Double
Part 1
「Now that you have become Roxanne's owner, there are some thing that you
have to remember, Michio-sama. As the owner, you are obliged to provide
for your slave and keep her in good condition at all times by providing her
meals, clothing and a place to live, as well as paying the slave owner's tax. If
you fail to provide her with her basic needs or treat her in an unreasonably
cruel manner without any proper explanation for such unjust treatment, the
contract you've made today can be null and void. If you so wish, you can
visit my humble shop again should you desire to acquire another slave, or
modify the contracts of the ones you already possess, since modification of
contracts is also a part of my profession.」
Alan the Slave Merchant flooded me with a barrage of information, but the
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plain, emotionless tone of his speech, which was reminiscent of the
performance from low-budget American dramas suggested that it was a
routine that he must have been through thousands of times already. That has
to be a signature statement that he's saying to everyone who buys slaves from
him, but it didn't make any kind of impression on me, probably due to how
bland its delivery was. To him it was just another sale, even though the
merchandise he was selling, slaves, would be considered a highly illegal type
of goods back in my own world, and if anyone found out that he was
involved in slave trade, he would be thrown behind bars without even the
right to remain silent. But no, in this world buying yourself a slave was
nothing all that unusual, just like buying yourself another article of clothing
or a new piece of furniture.
That's right, I, Kaga Michio have bought myself a slave after, for whatever
bizarre reason, I was transported into the world of the game I intended to start
playing as an alternative to committing suicide.
From what I was able to gather, this world is just like you any other cookiecutter fantasy world, magic, dungeons and monsters/demons included. It
would seem that for the people like me, called Adventurers, the main source
of income (or just a thing to do in general) is to form a Party with other likeminded individuals and conquer the dungeons, which are called Labyrinths in
here, but you have to look out when you form a Party, because if you do it
with someone whom you do not absolutely trust, then you're risking being
robbed of the spoils from the dungeon raids or even being killed in the worst
case scenario. But once you'll have yourself a team of trustworthy
companions, then you can search the Labyrinths for real, and if you're lucky,
you might just land a jackpot and stumble upon a treasure that will allow you
to live out the rest of your life comfortably and without any worries about
your financial stability.
As for me, I'm way to suspicious of other people to form a Party with them,
and that is why I bought myself a slave. That way, I can have a companion
whom I know won't ever think about stabbing me in the back (because if the
master dies by the slave's hand, the slave dies as well), effectively killing two
birds with one stone. And to those of you who think that using another human
(or in my case, demi-human) being in such a nefarious way, I have two things
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to say: one, no one said that such a practice is not allowed, and two, she is my
slave, not yours, therefore I'm the one who gets to call the shots! Besides,
what did you expect me to do? Back in Japan I was an ostracized loner my
entire life, so I wouldn't have been able to create lasting relationships even if
my life depended on it, much less entrust my back to anyone else but myself.
Unfortunately, for someone like me who's not especially smart or clever and
exploring the Labyrinths is the only way of obtaining money for daily
necessities like food and a place to sleep. I mean, technically I could go
challenge the Labyrinths on my own because I have the advantage of the
game's interface, which allowed be to obtain uber OP Skills and equipment
right from the get-go, with me, but if I want to seriously become a fullfledged Adventurer and explore the deepest depths of every Labyrinth, then a
backup is going to necessary. That is why I have decided to buy myself a
slave.
As a complete outsider, I have no idea what is considered common sense in
this world, so I need someone to teach me everything from scratch if I don't
want to stand out like a sore thumb everywhere I go. If asked someone
randomly, they might think that I'm crazy and give me false information or
just shrug the matter off and not tell me anything at all. With a slave, there
won't be any such danger, because a slave won't gain anything from
deceiving their master. Also…
I glanced sideways where Roxanne, my very own slave stood and swallowed
my saliva. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever met in my life, an
absolute bombshell of a babe. She totally looks even better than those girls
you would meet in those fancy-ass night clubs in Ginza, not that I ever been
to one myself mind you. She also has a cute pair of dog ears adorning her
smooth chestnut hair, but she's not a dog. When I identified her last time, it
showed that her race was a Beastman, and even more specifically, a Wolfkin,
pointing to her being a werewolf. But her human ears are also cute. And most
importantly, she has a big pair of perky boobies which are perfectly visible
even through all the clothes she was wearing. All in all, I have to say that I
couldn't have land a better catch for my first slave ever. Right now, all the
signs on heaven and earth seem to be telling me that my nights are going to
be much more fun than the used to be…
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Whoops, that's no good, no good at all! Michio, try to keep your little
Durandal in your pants, at least for now! Right now, I need to concentrate on
what the Slave Merchant is talking about. It might be a routine for him, but
I'm hearing it for the first time ever in my life, so the least I can do is to hear
him out from beginning to the end and try to remember as much of it as I
possibly can. According to him, I have an obligation to provide Roxanne with
food and a place to sleep, but that is the part that does not require any
explanation at all, since it's just common sense. Initially I wanted to ask what
did he mean by "unjust treatment", but I guess that is a question that I should
not ask with Roxanne by my side. It would be a real problem if she
misunderstood my intentions and began to fear me because of it. There's also
a question of what is going to happen to her if I happened to die prematurely,
like, should I make a testament in regards to that or something? But first and
foremost, I think I should learn more about the taxes Alan-san mentioned.
「What about that taxes you were speaking of?」
「A poll tax. It is not being paid by the slave himself. Instead, it is being paid
by the slave's owner.」
Such was the answer to my question that I have received. Well of course
there would be fucking taxes here. I mean, why wouldn't they be? After all,
there are only two things which are certain in this world (or at least my old
one, but I think the saying can be applied here as well): death and taxes. It's a
good thing I heard about it now, otherwise I would have probably ended with
tax office on my ass for committing tax fraud, and I absolutely do not want
that, no siree!
「Is there anything more you'd like to know about slave related taxes?」
「N-No, thank you. I'm good for now.」
Maybe Roxanne knows something about it, so I'll just ask her about those
things later.
「Is that going to be all?」
「Yeah, I'm good to go.」
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I nodded to the Slave Merchant.
「Then I hope to see you again in the future.」
After being sent of by Alan-san, it was high time for me to leave the slave
shop together with Roxanne. When it comes to personal belongings, all she
has with her is a single big case which she is holding in front of herself with
both her hands. If possible, I'd like to buy her something nice as a gift to
commemorate the beginning of our life together. A small gesture, but before
she died, mother once told me that those are precisely the ones that matter the
most, and since I am Roxanne's master from now on, I want her to have as
comfortable of a life as possible.
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Part 2
Roxanne and I continued to walk down the main street amidst the hustle and
bustle of the street merchants and the city dwellers who were just passing by.
I wanted to openly stare at her, but felt too embarrassed to do so. But I have
to admit, when viewed in the full brilliance of the sunlight, her beauty shines
through all the more. Her glossy hair, small pink lips, her snow-white skin,
literally everything about her is absolutely perfect!
And that chest, oh lawd that chest of hers! How can it be so big yet so
shapely at the same time?! Her shirt can barely contain those voluminous
bulges! Yup, our nights are certainly going to be quite fun. I'm probably
smirking like an idiot now, but I don't care about that. More importantly…
「Isn't it a little heavy? Want me to carry it for you?」
I said, pointing at the case she was carrying. She might be my slave, but she's
also a girl, so she has to be at least somewhat uncomfortable carrying
something so heavy around. Since I'm a guy, I should do the heavy lifting for
her. With my stats, this should be a piece of cake.
