“Of course, there aren’t many slaves like that, but we do have some. I must trouble you to come downstairs with me. Would that be all right, miss?”
Nodding in reply, I followed him into the back of the shop.
It seems that if you were looking for a normal slave then the shopkeeper would pick some that satisfied your requirements and bring them out, but for a cases like mine they wouldn’t be able to be brought, so they’d go see them like me.
After descending some narrow stairs, a jail came into view, the illuminating torchlight interrupted by the cell bars.
Inside the cells were a number of females.
All of them were completely naked, but while some were lying on plain futons, others were sitting with their backs against the stone wall.
“According to your requirements miss, it should be those in this area. If any catch your eye, I will give a detailed explanation but…”
I interrupted the shopkeeper who was turned to me and speaking by lining up beside him, and at an angle where he wouldn’t see my face, I removed my hood and looked over the women in the cage.
I could separate the responses into three.
Those who trembled and averted their eyes, those who didn’t react and just unmovingly stared into space, and just one who, though frail, was looking in my direction without budging.
I stepped forwards towards the only one that showed a different response, and stared beyond the bars.
That girl was sitting just by the bars, sitting powerlessly against the wall.
Her long blonde hair was dirty and dull, her ribs could be seen, her limbs were withered away, and she looked like she could take her last breath at any moment.
Even her face that would have surely been pretty if she was healthy had sunken cheeks, and was just a shadow of what it probably had been.
But even on the verge of death, she registered my presence, and had her blue eyes turned to me.
“This girl is?”
“Her name is Tena, and she’s 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live.”
They’re cruel words to say before the person in question, and Tena trembled when she heard them.
However, at the same time this was proof that she hadn’t yet given up on living.
Despite knowing that her life was about to end soon, without giving up, she was still clinging to the desire to live.
“If it’s me, then I might be able to save her.”
After dropping those words, I could see that her blue eyes that were looking at me were shaken.
She was meeting eyes with me, but she didn’t show any sign of being afraid.
It’s probably that because she spent each day attacked by a fear of death stronger than the fear given by my eyes, her sense of danger was numbed.
“I don’t have any proof, but if you’ll believe and accept me, then take this hand.”
In front of the bars, I held out my hand.
For a while, Tena looked at my face, and the hand I was holding out, but in the end she timidly held out her hand and met mine.
“How much?”
“The cost is 5 silver coins.”
While lightly grasping this thin hand that seemed breakable even with my feeble strength, I asked the shopkeeper behind me for the price, and got that kind of reply.
Having said that she is on the verge of death, I couldn’t tell whether that price was high or low for a human, but with her potential, if she’s healthy she would probably be worth 100 times that.
The shopkeeper probably felt a lot of doubts about my words and actions, but perhaps because of his awareness as a professional, he didn’t ask me about it.
“Got it. Then I’d like you to dress her in any random clothes; I’ll pay for the extra.”
“No, if it’s just simple clothing for slaves, then it’s complimentary.”
He summoned a tough-looking assistant man who opened the cage and carried Tena out.
“We’ll hand her over once we’ve washed the body and given her clothes. We’ll need you to finish the paperwork in the meanwhile, so please come back to the seat from earlier.”
I followed the shopkeeper at his prompt, and left behind the underground jail.
…*
Sitting down when I returned to the shopfront, I entered the necessary details into the contract sheet, and paid 5 silver coins.
“We have certainly received it. Finally, there’s the registration of the slave, and the paperwork will be done.”
When he said that, with good timing came the man with Tena in his arms.
She was wearing a kantoui if you could call it that; it was a simple outfit made of a cloth with a hole for her head.
It wasn’t tied up with a belt, so her naked young body could be seen from the sides.
Seemingly having been washed, her blonde hair had also regained a lot of its colour, but even so the aura of death that floated from her entire body crushed out any of her appeal.
Laid on the floor, there was a collar that hadn’t been there before around her neck.
“Please touch her collar with your hand.”
Following the shopkeeper’s words, I stood up from my chair and reached my hand out to the collar on Tena’s neck.
The collar made of some unknown stone-looking material hadn’t a single seam, and looked like it couldn’t be taken off.
After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light.
Is this the same make-up as the Adventurers Card?
『Tena has been enslaved.』
Just like the times I enchanted something, or the time I became a dungeon master, I heard a voice from somewhere.
“With this, she’s become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she can’t walk, would you like us to call you a carriage?”
“I don’t need it; I’ll carry her.”
Saying that, I ignored the shaken shopkeeper and assistant, as well as Tena’s voice, and grabbing her arms, I placed her on my back.
She twisted her body to try and get down, but in the end, perhaps finally giving up, she calmed down.
I’m not sure what kind of expression the shopkeeper was giving me when I left the store.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
She was light.
