Chapter 12: Slave

"Now then, next we have to prepare a place for you all to live."

After leaving the slave merchant, we followed Zeke as we walked.

"Are you going to buy a house? Or rent one?"

"Honestly, I'm torn. I planned to make do with an inn, but if we accept the demands of those Beastmen, staying at an inn would cost too much money."

Zeke seemed conflicted as well.

"If we own a mansion here, don't you think the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 might be reluctant to come to Ilgusia? Eventually, I think it would be best if they protected the peace of Ilgusia alongside 【Blue Fang】 and 【Red Wing】..."

At the words 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】, Clarice burst out with a "Pfft." Does Clarice know old anime too? I used to watch it a lot when I was little, so I'd be happy if we had a topic in common.

"Umu! Mars has a point! Then considering the future of the Black...? Three-Wolf Stars? Let's rent a house! It might be cheaper to rent than to book rooms for six people at an inn, anyway."

We quickly returned to Ilgusia, picked up Maria and Lina, and came back to Almeria.

Since it was already evening, we decided to book an inn and eat out together.

We had paid for lodging three months in advance, but when we requested a refund since we would only be staying for another week, they returned the money readily. I thought there might be some trouble with them saying they couldn't return what was already paid, but my worries were unfounded.

The next day, we went to a real estate agent, were shown a rental house, and decided on it quickly. It was a large mansion in a residential area on the west side of Almeria, slightly far from the dungeon. It was near the house I used to live in back in Almeria, so I chose it because I was familiar with the area.

The mansion was a bit old, but it was an 8LDK with a bath included. As for the layout, there were three rooms, a living room, a dining room, and a bath on the first floor, and five rooms on the second floor. The garden was also spacious. The rent was five gold coins a month.

Five gold coins is about 500,000 yen in Japanese yen. You might think it's expensive, but staying at an inn would cost at least one silver coin per person. Hiring one more person besides the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 would cost seven silver coins. In one month, that would be twenty-one gold coins, or 2,100,000 yen. It would be a considerable saving.

"We found quite a good property. Plus, apparently there's an option to buy this property later."

Even though he said he would rent instead of buy just yesterday... well, it means it's that much of a bargain. Besides, just because we bought this place doesn't necessarily mean the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 won't come to Ilgusia.

With the housing matter settled, we headed to the slave merchant.

When we entered the slave merchant's shop, it was crowded with customers. As Zeke and Maria were discussing that we should come back later, a man with perfectly parted hair and a curled mustache approached while rubbing his hands together. His eyes were gleaming with joy.

"Eh? Is that Helic-san, the owner?"

Zeke asked the man with the parted hair with a dumbfounded look. It couldn't be Helic. Helic didn't have a mustache until yesterday... but when I appraised him, it was Helic. Helic's eyes were glued to Maria... no, they were practically piercing her.

Maria, having heard the circumstances from Zeke beforehand, gave Helic a polite smile.

Then, not just Helic, but the surrounding customers let out voices going "Uooooohhh!!!"

Eh? Could it be? Everyone here too? Helic came before Maria, straightened his posture, and introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you! I am the owner of this shop, Helic Dahl! I am twenty-nine years old! My type is a twenty-eight-year-old brown-haired beauty! I don't mind divorcees at all! If there is anything regarding that matter, by all means!!!"

Helic suddenly confessed to Maria. Maria hadn't expected such a development either.

"N-Nice... to meet you. I am Maria Bryant. I don't have... a type, but I intend to be with my husband for the rest of my life."

Blushing slightly, Maria shifted her gaze back and forth between Zeke and Helic.

Hey, what are you showing off in public? I wanted to retort, but hearing that, Clarice blushed even more than Maria and muttered, "Wonderful," and Lina looked happy too. Conversely, Ike was looking down, perhaps embarrassed like me.

Hearing Maria's words, Helic didn't seem discouraged at all.

"I understand. My Maria-sama. Just, if anything happens, I hope you will remember me first. Now then, shall we move on to business?"

Calling her 'My Maria' right in front of the person herself... Zeke cleared his throat.

"Besides the three Beastmen from before, I want to hire two humans capable of housework. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Understood. Please, this way to the back of the shop."

While answering Zeke's confirmation, Helic was desperately trying to secure the best position, but Zeke and Ike had firmly positioned themselves on both sides of Maria. Lina, holding hands with me and Clarice, stuck right behind Maria, completely surrounding her.

The customers were also staring at Maria the whole time. Zeke really drew a winning hand with such a popular person, I thought, looking at Zeke, who seemed somewhat bewildered but proud.

Led to the back, Maria and Clarice began choosing slaves. We decided that this time, Clarice would take the lead in choosing with Maria.