「J-Just a little bit, but do not worry master, I can handle it just fine!」
「Aw come on, don't be like that! I asked you myself, so it's fine, really.」
「….. T-Then, I would be very much obliged.」
Roxanne handed her case to me after she wavered for a moment. I grasped its
handle with my right hand. Making it easy on Roxanne was the main reason
why I wanted to take her luggage off of her, but now that I got my hands on
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it, it's going to serve me another purpose. Instead of carrying it in front of me
like Roxanne did, I held it over my back in such a way that the case covered
the Holy Sword Durandal I was carrying on my back. Now I will be able to
do a Character Reset without alerting anyone with a sword suddenly
disappearing off my back.
Character Reset is one hell of a convenient function that allows me to
redistribute all of my Bonus Points to obtain different Bonus Equipment or
Bonus Spells. With the amount of Bonus Points that I got myself while I was
creating my character for the first time, I was able to procure myself this baby
that now rests on my back, the Holy Sword Durandal, awarded for investing
in Bonus Equipment Skill up to Lv.6. Normally I'm keeping it hidden
because I don't want to risk anyone seeing it and recognizing how stupidly
awesome it is, but I decided to have it on me before I went to the Slave
Merchant's shop in order to look more professional, even if just by a little bit.
Also, I was going to use it to cut down the Alan-san if he tried to scam me
and run away with the money, but since he turned out to be a pretty okay guy
there was no need for me to use Durandal at all, and now that my business
there is done, I can safely remove it.
「You know, it certainly looked heavier than it actually is.」
「I'm glad to hear it. Uhm, master… if you don't mind, could you… hand my
case back to me? I'll be fine carrying it for the rest of the way, so…」
「Sure, if you say so.」
Since she has specifically requested it, I handed the case back to Roxanne
without any complaints. We'll be reaching the inn soon enough anyway. At
first, I wanted to act like a gentleman and carry it all the way, but then I
reminded myself that I do not know all of the customs and common sense of
this world. As far as I know, slaves might be expected not only to carry their
own luggage, but the one belonging to their master as well. Another reason is
that I have another sword in my possession that I could use in case of an
emergency. Out of the two of us I am the one armed with a weapon while
Roxanne is bare-handed, so if anyone attacked us right now, it would be my
job to defend us.
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To begin with, the idea that the man should carry a woman's belongings at all
times originated in the modern society where there is no need for men to
carry swords around with them at all times, but in this world violence in the
cities might be an everyday occurrence, as was evident by an incident I
witnessed recently where a man was killed in broad daylight in the middle of
the street. Truth to be told it happened in the slums, but still…
Having Roxanne carry both of our luggage might be more convenient for me,
but on the other hand it would put her at risk of being attacked while she's
defenseless instead, so that's all the more of a reason for me to carry an easily
accessible weapon on me at all times. Servant carries the belongings while
master carries a sword to protect both himself and his servant. Yeah, that
sound like it might actually be one of the laws ruling this world.
Returning the case to Roxanne, I opened my own Item Box and took the
Scimitar out of it. When she took the handle back from me our fingers
touched for a brief moment, causing my heart to beat faster. So that's how it
feels to touch a girl's hand, huh? It's soft, smooth, and so incredibly warm.
Man, what is going on with me? For some reason I feel like such a kid again.
Keep it together man, you have to show Roxanne how manly and dependable
you are!
「A-Anyway, for the time being we'll be staying at an inn. It's not that far
from here, all we have to do to reach it is to go back to the main street and go
along it until we reach the rotary…」
「So, we're going to the vale Pavilion then. Understood.」
I didn't even know that the inn I was staying in for the past few days had
such a fancy name, but whatever. I placed the Scimitar on my waist and
started walking again. Roxanne was following half a step behind me. I have
to admit, being seen with a girl carrying a large case by herself as she
followed me was a tad bit embarrassing, or rather it made me feel like a dick.
But I guess Roxanne must be feeling even more nervous than I am now,
because, with a few exceptions, she only replies with 「yes」, 「I see」 or
「understood」 to everything that I try to say to her.
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「By the way Roxanne, can you read kanji?」
「Kanji? What is that?」
When I tried asking her if she could read, she only looked at me strangely.
My God, her face is a marvel to look at no matter how many times I do it.
Wait, no, that's not what you should be thinking right now! I just realize that
she could not read kanji, because kanji could not be converted into Brahim
language.
When I arrived here, the Chief of the village of Somara told me that the
language I am speaking with is called Brahim. Even though that was the first
time I have ever heard this strange-sounding word, for some reason I could
speak it and understand it as if it was my own native tongue. But the written
letters were still displayed as kanji for me. They were not converted into
Brahim. Since Brahim does not have the concept of kanji, it must have
treated them as the element of a foreign language.
「Okay, alright, let's try this one more time. You can read the contents of the
Intelligence Cards, right?」
「Y-Yes, I can do that without any issues.」
「And the writing on the Intelligence Cards that you're seeing is written in
what language?」
「In Brahim. It's, well… it's because the Intelligence Card interacts directly
with the consciousness of whoever is reading it, displaying the information
inscribed upon it with the letters of the language that the person who's
reading it knows best.」
So that's how it is, huh? I get it now. So, the information on Intelligence
Cards are not actually written in kanji, but the game's system is converting
the letters written in Brahim into kanji for me, because Japanese is my native
tongue. Now this makes me wonder, how would Intelligence Cards look like
to someone who was completely illiterate?
「Can you read Brahim?」
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「I can, although I learned just a little of it.」
「And what about writing?」
「I can do that as well.」
Okay, so that confirms that Roxanne knows both how to write and read in
Brahim.
「To be honest, I cannot read or write in Brahim, so I would like to ask you to
teach me how to do it.」
「O-Of course! I don't know if I'll be a good teacher, but I will try to do my
best!」
「Thank you. I'll be in your care then.」
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Part 3
We went past the Explorer's Guild. Heh, from now on I won't need anyone
to be my substitute reader, so suck on that, guild clerks ripping illiterate
people off!
[I want to apologize in advance if I'll be of not so much use. If we had met
earlier I would have probably learned much more, but there was only so
much information I could learn in five days.] [Hm? So you learned Brahim in
the Slave Shop throughout those five days I had to get all the necessary
money?] [Yes. When I heard you and the shop owner were talking in Brahim,
I thought learning it myself might prove beneficial to you, and that's why I
decided to learn it myself.]
So he could actually do that much for her, huh? Normally I would say that it
was quite nice of him to do something seemingly so selfless, but that was
probably one of the strategies to elevate the value of the slaves he's selling. It
wasn't an act of goodwill, but a pure business move. After all, a slave who
can read and write will always be seen as more competent than the one that
does not have those skills, but precisely because of the his/her price can be
that much higher.
[The place we'll be staying at is just over there, see?] [Right!]
Since Roxanne has her luggage there's no sense in us doing any detours, so
we just headed straight back to the inn. On our way there, I noticed that a
surprisingly large amount of guys (some of them even with female
companions on their own) were staring at Roxanne with envious eyes when
we were passing by them. I know, right, she's a real cutie, there's no doubt
about that. Knowing that I have such an eye-catching slave filled me with a
sudden sense of superiority. But let' make one thing clear though: I'm fine
with others looking at Roxanne, but if anyone of those guys tried to make a
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move on her I would have cut the bastard down without a second thought.
The only one who's allowed to do any dirty stuff to her is me, her rightful
owner, and no one else. And if anyone has any objections to that, they are
going to get their assholes really well aquainted with the business end of my
Durandal!
We entered the inn, or perhaps I should call it by its proper name: Veil
Pavilion, now that I know it, and approached the reception desk.
[I would like to rent a double room this time. You have any of those vacant?]
I said to the Innkeeper.
