Magic Warrior Chapter 26 (Patreon)

Contract

It was a very beautiful and flowing gesture.

Kneeling on the floor, sitting upright.

She sat on her knees on the floor with her fingertips outstretched and her palms on the ground.

From that position, she quietly put her head on the floor.

--She was doing a dogeza.

"Please be my master."

Mina sighed.

◇

Well, it's not hard to understand. I'm not sure if it's better to be bought as a pet slave by a merchant or picked up by me, a woman of my own age. The fact that the price of the product is so low is a good sign that it's not a good idea to buy it.

If I were to buy a lottery ticket, which has almost 0% chance of winning, I would choose a girl of the same sex, who at least treated my sister kindly when they first met and did not say anything strange to her. Even I would do the same.

"Can you lift your head up for now?"

The girl just repeated saying "please" and didn't lift her head.

Very awkward!

The girl who had been whispering with Claire until we arrived in the town, but had not said anything else, suddenly started to get down on her knees.

The others, including Claire, were stunned by this. However, their expressions were not so much awkward as they seemed to be unsure of what they were doing.

I don't know what country this girl was brought from, but I did know that there was no dogeza around here, which made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"I may be a pet slave in registration, but I'll do anything."

"I'm thinking of registering as an adventurer now, you know?"

"I'm sure I can be a combat slave, please."

I thought you'd give up on combat, but you're confident in your strength, huh? Do you just want to say you're okay as long as I don't have to sell you?

"Can you use weapons or magic?"

"I can use a dagger and a crossbow, though only for self-defense. I also have a fair amount of magic, so I think I can use it if I can master it."

The crossbow is a mechanical bow and arrow that can be handled without strength. It fires a special arrow called a bolt or quarelle.

If what this girl is saying is true, she may need to be raised from scratch, but I think she would be a good buy as a battle slave.

If I were to take her in, the only things I might have to worry about would be money and permission from my family, I thought positively for a moment.

I don't think money would be a problem for a while if I redeem the gold coins I have, but I wonder what my dad and mom would say...

"What do you think Claire?"

"Well, let's see. I'll leave it up to you, big sis."

I tried to whisper in a quiet voice that only Claire could hear, but she tilted her head away from my gaze. Hmmm, I was tossed aside.

"To be honest, I'm afraid my mom and dad will get mad if I decide on my own."

"...Ummm, I think they'll be okay with it if you decided to do it, big sis. I think they'll just accept it as if it's just another one of those days."

I wanted to ask again what my family thought of me. Am I really that out of the ordinary?

Like asking to learn swordsmanship out of the blue. Or coming back from finding ruins badly injured (bleeding from the abdomen). Or suddenly show off my magic sword. Making curry, whipped cream, and other dishes that my family didn't even know existed. Or suddenly carving metal as a present.

...Hmmm. I guess I did a lot of things! At least, I'd like to think that I didn't cause any trouble other than injuries.

Both the captain and Thomas seem determined to stay out of it until I make a decision.

The girl was on her knees and silent, but she seemed to be trembling.

Suddenly, I thought that I heard the original Mina's voice in my brain telling me not to let her go at this point.

--Trust your intuition?

"...Okay. I'll take her with me."

"Thank you. Thank you."

"...Well, enough of that, just lift your head up."

◇

Thomas-san, a slave trader, was going to take care of the formalities.

The girl also took her seat with a relieved look on her face. Her expressionless face may have been a sign of nervousness, knowing her situation.

"She wants to change the [slave collar] to a bracelet type. I brought all the tools of the trade with me, so it's possible, but I don't really recommend it, okay?"

The slave collar is imbued with magical power that makes it impossible to command, escape, or rebel. It also protects the master.

"It doesn't happen often, but you can remove the bracelet if you want to. I think it is better to have a leg shackle that can prevent escape. If they are with a master they don't like, they can escape by cutting off their arms. With a leg, they cannot escape."

As expected of a slave trader. He says horrible things without hesitation.

For me, it's not that I absolutely need slaves, and I think they can run away if they want to, but if they want to do it quickly, they should consult with me in advance. I would rather have a type of bracelet that I can remove at will.

Claire looked pained and uncomfortable, as if she had imagined it from the conversation.

"Well, this hasn't happened since hundreds of years ago, and there are hardly any slaves who do such things anymore. Even slaves are protected by law now, you know."

He says that in the past there were no different kinds of slaves, they were just the property of their masters.

A certain nobleman and his slaves, who were worried about the harsh treatment of slaves, started a reform. The story of those days is said to be one of the most famous love romances in the world. It seems to have a lot of twists and turns, though.