The reason was simple. Since they would be washing Clarice's underwear too when doing laundry, I insisted on leaving this to Clarice. I mean, I wouldn't want other guys seeing Clarice's underwear, much less touching it, right? I believed that if it were Clarice, she would definitely choose women.

Since we would likely bring the slaves to Ilgusia after we go to the Lister National School, I asked Maria to choose together with her.

The two of them chose slaves harmoniously, like a real mother and daughter. As expected, they chose women. That was good. But then something unexpected happened. Clarice and Maria would talk about slaves, but immediately derail into different topics. In the end, it took an hour to choose two female slaves.

However, there was one person who was happy about that. Yes, Helic. He was staring only at Maria the whole time. No, it's actually scary.

"Then, we'll take these two. Helic-san, how much for the five in total?"

When Maria turned her eyes to Helic, Helic put on his merchant face too.

"Yes. It would normally be fifty gold coins, but since Maria-sama took the trouble to come personally this time..."

I thought it would be great if he discounted two or three gold coins.

Getting a discount of 200,000 or 300,000 yen on a 5,000,000 yen purchase is pretty realistic, right? No, actually, I've never made such a purchase in Japan, nor have I seen one. Just imagining.

"Twenty-five gold coins!"

Hah?! Half price?! A 2,500,000 yen discount?!

But Maria seemed intent on haggling further.

"Could you make it a little cheaper?"

She tilted her head and gazed at Helic while smiling. No, Mom, you're seriously cute, but please don't scatter your charm in front of your son. However, the effect was super effective.

"Fifteen gold coins is fine. Just give me about five autographs. I'll have four customers currently in the store chip in for the discounted amount. I want to at least give those four Maria-sama's autograph paper, would that be alright?"

She haggled a million off just by smiling. Helic seemed to be thinking in his own way too. But I wonder how much autograph paper sells for?

Taking the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 and the two newly bought female human slaves, we returned to the mansion we contracted today. The two women were named Ray and Misa, and both were fifteen years old.

Back at the Almeria mansion, we first decided on the room allocation.

We gave the three rooms on the first floor to the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 respectively, and ordered Ray and Misa to share one room on the second floor. The rooms on the second floor were spacious, and Ray and Misa's room was about ten tatami mats in size. The largest room on the second floor became Clarice's room. Clarice's room was fifteen tatami mats. Mine and Ike's rooms were twelve tatami mats each, and the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】's rooms on the first floor were also eight tatami mats each. One room on the second floor was used for storage.

Maria taught Ray and Misa their work. Since the two were originally good at housework, they learned quickly, and went out to buy ingredients with Maria, Clarice, and Lina.

We remaining males bought the necessary additional furniture.

Fortunately, large household goods like beds and chests were already there, so it didn't amount to much luggage.

Evening came, and we all had a meal. However, a problem arose here: Ray, Misa, and the five members of the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 wouldn't sit at the table.

"You guys, why aren't you sitting?"

When Zeke asked the five, Guy answered as representative.

"Yes. We initially thought of joining you, but Ray told us that it is forbidden for slaves to surround the dining table with their masters. Thinking about it, I suppose that is true."

I was surprised by the change in tone of Guy, who had become a slave, but I see, so that's it. I'm ignorant about such things, so I didn't know, but Ray and Misa might have been told strictly by Helic.

"...I see. That may be true, but today I don't mind. From tomorrow onwards, Ike will decide."

The five slaves were surprised by Zeke's words. Still, they didn't take their seats, hesitating on what to do.

"This is an order. Let's eat together!"

When I said it again, the five finally took their seats. We proceeded with the meal, but the five didn't touch the food at all. Maybe Helic educated them to eat our leftovers.

The 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 watched drooling every time I brought meat to my mouth. This made it hard to eat.

Unable to watch, Clarice stood up and served food to the five.

"C-Clarice-sama? What are you?"

Ray, having food served in front of her, was flustered.

"Let's eat before it gets cold. It's tastier if we eat together, and we can start cleaning up sooner, using time more effectively, right? Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, is that okay with you?"

Zeke and Maria nodded as if it were natural. Zeke, in particular, seemed to be melting a little being called "Father-in-law" by Clarice.

Finally, everyone—me, Ike, Clarice, Zeke, Maria, Lina, plus the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】, Ray, and Misa—all eleven of us started eating. Meals with many people are fun. However, it ended quickly.

With their limiters removed, the appetite of the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 was tremendous, and the food, which had been made in large quantities, disappeared in the blink of an eye. Well, after being made to wait that long, it's expected.

"Was it not enough for Guy and the others? If it's not enough, I'll have them make more from tomorrow?"