[We sure have. So, a double room for you this time, huh?]
He replied, eyeing Roxanne with a look that was curious, but not in a
malicious or mocking sort of way.
[Right. Also, add dinner for two to it.] [Double room with a dinner for two,
that would be 380 Nar, but with your special customer discount it will be 350
Nar per night.] [Coming right up.]
I placed the money, 3 silver coins and 50 copper coins on the table in front of
him. I have to say, that 30% Reduced Prices is a really handy Skill, although
I still don't fully understand the mechanics behind how it works and the total
extend of its limitations. For now the most important thing is that hanks to I
can have lodging and meals at 30% cheaper prices, but I wonder what other
services can it affect? Oh, and on a side note: 30% Reduced Prices is another
one of my Skill that I have set up During that Character Reset I've done on
our way here. Just as the name implies, it allows me to buy items and pay for
various services 30% cheaper. You know, just a handy little lifehack.
[Okay then, can you show me your Intelligence Cards?]
Oh, so now he wants to check them? Well, I don't really mind, but I don't
understand why would he need an additional confirmation when it should be
clear that Roxanne will be coming with me since we came here together.
Maybe he thought she was actually a prostitute I hired to make my evening
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more entertaining? In that case, I wonder what's his reaction is going to be
when he'll see that she's my very own slave! I extended my left hand to him,
and Roxanne did the same right after me.
[Double room are on the 5th floor. Allow me to guide you there.]
Much to my chargin, the Innkeeper did not comment on our Intelligence
Cards in any way. Maybe it is because commenting on thigs like having
slaves is actually considered as rude, or maybe it is a straight up intrusion of
privacy? Whatever the case may be, I grabbed the keys he handed me and
proceeded towards the stairs.
[Your luggage. Gimme.]
I asked Roxanne to hand me her case once more. Now that we are inside an
inn where we're safe, there's no need for me to constantly think about
defending us from potential attackers, so I can allow myself to me a bit
gentlemanly.
[Th-Thank… you.]
Roxanne stuttered a bit and her cheeks flushed, but she followed me closely
to the upper floors.
[Before we go any higher, you might want to grab your things from your
previous room.] [Oh, right. I completely forgot about that.]
When we reached the 3rd floor we stopped at the room I have been using up
until this point, room 311. The Innkeeper unlocked it with his key, and I
handed the case back to Roxanne and went inside. I quickly proceeded to
pack all of my belongings into the Item Box, leaving the jersey from the
closet and a pair of leather shoes from the lockable shelf for last. When I was
done, I left the key on the shelf next to the door.
[Alright, that should be all.] [Then let us continue to the 5th floor.]
The Innkeeper locked the room with his own key and we resumed our climb
to the 5th floor.
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[Want me to take it again?]
I said, pointing at Roxanne's case.
[Thank you, but I'll be fine now.]
If she says she's okay with carrying it the rest of the way, the I have no
reason to distrust her words. There are only two floors left for us to go, so she
should manage without any issues. On the other hand, I could really use an
elevator right now. It's a damn shame that it's way too early for this world to
even think about creating those. Climbing to the third floor was not that big
of a deal to me, but two additional sets of stairs really started to make a
number on my legs. I was beginning to feel as if someone took my kneecaps
and capped them with a spiked baseball bat. For a second I thought about
going there by using Warp, but then it occured to me that I have never been
to the floors higher than the third, and that it would certainly raised a lot of
suspicion if someone who was supposed to be a simple Explorer.
[Fifth floor is where the rooms for two guests are located. The inn's topmost
floor is where the special double rooms are located.]
The Innkeeper explained as if he heard the complaints in my mind. To be
honest, I couldn't really wrap my head around such reasoning.
[Hmm…]
I could only reply to him in such a way.
[And this is the room the two of you will be staying now.]
He stood in front of the second doors to the right after we arrived at the fifth
floor.
[This room, huh?]
I went inside. The room's furniture was kept to the bare minimum here as
well; it contained only a large double bed and a desk in the back, and two
simple chairs. Is it called a double room because of that bed for two people?
Anyway, I placed all of my belongings on the desk. Size-wise, this room
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wasn't all that different from the room 311 I stayed in for the last few days,
the only difference being that is was a little bigger and didn't have a closet,
but that could have well been just my imagination. And then…
[The closet is built into the wall on the right. The shelves below it can be
locked, but just like last time, I generally wouldn't advise you to keep any
valuables in here. Go on, try opening it yourself.]
Urged by the Innkeeper I walked to the wall to my right, which turned out to
be a sliding door. The inside really was just like a closet, and a pretty
spacious one at that. So I guess that really makes this room bigger than room
311. After that the Innkeeper gave me the same explanation he did when he
brought me to my previous room, handed me the key and left, finally leaving
me alone with Roxanne.
Oh, that's right. We're finally alone.
I sat on the bed, which was softer and comfier than the one in the previous
room, but when I looked back at Roxanne, she was still standing at the
entrance, visibly nervous, and maybe even a little scared.
Hoo boi, here we go.
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Part 4
「Come on, why don't you have a sit over here?」
「Oh, r-right!」
Roxanne slowly walks inside the room. I don't know why, but somehow her
nervousness is being passed onto me, making my heart race and my palms all
damp with sweat. Come on, Michio, think of something to talk about! What
are some casual conversation starting topics?!
「Uhm… is that number a five?」
I asked Roxanne while pointing at one of the symbols engraved on the key to
the room. I know that the room's number is 517, but I'm so desperate to keep
the conversation going that I'm literally willing to try anything, even if it
makes me look like an idiot in her eyes.
「Y-Yes, t-that's right.」
「And this here is seven?」
「Yes… that is seven indeed.」
Aaaarggghh, just as I expected, the conversation is not going well at all! I
feel like we talked more naturally while we were heading to the inn from the
Slave Merchant's shop, but now everything seems to be getting to a
standstill, not to mention that Roxanne's uneasiness started rubbing itself on
me. But I understand why her current situation might be filling her with fear.
After all, she is now completely alone in one room with a guy she barely
knows, and there is only one bed in here. As far as she is concerned, I might
be planning to push her down and take her by force. Just so we're clear on
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this, I absolutely do not intend to do that! I might be a garbage human being,
but I'm not a rapist!
「So, uhm, like… I hope you won't take it the wrong way but… can I… can I
touch your ears?」
Feeling like I have nothing left to lose, I made that rather abrupt request. It
might have sounded like something totally pulled out of my ass, but I really
wanted to try touching her animal ears as a method of taming…. I mean
convincing Roxanne that I have no ill intentions towards her. We'll see how
she responds, and if she says yes, then maybe that will be a good sign that she
will be willing to do some more wild things in the future. Perhaps. Probably.
Maybe.
「M-My ears? Y-Yes, of course, I don't mind… as long as you're fine with
someone like me….」
FUCK THE HELL YEAH!
「Then please, have a sit here next to me.」
I once again beckon Roxanne to my side in a true Chris Hansen fashion. And
remember, everyone, what we're about to do here is nothing indecent. It's
just skinship between a master and his servant. That's right, just wholesome
skinship, with no lewd ulterior motives behind it! After all, when it comes to
interpersonal relationships, skinship is one of the most important methods of
deepening the bonds between people. Right now, Roxanne is nervous and
filled with anxiety, but if I show her that I am genuinely interested in getting
to know her better then I'm sure she will come to accept me and trust me, no
matter how long that would have to take. And if I play my cards like, maybe
she will really become interested in doing more daring… activities with me,
or at least I hope so. But that is a matter for the future. For now, let's focus on
the task at hand: deepening our trust by petting her cute dog ears!