Today, although there are some differences from country to country, all countries have laws that prohibit excessive violence and verbal abuse against slaves, and it is said that the provision of minimum food, clothing, and shelter is mandatory.

Negotiations are also necessary when slaves are required to do work that is different from the type of slave they are. Forced nighttime sexual intercourse and similar acts are also prohibited for non-pet slaves.

"Forced" means that many people fall in love with their slaves. This is especially true for combat slaves bought by adventurers, who are often with them at all hours of the day.

Still, is it human nature that occasionally there are people who end up committing crimes because of the way they treat their slaves?

Incidentally, criminal slaves lose this restriction in proportion to the severity of the crime. This is because it is a type of punishment, and for serious offenders, the penalty may be heavier than death.

Some countries have abolished slavery, but they do not seem to complain even about slaves brought by masters from other countries. If they are not, it becomes a diplomatic issue.

"'Contract'... 'Slave'... 'Pet'."

Placing a silver bracelet with an opaque blue gemstone on a sheet of magic circle paper, Thomas cast a spell. There were multiple types of bracelets, but he chose one that looked like a fine accessory.

"I will make a master-servant contract, and I ask for a drop of blood from both of you. The needles have already been cleaned with boiling water, please use a separate one for each of you."

Apparently there is a concept of disinfecting or preventing blood from mixing.

"I'm not sure why, but that's the rule," Thomas laughs.

Maybe it's not widespread enough to know why, or maybe it was decided by a scholar or a doctor or someone with a brain.

Without any hesitation, the girl sticks the needle into the ring finger of her left hand and squeezes the blood from the small wound into the jeweled part of the bracelet. The blue jewel glistened." Thomas handed me a small piece of cloth that looked like a torn handkerchief and wrapped it around my finger, "That's enough.

It's my turn next. I don't want it to hurt.

...It took a while, but I did it.

"Big sis!"

The clincher was Claire's staring at me as if she wanted me to hurry up.

"'Concienza'."

When Thomas finished chanting, the girl's left arm was fitted with a seamless bracelet.

It was an exquisite size that could not be removed, although there was room to move it a little.

At the same time, there was a snapping sound and the collar came off.

Normally, a later contract would be voided, but it seems that by cutting the contract in advance, it can be overridden by a later contract.

Normally another slave trader would not be able to force an override in this way.

Thomas said that a collar in the initialized state like this one is the same as a voided one, so it is possible.

It is possible to remove it like a subterfuge by using an exception process for reasons such as the death of the master or the slaver, but the procedure for that takes a lot of time and effort, and if you do it on your own without the procedure, you cannot live as a slaver at that point, apparently.

It is said that a slave can only be freed when he or she has worked under the master as a slave for a cumulative total of at least five years and has bought himself or herself out.

The reason for being freed is often a promotion or marriage to the master or someone around the master, and the master or marriage partner generally pays the slave a salary or some other form of money to buy the slave out.

This girl, once registered as a slave, cannot be freed from slavery unless she meets the conditions.

"If you have any questions about the rights and obligations of a slave, please ask him or her. I'm sure you have been taught to remember them for your own protection."

The girl nodded her head. It seems that if you don't understand something, you can ask her.

◇

The contract with the girl was completed, and he received a gratuity minus a commission.

With this money, I would have to buy clothes and equipment for the girl. I couldn't just keep the rags and tatters she was currently wearing.

Suddenly I realized that even though I had signed the slave contract, I had not even asked her name yet. I'll have to ask her later.

I heard that the gratuity from the Blood Wolf will be paid after tomorrow, so I should stop by while sightseeing or receive it when I go back to the village.

If I don't have an ID, it costs a deposit of two small silver coins to get in and out of town, but I'll have it deducted from that.

Now that our business was done, we passed through the gate leading to the town.

Next to the gate was a carriage with two slaves, a man and a woman, who had accompanied us to the town.

Thomas-san was going to take them back with him. Even though they were slaves, the two held hands and looked at each other happily.

"Actually, you see, those two came to Gardia under a deal to free slaves. It seems they were bought by a good master."

Did he seem to be looking at me with concern? Thomas-san went out of his way to explain in a whisper, even though it was probably unnecessary. Thomas-san's face didn't look too full of concern. Maybe he just wanted to say something.

Two slaves are freed and get married, huh? Those two must have had many stories and dramas.

"Now then, if you will excuse me. If you have any questions about slaves, please ask for Thomas Store in the southwest ward."

Thomas-san gets into the coachman's seat. He had the man holding the reins next to him take the carriage out and left the sales talk behind.

As soon as the carriage started moving, the two men bowed to us and disappeared into the city.

--I hope they find happiness!