"Hey there, bro! We've got some great slaves — why not take a look?"
As I was walking through the royal capital, a tall, slender man with blond hair called out to me.
A street recruiter, huh.
Slaves aren't exactly cheap, so getting roped in with that casual a pitch isn't really going to work on me.
If I really wanted to, I could probably mass-produce slaves or something, but I'm definitely not planning on becoming a dark slave merchant.
"Uh, no thanks."
"No, no — you're an adventurer, right? Don't you want to come home all tired and hear 'Welcome home, Master'?"
"I don't really have much money."
"Come on~ You're Orichalcum, right? I know how it goes — the stronger you are, the less cash you have. We're the biggest slave guild around, so we can set up installment plans. Just take a peek, even if it's just the tip!"
Yeah, that's the kind of thing where before you know it, you've gone all the way in, isn't it.
"We've got maids too."
I'm not even hiring a maid in the first place.
It's true that since I'm staying at inns, I don't really need one.
"You're a tough customer, huh~. You're an adventurer, right? Then how about a battle slave? Since they're a slave, betrayal is impossible, and having extra hands is real convenient."
Battle slaves, huh.
I guess having one could be convenient in its own way.
"So, do you happen to have a battle maid who throws knives, stops time to mow down enemies in my path, excels at cleaning, and is completely—"
—elegant—
"—as a battle maid?"
"Oh, we sure do! The White Slave Guild has everything you could ever want! Right this way, please — welcome, one customer!"
They actually have one.
I'd listed conditions that should've been absolutely impossible to fulfill.
Then again, this is an isekai.
◇◇◇
The building was one of the largest in the entire royal capital.
The sign read "White Slave Guild — Royal Capital Headquarters."
This was apparently the biggest slave guild around.
True to isekai form, slavery itself was perfectly legal.
There were rules that were supposedly inviolable — things like "you must not recklessly abuse them" and "you must not put them to work for any purpose other than what you purchased them for" — rules that were almost certainly never actually followed.
On the building's ground floor, there were separate rooms for debt slaves, criminal slaves, and other categories, each visible through glass partitions.
From what I could see, the slaves inside were all neat and well-groomed.
Which probably meant they came at a premium price.
Anyway, the room I'd been led to was a dim little space down several flights of stairs.
"Please wait right here, sir."
"Okay, suh. …I mean, okay."
My speech might've rubbed off on me.
Inside the room was a small girl wearing a plain maid outfit.
No way this kid was going to be a battle maid.
The tout who'd guided me stepped out of the room for the time being.
"Um..."
The girl spoke hesitantly.
"What's wrong?"
"A-are you thirsty? I happen to have some iced tea right here."
"Ah, I'm not thirsty."
"Is that so..."
An awkward silence followed for a while.
Eventually, a man entered the room.
"I'm really sorry, sir. If you could wait just a little longer, that would be great."
But the man who'd guided me didn't wait for my response and immediately left the room.
Right after that, white smoke started spewing from a sprinkler-like thing on the ceiling.
The girl who'd been with me collapsed instantly.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse] [Divine Eye] [Sword God] [Fist God] [Spear God] [Scorching Magic] [Freezing Ice Magic] [Clear Gale Magic] [Rock Iron Magic] [Sacred Magic] [Dark Magic] [Space-Time Magic] [Thunder God Sword] [Phantom Thief Gentleman] [Ninja Master] [Seeker of Truth] [Monstrous Strength] [Pain Relief] [Complete Status Ailment Resistance] [Dark Spirit's Protection] [Super Intuition] [Heaven's Gate] [Abyss Contractee] [Magic Hand] [Treasure Search] [Seduction] [Agitation] [Eloquence] [High Luck] [Growth Speed x10] [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!