Roxanne came to the bed, but instead of sitting next to me she sat on the floor
in front of me. Looking at the situation we're now in, it probably would have
looked like an intro to a hentai anime for anyone who would watch us from
the sidelines. But today is not the day for us to do hentai stuff, only
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wholesome bonding. Which is why I have to keep my little Durandal in
check. Keep calm little one, your time to shine will come one day. I know it's
hard to keep yourself in check with such a first-class beauty right in front of
us, and our instincts are telling us to take advantage of this intimate one on
one situation, but we have to be rational here. We have to be like the… how
did English people called it again? Oh yeah, The Person of Reason, or
something along those lines, I don't really care all that much. The bottom line
is: I have to keep myself from doing anything indecent to her if I want her to
stop being so wary of me. That is the goal that I want to achieve here.
「Uhm, Roxanne?」
「Yes?」
「You can sit right here beside me. You don't have to sit on the floor.」
「Really? It's fine?」
「Yup. So come here. Right here.」
I patted the mattress right beside me in an inviting manner.
「…Okay then.」
Roxanne stood up and sat next to me, on the very edge of the bed, as if she
didn't want to take any more space than it was absolutely necessary. Not
what I was expecting, but at least she won't be sitting on the floor like an
animal. Now that she's so close to me I wanted cuddle to her or straight up
hug her, but she can take such an action the wrong way, so I'll better hold on
with that for the time being.
I hope that by doing this I'll be able to soothe her anxiety, even if just for a
little bit.
「Just… just be gentle… please?」
I swallowed my saliva and silently placed my hand on Roxanne's head. Her
face is so beautiful even when viewed from the side, and her hair slide
through my fingers like the strands of the finest silk. It is also unbelievably
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soft and fluffy, making me want to touch it forever…. Yeah, right, we all
know that what I truly want to do now is to just push her down, but I cannot
allow that urge to overcome me! I need to keep my will strong and
unwavering!
Uwaaaah, this is a great feeling, one that could eliminate all sadness and
purify even the evilest of spirits. After thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her
hair, I finally tried touching her dog ears. They are large, droopy and even
softer than her hair. There is also a certain pleasant thickness to them. They
are not hard, and every inch of them is like a quintessence of fluffiness. A
fluff incarnate, so to speak.
Oh my God, this is so addicting that it might just become a habit for me!
What am I going to do if I won't be able to last a day without touching those
fluffy cuties of hers?! Ah, screw it, we'll worry about that later! For now,
let's take it up another notch, shall we? At first I only touched her ears with
one hand and I tried to be as delicate as possible not to hurt her or make her
uncomfortable, but since she's not protesting to any of my caresses thus far,
then I think I can try petting her with both of my hands.
「You know Roxanne, ever since I first saw you I thought you were a
beautiful girl, but your ears are on a completely different level.」
I allowed myself to be upfront with her. It's true that I think that her beauty is
exceptional, but her droopy, cute ears multiply her beauty factor at least ten,
no, a hundred times! Roxanne herself is incredibly erotic (especially those
boobies of hers) and her ears are cute, and those elements combined result in
the birth of the ultimate combo able to melt the heart of every guy: eroticallycute (TL Note: ero-kawaii in Japanese)! There's just something calming in
them, something that's calm and comforting, yet arousing at the same time.
「I, uhm… thank… you?」
Unable to look me in the eyes after I gave her such a direct compliment,
Roxanne's cheeks turn red and her eyes start to wander all over the place,
until finally she just casts her gaze down.
So… goddamn… CUTE!!!!
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Seeing her as she is now, and after she filled my heart with peace and
tranquility, there's no way I could do anything impure to her! I just continue
to stroke her ears like an innocent child. It took a few solid minutes, but it
looks like she finally stopped being so anxious and relaxed a little. I, on the
other hand, still had to give it my all to remain as calm as possible.
Looking at her from the side again, she really didn't look like she disliked
what I was doing to her. Or maybe she does, but she's doing her best to
accept it? Maybe she also understands that skinship is important in deepening
the bonds between a master and servant?
UwU, and what's this? When viewed from the side, her chest looks like its
even bigger, and it jiggles up and down with every breath she takes! I want to
touch those tasty melons! I want to fondle them! But I can't! Be patient,
Michio! Rid yourself of the earthly desires to focus on what you have to do!
「M-Maybe it's not the best time to say this, but… once again, I'll be in your
care from now on, Michio-sama.」
「And once again, likewise. I'll be in your care as well, in all sorts of ways.」
Roxanne bowed to me while still having her ears stroked. When she raised
her head, I patted it again.
「Those ears of yours are really nice. We should do this more often, if it's fine
with you of…」
「Uhm… Michio-sama?」
「Yes, what is it?」
「Can… can I call you my master from now on? Or perhaps you'd prefer
some other title?」
….
....
...
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That's it. I'm done. If there is a God in this world, then let him strike me
down right where I sit for I have achieved the ultimate fulfilment!
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Part 5
Maybe our skinship was already taking effects, because Roxanne initiated
another conversation of her own volition. And she chose a wonderful subject
to boot! I was so happy that I wanted to start jumping on the bed with joy, but
that would probably scare her, or worse, creeped her out.
「Hmm, let's see… I think master is perfectly fine, so you can call me that if
you want.」
「Understood. I shall do just as you wish, master.」
Oh lord. When she called me 「master」 just now, I felt as if something has
awakened inside of me. This is bad, this is really bad. I want to hug her! Keep
your cool dude, keep your god damn with about you! Calm your pubescent
heart filled with raging hormones!
「Anyway, isn't it kinda strange that there is only one bed here even though I
asked for a room for two people?」
I tried to keep the conversation going while I still played with Roxanne's
ears. No, wait a moment. Is it really okay for me to be starting such a topic?
「Eh? But didn't you ask the Innkeeper for such a room specifically?」
「… … … Come again?」
Roxanne said something really strange now. Did I really make a request like
that? Because I don't think so.
「Did I, really?」
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「Yes, you did, master.」
「Are you sure about that?」
「Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt you have asked for a double room for
us.」
「Well of course I… oh…」
Oh indeed. Holy fuck, she's right! Now that I think about it, the way I have
phrased my request really could have been taken in such a way. I see. So in
this world 「double room」 does not mean 「one room with two beds for two
people」 but rather 「one room with one bed for two people」. If that's the case,
then this is really my fault for not properly understanding what I was asking
the Innkeeper for, but you know what they say: there are no mistakes in life,
only happy accidents. Good job, Mr. Innkeeper, omega good job!
「You really had no idea what you were asking for?」
Now Roxanne was looking at me with visible concern. Well, of course I
knew that it was going to be a room with one bed, but I cannot tell her that
straight to her face! I need to phrase it in such a way that won't make me look
like a total degenerate who knew what he was doing all along and was just
feigning ignorance.
「It is exactly as you say, but I have a good reason for it, so let me start with
that.」
「Okay, I'm listening, master.」
「I am not from around these parts. I am a traveler who came to this kingdom
from a land far, far away to the east that you probably wouldn't believe it if I
tried to calculate the exact distance.」
The best thing I can do right now it to tell her half of the truth. But I'm not
going to stop touching her ears while I'm at it. Skinship is important after all.
I cannot tell her everything because I have no idea if she's going to believe
me, and even if she did it could just be an unnecessary burden for her, but I
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also don't want to lie to her about everything. That's why I will tell her the
most important bits while omitting or changing the ones the are not
absolutely necessary for her to know.
