave dealer cleared his throat. I’m guessing she’s asking questions a slave shouldn’t ask. Claudia noticed this and instantly lowered her head.
“We can talk about that later. For now, I would like to purchase you&h.e.l.lip;..As long as you don’t have any objections.”
“I don’t have any and, of course, I have no right to refuse.”
“Still, I’d like to know what you think.”
“&h.e.l.lip;..Then, can I ask one question?”
The slave dealer looked as if he was against her asking any questions. I wonder if he’s afraid the negotiations may fail if she does.
However, I think it’s important that we understand each other, so I asked her what she wanted to know.
“Then, I want to know if&h.e.l.lip;..if you plan on killing me.”
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;..What?”
“I’ve heard that some people buy cheap slaves so they can abuse them and eventually kill them&h.e.l.lip;..”
“I told you earlier, the only thing I want is to find a trustworthy companion. I will not kill you.”
I can tell this is important to Claudia, so I answered her in a serious tone.
“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;I believe you. You’re the first person that still wanted to purchase me after seeing my burns. So, I would like you to purchase me.”
Claudia smiled. Her smile was a bit strange due to the burns, but&h.e.l.lip;..I thought she looked cute.
For the first time, I was able to meet an ordinary girl in this world that isn’t Yandere. And, not only that, but I actually like her personality too.
So —
“Then, please let me buy you.”
“Yes. Now, you are my master.”
“Right. Please take care of me, Claudia.”
And so, my life with a normal girl finally began — Or, that’s what I thought.