"Thank you, Zeke-sama. It was just so delicious we ate with gusto, but this amount is sufficient."

After finishing the meal, just as Ray and Misa were about to start cleaning up, Zeke spoke.

"I have something to say to the five slaves. This is something I conveyed when we formed the slave contract, meaning when I used the enslavement magic, but absolutely do not divulge our secrets. Do not harm us. Do not do anything disadvantageous to us. Well, you can't renege on this since we've contracted with enslavement magic, but one more thing. In three years, I think we will move not here but to the neighboring town of Ilgusia, so keep that in mind. At that time, I intend to have Guy, Mack, and Ol form a party and help manage the Ilgusia Dungeon. Tomorrow, the three of you will go to the Adventurer's Guild to register as adventurers and also register as a party, so be prepared for that."

"Ray and Misa, I'll ask you to work as servants at the Ilgusia house in three years too, okay?"

When Zeke and Maria said this, the five nodded.

"Then, I'm counting on you starting tomorrow."

With those words from Zeke, the gathering broke up, and everyone prepared for tomorrow and went to sleep.

The next day, after seeing Zeke, Maria, and Lina off to return to Ilgusia, we headed to the Adventurer's Guild. It was to register the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 as adventurers and as a party.

I handed the letter from Zeke to the Guild Master, Ralph. It contained a request to register the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 as E-Rank adventurers.

Their ability was sufficient, and it was also for Almeria's sake. Naturally, Ralph readily registered the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 as E-Rank adventurers, and the registration of the E-Rank party 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 was also completed.

The individuals themselves seemed to like the name 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 and were happy.

We hesitated whether to register as a party as well, but since Ike would go to the Lister Federation in a few months, we decided against it.

"Ike-sama, what should we do in the Almeria Dungeon?"

When the eldest son Guy asked Ike, Ike answered.

"The initial purpose was to hire you as porters, but considering the future, I'm thinking of having you, the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】, do some fighting and gain experience. Ideally, to the point where it's no problem for the three of you to dive into the first floor of the Almeria Dungeon."

"I think there is no problem at all with our current abilities?"

"No, when we say 'no problem', we mean being able to defeat all encountered monsters. The monsters on the first floor are all Threat Level D, so you will struggle. Today, I'll have just the three of you fight as a test. Of course, if it gets dangerous, we will participate too. That way, we'll probably see various things."

Guy nodded, looking a little dissatisfied.

"Also, after seeing today's battle, I'll buy your equipment. Think beforehand about what kind you want. We will also think about it after seeing your fight."

All three specialize in taijutsu. Their style is not to use weapons, so if we buy anything, it would be armor.

Entering the dungeon, there were Silver Bats in the first room. For me and Clarice, it was a bonus stage, but for these three, it was different.

Using the same fighting style as other adventurers—making someone a decoy and concentrating attacks when the Silver Bat descends—they took a fair amount of damage.

"How was that? This much injury is nothing! Let's keep going!"

Having finished defeating the Silver Bats, Guy headed to the next room in high spirits.

The monsters appearing in the next room were six Rock Lizards, monsters clad in hard scales with Threat Level D. They equipped stone spears in their right hands. We had the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 fight the Rock Lizards too.

"Mack! Ol! Let's show off our strength!"

Guy shouted encouragement and attacked the Rock Lizards.

Even within taijutsu, there are varieties. Guy preferred a boxing-like fighting style with clenched fists, Mack used kicks while keeping distance, and the physically large Ol seemed to specialize in grappling techniques.

The Rock Lizards thrust their stone spears, but the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 dodged them. The Rock Lizards' spear handling couldn't be called skillful even as flattery; to me, who always watches Ike's spearmanship, they were amateurish.

Dodging the spears, Guy and Mack delivered precise strikes over the scales. The Rock Lizards' attention gathered on the two moving quickly at close range, and Ol took advantage of the opening to snap their necks from behind.

They were definitely burying the Rock Lizards, but Guy and Mack were also taking damage.

When they couldn't fully dodge the spears, they parried with their hands, but sometimes their hands hit the blade part of the spearhead, causing light bleeding. It's not good for the boxing-style Guy to have injuries on his hands.

In the end, it took ten minutes to defeat the six Rock Lizards, and Guy's HP was halved.

"Ike-sama, do you acknowledge our strength?"

Bleeding from his arms, Guy puffed out his chest and asked Ike.

"Do you always fight like that?"

"Yes! We Beastmen fight without fear even against multiple enemies and always grasp victory!"

"So, how long will it take until you can fight next?"

"We can fight without full recovery, so we'll be able to fight in about two hours."

"I see... Then next, can I show you our... no, my fighting style? Guy, can you move?"