「When you say far, far away from here, do you mean even farther away than
Cassim?」
「Yes, even farther than that.」
「Is that so? Then your journey here must have taken quite some time
indeed.」
Roxanne seemed to be deep in thought as she stroked her chin with her
fingers. I don't know what that Cassim place she was talking about is or
where it is, but as long as it is very far away from here then that works fine
for me. And on a side note, Roxanne looked very charming when she was
thinking.
「Also, I am a bit of a country bumpkin, born and raised outside of any big
cities, so I'm afraid I don't have that much of a common sense and
knowledge, so I would like you to educate me in those matters.」
「Okay, I think I understand so far. As I said before, I will try to help you to
the best of my abilities, master.」
「I'll be much obliged, although I have to warn you that my knowledge of
what can and cannot be done in this country Is so severely lacking that I'm
afraid we'll have to start from the very basics.」
「It's alright. I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out.」
Phew, that's a dodged bullet right there. It's good that I managed to convince
her, but it doesn't change the fact that not telling her the entire truth didn't sit
right with me. However, for now half-truths are a necessity if I want to
ensure a smooth sailing for us from now on. So now that we have the issue of
my background out of the way, let's start talking some more serious business.
「Also, you might have heard that already, but I am also exploring the
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Labyrinth. If possible, I'd like you to help me with my future expeditions as
well.」
「Of course. I think I'll be able to be of use to you during battles, so you can
leave that to me, master.」
When I mentioned the Labyrinth, Roxanne immediately looks me in the eyes.
Is it just me or are her eyes shining with some sort of mysterious light now?
And the atmosphere around her has changed drastically. Apparently she must
be very confident in her combat abilities. It was reassuring, but also
somewhat scary, as if her bestial instincts took her over for just that one brief
moment.
I think that's going to be the best moment to stop petting her ears for now.
All things considered, I'm glad that she's so confident in her own abilities,
because that means I will be getting a fine addition to my Party.
「Can I put my clothes into the closet? I don't want them to get all wrinkled.」
Since our skinship session was over, Roxanne stood up from the bed. For a
moment I thought she was going to dash straight to the door to run away.
「Y-Yeah, please, go ahead.」
「Thank you very much.」
Thankfully she just placed the case she brought with herself from the Slave
Merchant's shop on the bed and opened it, and took the maid outfit out of it.
Isn't that the uniform she was wearing during my first visit to Alan-san's
establishment? I wonder is she brought that with her out of sentiment?
Next she took out another maid outfit that we ended up buying on the way
here. It was a pretty expensive purchase that cost me 4000 Nar, but I think
that it was a good one. Unfortnately, since we were buying only one item, my
30% discount that I obtained by once again resetting my character did not
work this time. Also, I think that for it to be effective I have to be the one
making the purchase, so I need to keep that in mind in case I'll ever send
Roxanne to do some shopping alone.
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The effect of my discount works perfectly on the things from this inn,
assuming that I'll pay for more than one thing at once, so if I'll take the room
for the night coupled with dinner, the overall payment will be cheaper than if
I tried to pay for those two things separately. But if I were to get, for
example, just a basin of hot water, the discount would not activate. In the
same fashion, if Roxanne tried to buy the maid uniform without me around,
the discount would not activate as well, even though she's my slave. Ans
speaking of slaves, it was thanks to that Skill that I was able to buy Roxanne
at such an affordable price. If I didn't have it on me at the time of visiting
Alan-san's shop, I would have never been able to assemble the money for her
original price, so I guess that was one hell of a lucky coincidence for me. Or
maybe I shouldn't call it coincidence, because I clearly fell for Alan-san's
clever business trap. By showing me Roxanne, he stimulated my young and
impressionable (TL Note: in other words, horny) heart, imprinting the
desire of claiming her for myself in it. In that sense, I am guilty of falling for
his clever schemes, but I guess it all turned out all right in the end so I have
no real reason to complain about anything anymore.
Anyway, let it be a lesson for all of you kiddos out there: You shouldn't be
greedy; greed is bad and greedy people end up penniless, homeless and dead.
So don't be greedy.
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Part 6
Roxanne took her clothes and started putting them into the closet, allowing
me to have a splendid look at her curves from the back, since the clothes she
is wearing right now are a rather tight fit. Ahh, what a magnificent view it is!
I want to hug her from behind, and then proceed to doing more inappropriate
things! Yup, that purchase was a good one indeed.
When it comes to the characteristics, I think Roxanne is rather slim for
someone with such well endowed chest. She is of the same height as me, but
her limbs are also more on the thinner side. Mind you, I'm not complaining
about her proportions, but rather to accentuate how feminine she is.
「Huh? Wait a minute… Roxanne, you're not wearing any shoes?」
I was so absorbed with looking at Roxanne's nether regions that I only just
now noticed that she was barefoot.
「Ah, yes, that's right.」
She replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say and didn't
pursue the matter any further. Could it be that slaves not wearing any shoes is
another element of the common sense of this land? So she came all this way
here from the Slave Merchant's shop without me even noticing that she was
barefoot. Heh, some master I am, failing to notice something as basic as that.
「Could you take care of that as well?」
I took my jersey from the desk and handed it to Roxanne.
「Of course, master. As you wish. Oh my, this is…」
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「Hm? Something wrong with it?」
「N-No, not at all! It's just that I have never seen a material quite like this one.
So elastic, and yet so firm at the same time.」
I'm sorry to let you down, but it is nothing that impressive. Just a cheap
article of clothing made of synthetic fibers, probably put together by Chinese
or Indian children. But if I remember correctly, according to some people
synthetic fibers were created to be a substitute for silk, so I can understand
why someone from this world, where there are no such fibers at all would
consider it something amazing. Even back in my old world, Nylon is
sometimes considered to be more beautiful of a material than silk, or at least
that's how the story goes.
Roxanne admired it for a bit longer and then carefully placed it in the closet
next to her own clothes. From what I have seen up until now, it doesn't look
like she's forcing herself to do anything, nor was she giving off the feeling
that she doesn't want to be here. She also showed incredible understanding
when she listened to my made-up origin story, even though she could have
used the opportunity that my monologuing gave her to escape. Maybe that
means that she's willing to give me a chance to see what kind of master I will
turn out to be?
Honestly, the fact that I actually managed to buy her and make her mine still
feels like a dream to me. So much so that I question if it actually happened in
the first place. But she is here, and she even allowed me to pat her head and
touch her cute ears. Looking at her behavior up until now, is it okay for me to
think that she has fully embraced her position as my slave and acknowledged
that I am her master from now on?
I don't know what is going on inside her head, but even if she hates the idea
of being the property of someone like me, then at the very least she's making
sure not to let those emotions show on her face. The question here is: can I
allow myself for a more… direct display of affection towards her? If my
guess is correct, she will allow me to do it. But if it's not… we'll cross that
bridge when we get there.
I stood behind her and gently hugged her from the back. I have no experience
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in those things, so I'm not even sure if I'm doing it properly, but I don't care.
「M-Master?」
「It's okay, I won't do anything more than that. Just think about it as my way
of saying "thank you". But if you tell me to stop, then I will stop.」
「W-Well it was rather sudden… but I do not… dislike that.」
She answered in a small voice, making me feel weak in the knees. When I
hugged her she obviously tensed up, but now it looks like she relaxed her
body ever so slightly… can I take it as a sign that she wouldn't say no if I
tried to push her down here and now? Not to mention that I hugged her in
such a way that a part of my arm is obviously touching her chest, but so far
she didn't say anything about that. She really is more forgiving than I
expected… but no, I mustn't take that farther than I already did. Control
yourself, and don't let you lust take over. There are still things that have to be
done. That's one thing. And the other is that a part of me still feels guilty
about buying her, while the other is completely fine with that. To be
completely honest, I don't understand it myself. And here I thought that I
have already made my peace with the fact that buying slaves is the same as
buying clothes or groceries in here, and that there's no need for me to feel
guilty because of that.