They did say she was 14 so she was certainly younger than me, but perhaps because of malnutrition, she was more petite than her age, and was one or two heads smaller than I was.
To add to that, she was thin enough that her ribs were showing, and she had so little weight that even the powerless me could easily carry her. Somehow that lightness made me sad.
Having said that though, no matter how light she might be, I still have to carry her all the way to the dungeon by foot, so it’ll probably be tough for both of us.
After leaving the shop, I entered an alleyway and walked a little, and after finding a place where nobody was around, I let her down to the ground.
Tena who was sitting on the ground looked up imploringly at me as I stood next to her, and in reply I took a step back from her and removed my hood.
“You swore to believe in me.”
“…Yes.”
For the first time, words came out of her mouth.
Hearing her answer, I thrust a finger at her forehead.
“If those words of yours are true, then accept this.”
Saying that, I used my skill consciously for the first time.
“Divine Enchantment.”
『Divine protection has been granted to Tena.』
『Divine protection has been granted to Slave Clothing.』
Together with those words, Tena was engulfed in gathering darkness.
When the darkness cleared, Tena’s appearance had completely changed.
The blonde hair that was dull even after being cleaned was now radiantly sparkl
ing, and her sunken cheeks and fleshless limbs were now full, and the softness characteristic to a girl had returned.
There was a black pattern where I poked her, like a sideways letter “S”, and her blue eyes had turned to deep crimson.
Her clothing resembled the kantoui as well, but it had morphed into something resembling a blackened version of an ancient miko outfit, decorated with ornaments.
More than anything, her atmosphere of near death had disappeared, and the brilliance of a bishoujo returned to her.
Mn, seems that it went well.
Though it’s that of an evil god, it’s still a god’s “divine protection”, and a game-broken skill that changes beginner’s equipment into things that you’d find in the final dungeon.
I expected that even a fatal illness could be cured in an instant with it.
That even her clothing would change was a little beyond expectations, but if it’s cursed… sorry.
“Eh-…. Ah-…”
Dumbfounded at the transformation to herself and her outfit, Tena stared wordlessly at her hands and clothing.
While she did so, she realised that despite feeling sharp pains just by breathing before, there was now no sign of her illness at all, and tears began to spill from her now red eyes.
To Tena who thanked me again and again as she clung to the hand I had thrust out earlier, I swallowed down the guilt of distorting her life and future for my own convenience, so that it wouldn’t show on my face.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Tena whose tears had stopped after continually crying for a while had paled upon thinking back at what she had just done.
Seeing Tena peeking at my face, I was secretly relieved that even if she had become healthy again, she didn’t show signs of being afraid of me.
I wonder if she’s gained resistance to my magic eyes and aura because of her divine protction.
“Stand.””
“Y-, Yes-!”
I didn’t intend on saying it so strongly, but Tena bolted up, and stood at attention waiting formy next words.
It seems that there’s no terror from the skill, but I got the impression that she was nervous to the extreme.
“I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping.”
“…Eh?”
? I wonder why did she react to me like she was doubting me?
“Dissatisfied?”
“T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm… is just that much fine?”
Ahh, I see.
Certainly what I just asked her to do could normally be dealt with by simply taking applications for servants so there’s no reason to go out of my way to buy a slave.
Slaves exist to be forced to do things that servants can’t, or won’t do.
Only, I don’t have anything else I particularly want her to do for me, so it can’t be helped.
If the master was a man then he would probably add serving him at night to that, but I’m a woman so that has nothing to do with me.
“Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task.”
“Understood.”
Tena tilted her head in wonder about where I lived, but she probably hasn’t even imagined that I live in a dungeon, huh.
Explaining would be difficult, so I’ll just have her see it for herself.
After buying shoes and underwear for her, I had Tena register at the Adventurers Guild before leaving town.
Jashin Average – 10
Chapter 10 – Hikikomori Lifestyle, Begin
Just to make it absolutely clear, I don’t ever recall my hobby changing from ‘trying my best to translate fun things into English’ & ‘reading discussions about these series because I want to see what others think’, to ‘delivering timely and professional service to entitled douchebags, at zero cost!’.
* * *
It’s been four days since the slave girl Tena has begun living with me.
At first she was just shocked about everything, but even she seems to have finally gotten used to it.
Rather than ‘gotten used to’, it might just be that she’s abandoned thinking about the outrageous and abnormal though.
It seems that she helped her mother with the housework in the village, so she can do most chores, and the things I can’t do like the cooking or cleaning I’ve completely left to her.
No, I mean, I should say this just in case, but it’s not as though I don’t have ability in cooking and cleaning.
It’s just that when I pick up a knife to cook the tantou will knock it out of my hand, and when I try to put on an apron the robe will flick it away.