"Yes, but do you intend to fight alone, Ike-sama?"

"Yeah. If it gets dangerous, I'll have Mars and Clarice support me."

Leaving the room, we immediately encountered three Rock Lizards in the passage. The Rock Lizards were also heading towards us, so they had already noticed us.

Telling the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 to "Watch," Ike readied his Flame Lance and walked slowly toward the Rock Lizards.

When the three Rock Lizards shrieked and charged at Ike in a line, Ike stopped and engaged them.

Just as Guy shouted "Dangerous!", Ike chanted 《Fire》 and backstepped, causing the 《Fire》 to hit the leftmost Rock Lizard.

Although surprised, the hit Rock Lizard didn't sustain a fatal wound. However, it hated the fire considerably. Ike readied the Flame Lance in his right hand and fired 《Fire》 continuously with his left hand. The 《Fire》 wasn't aimed precisely but rather fired rapidly in a general leftward direction.

From Ike's perspective, the Rock Lizard on the left hated the 《Fire》 and didn't come forward. The Rock Lizards on the right and in the center, trying to escape the heat of the fire, lined up on the right side of the passage, and the Rock Lizard in front thrust its stone spear at Ike.

Ike effortlessly dodged the spear simply thrust forward, pierced the Rock Lizard's head with his Flame Lance, and slaughtered it easily.

Easily defeating the Rock Lizard behind it as well, he landed a 《Fire Arrow》 on the last Rock Lizard that had been avoiding the 《Fire》 on the left side of the passage. The Rock Lizard, launching a suicide attack while engulfed in flames, was brushed aside by the Flame Lance and burned to death shortly after.

The 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 were dumbfounded by the splendid combat that took less than three minutes to defeat three enemies.

"Guy, this is the difference between me and you. by thinking and fighting like this, you can challenge the next battle in perfect condition. If I enchanted my weapon, I could defeat them a little easier, but since there's already a difference in equipment, widening the gap further wouldn't be fair. Well, I fought alone to make up for that."

The three of the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 were surprised and speechless.

"Also, what you are about to see is a 'secret' of the Bryant family. Absolutely do not divulge it. Mars, heal Guy and the others."

Nodding at Ike's signal, I chanted 《Heal》 on Guy.

"H-《Heal》?! No way? You were chanting Wind Magic during the fight with Barnes-sama, right? A Holy Mage using other magic...?"

The three of the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 were muttering to themselves.

"At the very least, unless the three of you can fight and handle consecutive battles, you can't serve as our porters, so do your best. We will support you to the utmost too."

After that, passing the place where we saved 【Yellow Blade】 before, we proceeded deeper while defeating all encountered monsters together. Since there were still many traps, we proceeded carefully using Heavenly Eye.

Just as we were thinking of returning, we found the room leading to the second floor. There were three bear-like monsters in the room. Appraising them, they were quite tough.

【Name】 -
【Title】 -
【Race】 Grizzly Bear
【Threat】 C
【Condition】 Good
【Age】 4
【Level】 5
【HP】 164/164
【MP】 4/4
【Strength】 84
【Agility】 50
【Magic】 1
【Dexterity】 1
【Constitution】 82

These are the monsters Zeke told us appear on the second floor. This is Threat Level C. The Goblin Lord had almost identical stats. If the stats are almost the same but there's a difference in Threat Level, it probably means a difference in Special Abilities.

"Ike-nii! They're about as strong as a Goblin King!"

"That strong, huh. Everyone, don't let your guard down!"

Normally, I would want to practice Lightning Magic, but I restrained myself. I couldn't control the magic power of Lightning Magic well, and it might harm my allies.

Clarice dealt damage to the Grizzly Bears with Magic Arrow. I also carved up the Grizzly Bears from a distance with 《Wind Cutter》 along with Clarice. Honestly, I think we could win just by doing this while running away, but Ike and the four of the 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 charged in to deliver the finishing blow.

The 【Black Three-Wolf Stars】 almost got hit a few times, but each time I blew the Grizzly Bears away with 《Wind Impulse》, so there was no significant damage, and the battle ended in just one minute.

"Mars! Look at that!"

Looking where Clarice pointed, there was a treasure chest. Appraising it and confirming there were no traps, I opened the treasure chest.

Checking the contents, I involuntarily pumped my fist.

There was a grimoire for Intermediate Holy Magic. For us, who only knew the Beginner Holy Magic 《Heal》, it was one of the things we had been longing for.

"Alright, then let's check the state of the second floor and return. We don't intend to fight, so don't attack even if there are monsters."

Following Ike's voice, we all peeked at the state of the second floor.

"———Wh-What is this..."

Everyone was lost for words at that bizarre spectacle.