「Roxanne.」
「Y-Yes, master?」
「I have an order for you.」
I released Roxanne from my hug and presented her with a pair of Sandals, the
very same ones that I supposedly "stole" from the barn in Somara village
when I was first transported to the world of this game.
「I want you to take these Sandals and wear them. I'm sorry if I'm breaking
another custom again, but as long as you're my slave I don't want you to go
around barefoot, needlessly hurting your feet.」
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「Master, I'm glad that you think this way, but… is it really okay for me to
take them?」
「Of course it is. It might not be much, but if you're going to explore
Labyrinths together with me, you will need your own equipment as well.
May I?」
「Huh? O-Oh, of course!」
Having received Roxanne's permission, I knelt down and slipped the Sandals
onto her feet. Even though she's not human, her legs and feet are no different
than the ones of the ordinary human girls (says someone who never saw them
from this close) with how glossy and smooth they were. Even though she is
supposed to be a Wolfkin, that is to say, a member of the species that should
have some werewolf-like qualities to their physique, she had not on strand of
hair or fur on them. I'm just surprised that we are roughly of the same height.
Personally, my ideal strike zone are girls who are just a wee bit taller than
me, but that is just my personal preference that has nothing to do with my
current situation. Roxanne is an overall top-notch beauty so that one
shortcoming is being totally offset by her other assets.
「There, all done.」
「Thank you very much.」
「How are they? Not to tight? Maybe walk for a bit to see if everything's okay
with them?」
「Thank you for worrying, but that won't be necessary. You see, every piece
of equipment is magically enchanted so that it can expand and contract to fit
itself to the wearer's body. That's why everything will be fine.」
Roxanne explains while looking down on me, since I was still kneeling at her
feet. And since I had no idea that every piece of clothing has such a function,
that's another useful piece of information I have obtained. And since she
didn't do anything to me when I was putting the Sandals on her feet, I also
learned that she's not creeped out by my flimsy attempts at flirting through
physical contact. That is more than fine with me, since her legs are so fluffy
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and cute to the touch that I could just touch them for an entire day and not be
bored with it.
「I see now. So that is one of the features of the equipment here, huh?」
「Yes, that's right.」
Such a feature is quite convenient indeed. Implementing it means that
whenever we'll go buy clothes and armor, there won't be any need to order
them to be custom made.
「Is this also a part of this country's common sense?」
「Yes. I think that most people do know about this.」
「Then it looks like I will have much more to learn than I have initially
thought. I hope you'll show me the ropes, Roxanne.」
「Yes, of course!」
And that was my very first lesson in the common sense of the new world I
have found myself in.
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Part 7
Looks like I have a pretty long and bumpy road ahead of me if I want to learn
all about the laws that govern this place. Learning about the equipment
automatically fitting itself to match the wearer might be not that important in
the grand scheme of things, but at least it will allow me to avoid some silly
misunderstandings. And it's all thanks to Roxanne patiently teaching me
about it.
「When it comes to weapons, like swords, which would you prefer? Onehanded ones or two-handed ones?」
I got up and asked Roxanne about what type of weapon she would prefer.
「I think I'm leaning more towards one-handed swords, so I'd like to go with
that. Is that a problem?」
「Not at all. Here you go.」
I grabbed the Scimitar from the desk and handed it over to Roxanne. Under
normal circumstances doing something like that might have been awfully
foolish and risky, but judging by her attitude and actions thus far, I concluded
that I could hand it over to her without worrying about it too much. Of
course, the possibility that she is collaborating with the Slave Merchant in
order to kill me and get all of my money and belongings still lingers
somewhere in the back of my mind, because let's face it: if Alan-san is the
one in charge of making the master-slave contracts, how hard would it be for
him to leave some kind of loophole that would allow the slaves he's selling to
kill their masters without having to worry about dying themselves?
Should I be more careful around her after all?
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If she really is as confident in her battle abilities as she seems to be, then I
guess taking me out wouldn't be a problem to her at all, especially since she's
have more than her fair share of chances to do so, considering the fact that we
share a room and will be sleeping in the same bed. Sooner or later we'll be
entering the Labyrinth, so I would have to give her a weapon anyway, so now
is a perfect occasion. If I give her the sword now, it could be read as a sign of
my trust in her. If she's going to use it to kill me anyway, then maybe she
will be considerate enough to at least wait with it until the next morning, after
I'll have her take my wretched V-Card away from me… man, I really have to
tone down the paranoia. Why am I even worrying about such things now that
she showed me that she bears no hostility towards me? Have some more trust
in her, me!
「Hmm, it's not in a bad shape, but its maintenance leaves a lot to be desired.」
Roxanne inspected the Scimitar with a serious look on her face.
「Eh? You can tell that just by looking at it?」
「Yes.」
Her eyes are surprisingly sharp. Looks like she'll be able to help me in more
ways than just teaching about the common sense of this world, fighting
monsters and (possibly) bedtime entertainment.
「Do you have any other pieces of equipment besides this one?」
And that was my very first lesson in the common sense of the new world I
have found myself in.
「Of course I do.」
「I see. That's good.」
All in all, her evaluation of the Scimitar I gave her was spot on. I haven't
performed any kind of maintenance work on it ever since I bought it.
「Master, from now on I will handle the maintenance of our equipment, but
please do be sure to put more attention into the state of your weapons and
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armor in the future. It might seem like a trivial thing, but you never know
when it might become a decisive factor between our life and death.」
「O-Okay. I'll be sure to remember about that from now on.」
Roxanne leaned towards me and preached on, to which I could only react by
submissively leaning back.
「Good. I'm glad that you're so quick to understand, master.」
And she just casually returned to putting her luggage into the closet as if
nothing had happened. She also took off the Sandals and handed them over to
me.
「Uhm… you don't have to give them back to me. I gave them to you, so feel
free to wear them from now on. They're yours. Now, come on here and put
them back on, it would be bad if you caught a cold.」
I took the pair of my Leather Shoes, sat back on the bed and once again
beckoned Roxanne to join me at my side, after which I put the shoes on and
tied the shoelaces. The difference between Sandals and Leather Shoes was
clear as the difference between night and day: not only did Leather Shoes
provided better defenses to the entire foot, they were also of much better
quality. To begin with, I only wore those stolen Sandals because at the
moment of being transported to this world I had nothing on my feet and
didn't want to go around barefoot in an unfamiliar environment. I don't think
we're going to encounter any monsters that target the legs and feet
specifically, but it's always better to be safe rather than sorry. Also, I don't
think it has to be pointed out, but between the master and the slave, master
should always be the one with better/higher quality equipment.
「As you wish.」
「No, not there. Here.」
I once again patted the space next to me, seeing as Roxanne instinctively
tried to sit on the floor again. Slightly embarrassed, she covered her mouth
with her hand and sat next to me, and wore the Sandals again. They really
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have adjusted themselves to the size of her feet in a matter of seconds.
「Alright, now that that's done, I was thinking of doing some shopping since I
don't have anything urgent to do at the current moment. Is there any other
equipment you would need, Roxanne?」
「If it's not too much to ask, then I think I could really benefit from having a
Wooden Shield to complement the Scimitar. Would that be accepatable?」
「A Wooden Shield, got it. Anything else?」
「I think it would be best to get me an armor that matches yours when it
comes to quality, master. Nothing too fancy or pricey of course, just enough
for it to provide better protection than an ordinary set of plain clothing.」
「Sure thing. Whatever you say.」
And I started another round of petting her cute doggy ears. It was just a short
while ago, but now she is not as scared or nervous as she was when he first
entered the room. This must undoubtedly be the result of my skinship with
her. You see guys? The old words do ring true: every woman will warm up to
you if you just touch her in the right places (made up quote, not backed by
personal experience).