Even when I thought to just clean up the area around me and picked up a broom it was no good; it seems that brooms are treated as weapons.
Inidentally, when it comes to laundry, I can’t change my clothing, so she just does her own.
Fortunately, perhaps I should say, it seems that because of the activation of the divine enchantment, although it’s only at first, the clothing seems to undergo a status restoration after a certain amount of time, so filth and tear doesn’t remain.
Tena’s a slave, but right now my only order as her master is “Don’t do anything that’ll put me at a disadvantage”.
She seems to hold an absolute devotion to I who cured her illness and saved her life, so even if I don’t go out of my way to order her, she’ll work eagerly.
While giving a sidelong look and watching her work, I chanted “Status.”.
Name: Anri
Race: Human Race
Sex: Female
Age: 17
Job: Mage
Level: 1
Title: Child of the Evil God, Dungeon Master
Mana: 3031504
Skills:
– Evil God Aura (Lv.5)
– Mystic Eyes of Wicked Authority (Lv.5)
– Divine Enchantment (Lv.7)
– Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.6)
– Darkness Magic (Lv.6)
– Item Box (Lv.4)
– Dungeon Create (Lv.2)
Equipment:
– Tantou of the Wicked Demon
– Black Clothes of the Evil God
– Babydoll of Depravity
– Scanties of the Succubus
– Pumps of Darkness
Servants:
– Tena
The new “servants column” was added with Tena’s name listed there.
I checked with Tena, but it seems that only I can see this status screen, and Tena can’t see my status.
Also, Tena tried chanting “Status.” but she apparently couldn’t see anything.
When I focused on Tena’s name on my status menu, her status was newly displayed.
Tena herself can’t display the menu, and whether it’s because she became my slave, or because of the divine enchantment is unknown, but it seems that her status is treated as part of mine, and I could see her status.
Name: Tena
Race: Human Race
Sex: Female
Age: 14
Job: Mage
Level: 3
Title: Slave, Disciple of the Evil God
Mana: 60532
Skills:
– Abnormal Status Resistance (Lv.4)
– Darkness Magic (Lv.4)
Equipment:
– Miko Outfit of the Evil God
Subordination: Anri
I decided to accept her “Slave” title as something that couldn’t be helped, and “Disciple of the Evil God” was probably because of the divine enchantment, huh.
Her mana value is as high as 60 thousand points, but considering that the average dungeon master has 10~20 thousand, it’s probably a value that’s exceeded the human realm.
It’s unclear now what her mana value was before the divine protection, but it seems that she doesn’t have any knowledge of magic herself, so I can guess that this value came about because of the divine enchantment. ‘In fact, the person
herself didn’t realise but she actually had a natural talent for magic’… the chance that it’s something like that isn’t zero, but, well, there’s almost no mistake that it’s because of the divine enchantment. Even her skills; they’re the same system of skills as mine after all.
The “Miko Outfit of the Evil God” is the kantoui modified by the divine enchantment, but the fact that she has nothing else in her equipment doesn’t meant that she wasn’t wearing underwear or shoes, but rather that apparently normal clothing with no defensive properties aren’t counted as equipment. It’s not as if I’ve gone and ordered her to go commando.
The time when I bought shoes and underwear for Tena she was feeling extremely obliged and was hesitant about it, but I forced her to wear them for the sake of my mental stability. I’ve heard that normally there are no masters who would give such things to their slaves, but wearing a miko outfit in the nude is just such a sexual deviant-esque get-up that I wouldn’t be able to calm down with her around.
Additionally, it seems that the Miko Outfit of the Evil God isn’t particularly cursed, and Tena can change clothing normally… It’s discrimination.
“Tena.”
“Yes, Anri-sama.”
When I called out to Tena who was placing a teacup before me, Tena immediately replied to me. By the way, at first she called me “Goshujinsama [tl: esteemed master]” but I couldn’t calm down so I got her to call me by my name instead. I said that she didn’t need to attach the -sama, but this was apparently where she drew the line, and because she stubbornly resisted, I gave up.
Tena was about to stand behind me in waiting so I told her to make her own share of tea and sit down opposite me. Tena was bewildered about sitting down together and tried to decline, but I had something to talk to her about so I somehow got her to agree. Even though she should have been raised in a village, why is she so skilled in serving others is hopeless mystery.
“Do you want to see your family?”
To the question I suddenly dropped, cutting to the point, perhaps it was unexpected because Tena stiffened up.
I heard that Tena who was a debt slave was taken away by slave merchants as security for a loan. Thinking that she might want to return to the village since she was forcefully separated from her family, I decided to ask her what she thought about it.
Evil God Average 【First Half – Book of Evil】 Page 6