「And what about things other than weapons or equipment? Do you need
anything like that?」
「An oil so I can take care of my hair and ears. You wouldn't happen to have
any on you right now, would you?」
「Can't say that I do, sorry.」
「In that case I think a small bottle of olive oil should be enough to last me for
some time.」
Olive oil, huh? I wonder if it could be utilized in some kind of "play"…?
「Duly noted.」
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「Ah, in order to clean I would also need a rag or cleaning cloth. Do you have
some worn-out underwear that could fill that role?」
「Nope. Just the pair I have on me right now and the one over there.」
「Hmm, it still looks new so that won't do.」
Going through the laundry, Roxanne noticed the Pumpkin Pants I bought five
days ago and inspected them thoroughly as well. For some inexplicable
reason, I felt as if she was examining my own crotch by doing so. Not a
pleasant feeling in the slightest.
Oh, and by the way, since today was the day when I was supposed to buy
Roxanne, I donned my best clothing available before I headed to the Slave
Merchant's shop. All for the sake of looking my absolute best so that he
would raise his opinion of me.
「You can go ahead and use them as a cleaning rag, I don't mind in the
slightest. What else?」
「A container for holding water, like a bottle.」
Bottled water, huh? I have to admit, I never even thought to bring one of
those with me into the Labyrinth excursions. Certainly, if we ever planned on
making longer escapades there, having a source of water would be a
tremendous benefit. It's not that light to carry around, but it's importance
would completely justify such a purchase.
「Okay, I'll be sure to buy two water bottles. What's next on the list?」
「A backpack or something similar so I can carry all the necessities with me
no matter where we'd go.」
「A backpack, understood.」
「And I think that's about it for the things that I'd need.」
We had this entire conversation while I was playing with Roxanne's ears. I'm
honestly afraid that playing with them might become an incurable habit for
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me.
「So to sum up: shields, olive oil, washcloths, water bottles, backpack, armor
and shoes for you. Something I missed?」
「No, you memorized everything perfectly, master!」
Seven items in total, huh? Looks like we're going to do some bigger
shopping.
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Part 8
Oh, since we're already at the subject of shopping, I might as well ask about
that one thing.
「Do you have soap around these parts?」
It should be fine for me to call the soap "soap", because I already confirmed
that this word exists in the Brahim language.
「Soap, you say? We do have it, but it tends to be quite expensive. For
cleaning purposes, it is much more common to use the bran of the Kochi
fruit.」
「In other words, it's another nice thing that only the rich can afford, huh?
What about sham… you know what, never mind that. We'll just buy that
Kochi fruit thingy as well.」
「Of course.」
I bit myself in the tongue before I finished articulating the word shampoo
because there is a risk that this particular word might not exist in Brahim, and
that would only cause further confusion. So yeah, if this is a world where just
your plain-ass soap is considered to be expensive, then I think it is safe to
assume that beauty & aestethics products such as shampoos, rinses,
treatments and hair conditioners also do not exist here.
「And what about brushing your teeth? Do you have something for that here
as well?」
「We have tuffed toothpicks made from the Sucre Branches. If my memory
serves me correctly, they should be sold in every city.」
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So instead of toothbrushes they use toothpicks?
「Shields, olive oil, cleaning rags, water bottles, backpacks, armor, shoes,
Kochi fruits and tuffed toothpicks. Nine items in total. Let's both make sure
not to forget about any of them.」
「Roger!」
I got up from the bed and grabbed my backpack. As much as I want to
continue to play with Roxanne's ears (preferably forever), doing something
too much is almost as bad as not doing it enough. Right now, we have an
errand to do, so let's get it over with quickly. For this little shopping bout, I
think a Copper Sword from my Item Box and a backpack with money are all
the things I'm going to need.
「Well then, shall we be on our way?」
「Understood!」
Roxanne also stood up and followed after me. Alright, onwards towards our
shopping bout!
We left the key at the front desk and left the inn.
The first things we bought were the water bottles, backpacks, a small bottle
of olive oil, the Kochi fruits and the toothpicks at the general store, although
the bottles could hardly be called as such, since they looked more like
goatskins to me, but hell, what do I know? Next item on our agenda, the
Kochi fruit bran looked like one of those scented powders sold in sachets that
I saw in the beauty shops in the shopping malls in Japan, so presumably I
should be able to use them in the very same way, i.e just dump it into the
water for it to take effect. The toothpicks were next, and they were dirt cheap,
only 1 Nar per each, but that should come as no surprise considering that they
were literally just ordinary small branches, similar to those that dropped from
Needlewoods. Who knows, maybe some of them were actually manufactured
from the Needlewood Branches that I've been bringing to the Adventurer's
Guild these past few days? Haha, would be fun if that was the case. After the
first round of shopping has been concluded, I took everything we bought,
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placed it into the backpack and handed it over to Roxanne.
After buying the toothpicks we went to the shop next door that was selling
towels and other cloths where I bought two cleaning rags. Roxanne said that
one would be more than enough, but since she's going to be using them to
care for our equipment I saw no harm in buying an extra one.
「Since they are also selling socks here, go ahead and pick whichever two you
like the most.」
「Is it really okay for me to do so?」
「I don't see why it wouldn't be okay, so go ahead.」
「But I don't know the size of your foot, master.」
Hoo boi, here we go again with a botched attempt at communication.
「No no no, when I said that you can pick two pairs of socks, I didn't mean
for me. I want you to pick two pairs for yourself.」
「For me? Really?」
「Yes, it's alright. Believe me, if it won't be alright, you'll be the first person
to know that.」
As I continuously nodded, Roxane started to look through the various kinds
of socks with an overly serious expression, which made me chuckle in my
mind a little. She's wearing Sandals for now so there is no problem with her
going barefoot, but it's better for her to have some socks now instead of
waiting until she gets some other casual footwear. I'm curious which of them
she's going to pick in the end. As for me, I still have my socks from Japan,
and they are slightly bigger than my actual foot size, but that is purely
because I like them better this way.
「I think I'm going to go with those.」
「You sure?」
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The two pairs she chose could only be described as the plainest among the
plain.
「Yes. I am positive that I want these two.」
「Okay then. As long as you're fine with them then I have no complaints.」
Then we brought the socks she selected to the shopkeeper to pay for them,
placed them in the backpack along with the rest of our stuff and the we
finally moved on to the armor shop. There, Roxanne's expression became
even more steeper than earlier as she went from shield to shield and
examined them, so thoroughly that a part of me thought she was going as the
shop owner to test them in practice. I don't know if can call her a devilish
customer just yet, but it was clear that she won't accept anything half-assed
or subpar. But in this particular case I can at least understand where is she
coming from. After all, those shields are going to be our lives insurances in
the Labyrinth. If possible, I'd like her to pick the one which has an empty
Skill Slot, but how exactly should I go about that? I mean, I could tell her
about the Skill Slots, but without the certainty that she could also see them I
would have only made a fool out of myself, so I think I will settle for the best
sub-option: I'll pick some shields with Skill Slots myself. Fortunately, I was
able to find three of them across the entire shop.
「I think those three might be pretty good.」
「Indeed, they seem to be of good enough quality. You have a good intuition,
master.」
「You think so?」
「Umu!」
In response to Roxanne's words I nodded as confidently as I could. Truth to
be told, if it wasn't for the Skill Slots I would have never picked them up
because to me they all look the -frickkin'-same.
Roxanne took the shields from me and began to compare them to one
another. But seriously now, she's such a beautiful girl and yet she willingly
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frowns so much just to make sure that she's going to choose the best possible
equipment for us. What is she going to do if she gets wrinkles from it
though? Anyway, it doesn't look like I'm going to be of much use to her
now, so I better give her some space by heading to the portion of the shop
which held various pieces of armor on display.
The most affordable one is, of course, leather armor. Now that I think about
it, the Thieves who attacked the village of Somara all wore armors exactly
like the one that is now before me. Damn, now a part of me wishes that it
didn't sold the armors they left behind when I killed them all. But even if I
didn't do that, what good would that made me if I didn't even have an Item
Box on me at that time? A shame indeed, but that's in the past and there's no
use dwelling on that now. Another thing on display is a Leather Jacket.
Hmm, maybe I should go and try this one? Sure, it looks more than a little
edgy, but also incredibly cool at the same time. And most importantly, it
comes with an empty Skill Slot as well. Price wise it is… more expensive
than Leather Armor, but such a purchase might not be a bad one in the
slightest, especially if you will think about it in the categories of a long-time
investment. Okay, that settles it: I'm going to buy it. But first I'll go to the
changing room to try it on.
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Part 9
I went towards the gloves section next. Up till now, the possibility that I
wasn't taking into consideration was the one where my hands or fingers
might get injured or even cut off during a monster attack. If something like
that happened to me, I would end up unable to hold up Durandal, meaning
that I would become defenseless, and I don't want to test if its HP Absorption
Skill can also heal mutilations. That is why I thought that I should also wear
something to protect my hands. While we are on the matter oh what I want
right now, I want something that is going to make my DEF stat skyrocket, but
it needs to be at an affordable price. It wouldn't be worth it if it made me
blow all of my hard-earned money on it, don't you agree? And it should also
look good, making others look at me with jealous eyes. That being said, price
is the most important factor to me right now, and by the look of it, the only
category of equipment that has all of the above marks checked out is the
Leather brand of equipment.
In the gloves section, there are two available choices: Leather Gloves and
Leather Mittens. The difference between the two lies in he fingers: gloves
have the spaces for all five fingers properly divided, while a mitten is divided
into a thumb part and the rest of the fingers, making it similar to a protective
glove used in kendo practice. When it comes to the sheer usability they are
probably more or less the same. However, none of those two goes beyond the
wrist, all the way to the elbow, covering the entire arm, but since the store
does not have anything else besides those two, I just bought one pair of each.
I'm sure that both of them will prove useful in different situations, I just have
to figure out what those situations will be.
Next I moved to the helmet section. That is the only part left to get since I've
already bought myself something for the torso, arms and feet. Just like with
everything else, I think I will go with the Leather series, because you know,
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consistency. And also, price. But just from a first glance alone I can already
tell that it's not going to be something that I would like to wear on my head at
all times, because it looks like one of those oversized bicycle helmets worn
by the road racers.
「Master, I have finished picking the Wooden Shield. I have ultimately
decided to go with this one.」
Roxanne showed up with a Wooden Shield in hand. It was one of those three
with the Skill Slots which I have presented to her.
「A question for you: do you have anything against headwear?」
「Not at all. Moreover, it's always better to have something protecting your
head if you're going into battle, be it with a monster or a human.」
「I see. Then here you go.」
I placed a Leather Hat on Roxanne's head, and it immediately adjusted itself
to the size of her head. That magic is amazing, but the way how it works
remains a complete mystery to me. Now it completely covers her doggy ears,
hiding them from view. Depending on our situation something like that might
ne necessary if we wouldn't want to attract too much attention to ourselves,
but if I had a say in the matter then I would opt for not hiding Roxanne's
cutest characteristic from the rest of the world. They are just too fluffy to be
treating them like that!
「Okay that should give me six new Skill Slots.」
I muttered quietly to myself. I took all the items we gathered here and
presented them to the shop's owner at the counter.
「Thanks for stopping buy. Do come again!」
We paid for everything, and I placed the items neatly into the Item Box. But
when I finished doing that, I noticed that Roxanne was looking at me with
some suspicious eyes. When I summoned the Item Box I made sure to turn
away from the shopkeeper and to murmur the incantation as quietly as
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possible, and it looks like I was successful with that, but apparently Roxanne
must have heard each and every word I said perfectly. For now, I've avoided
casting any spells, as explaining to her how am I able to do it despite not
being a mage would be painful, awkward and needlessly long, but maybe I
should tell her about it without hiding anything? Or maybe I should still wait
for a bit?
「W-Well, now that the shopping's taken care of, how about we go back?」
「Yes, master.」
Roxanne, however, didn't make any comments on it just yet. Maybe she
wanted to wait until we were out of the armor shop to avoid making
unnecessary scenes in the public space? But on our way back to the inn, I
kept on noticing that she was glancing at me as if she wanted to say
something. Oh my fucking God this is so not good! What if I she feels really
offended by me not telling her about it?!
When we were back in front of the inn, I noticed that there was a clothing
store right across the street from the entrance. It had a lot of neatly looking
clothes folded and arrange on a display stand. I thought that most of the
goods offered by the stores in this world are going to be second-hand quality
at best, but a surprising amount of them, including this one, looked like it
offered the things that were brand new. But if their quality really is as good
as they look, then they are undoubtedly going to be more than a little
expensive. Maybe they are classified as a luxury item. One of such items was
a black, hooded mantle. Seeing it made me think that maybe I should have
bought something like that instead of the leather one I got for myself, because
let's face it, if I'm going to fight monsters while wearing the Leather Cloak, it
is definitely going to get stained with their blood, and washing it away from it
after every single bout in the Labyrinth is undoubtedly going to be a pain in
the ass for Roxanne. Ahh, if only I noticed that shop sooner, I would have
saved myself the money wasted on the purchase of the Leather Cloak. Just
thinking about how much of a vain purchase that was and how hard I had to
work to get all that money both in the Labyrinth and by doing the Bounty
Hunting is giving me a headache.
「Excuse me, what is that mantle made of and how much does it cost?」
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「You mean the cloak over there? It is made of flannel and costs 4000 Nar.」
The shop clerk explains to me. So that's a cloak, not a mantle, huh? And just
as I expected, its cost is abnormally high. The number of days I would have
to spend in the Labyrinth farming mobs to get that much coin… my headache
is only getting stronger. And it's not because I can't afford something like
that. It's more about the feeling that I have just taken a fistful on money and
thrown it down the sewer.
「You're going to buy it?」
「Yeah, most probably. Just tell me, does it just look cool, or does it also
provide good protection from the rain and wind?」
「That it does indeed. It might not look like it, but it is also quite warm, so it's
a good choice of clothing even for colder days.」
So that basically covers the protection against all the basic elements no matter
the weather.
「Yes, I think I'm going to take it after all.」
If it's going to be so handy, then I think I would've bought it even if it was
not available in the black variant.
「Of course. That will be 4000 Nar, please.」
Wait, 4000? Wasn't there supposed to be… oh, right.
「On second thought, lemme grab something else real quick. You want a
cloak as well, Right, Roxanne? Oh, who am I kidding, of course you want.
Go ahead, choose whichever one you like, and don't forget: you're choosing
for yourself, not for me.」
That was a close one. I almost forgot that if I buy only one thing then my
30% discount won't activate, just like when I ordered only hot water back at
the inn. So, in order for it to kick in, I just have to buy another thing. I do feel
kinda bad though, using Roxanne as a means of getting a discount, but it's for
her benefit as well so hey, silver lining.
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「Uhm… are you sure it's okay to buy something so expensive for me if it's
not absolutely necessary?」