Chapter 29: Never, Ever Bet With a Slave Trader!

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"You'll let me go if I win?"

Alfia wondered if she had misheard.

Though she had clearly heard Karami's proposal, she couldn't believe it and asked again.

But Karami's answer remained unchanged.

"Indeed, I'll set you free."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Isn't this an opportunity for you?"

"Well, that's true, but…"

Of course, this was what she had hoped for, but hearing it now left her feeling dazed. She never expected to be freed just for being good at drinking.

Still, she knew better than to jump at the offer. Even as an elf unfamiliar with the ways of the world, she knew that much.

"What if I lose? What's in it for you then?"

"I won't be taking anything."

"What…?"

Karami's eyes curved into an elegant arc.

"It's not a bet if you already know the outcome, it's cheating."

His tone suggested his victory was a foregone conclusion. Alfia's eyebrows twitched at the blatant provocation. Though he was smiling, no one would have thought he was actually happy.

The temperature seemed to drop so much that one might imagine an ice spirit had manifested.

"Oh, is that so? Fine. Let's do it. I never thought I'd be freed so easily~"

Though she had initially been forced to drink due to innate reasons, Alfia now considered herself a connoisseur. When it came to drinking, she was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone.

On top of that, backing down after being provoked would be a disgrace to elves.

This was no longer just a contest between her and Karami.

It was a battle between elves and humans.

"How should we do this? Take turns drinking?"

"That works. Before we start, I'll quickly use the restroom."

"Do whatever you want."

Karami left briefly and soon returned to his seat.

"We'll let Master be the judge. Please stop us when you think one side can no longer drink."

"Very well."

Karami filled both their glasses to the brim.

"Shall we start with a light toast for the first glass?"

"If you insist."

The man and woman clinked their glasses together with smiles that weren't quite smiles.

Clink.

A clear sound rang out.

***

After downing their first glasses, the two began exchanging questions along with their drinks.

"That reminds me, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Alfia Liliand."

"A playful flower, is it? What a pretty name."

"Save the sugar-coated words. You're Karami, right? What do you do?"

"I'm a slave trader. Unfortunately, I've earned the name Slave Reaper."

"Slave Reaper? What's that?"

"It's an alias I've received because of claims that I kill slaves. It's a rather bitter feeling. I pride myself on treating slaves much better than anyone, yet I ended up with such a name."

Alfia, unfamiliar with human society, didn't quite understand, but she sensed that this wasn't normal.

And if he was a reaper… Alfia asked again in a low voice, weighed down by anxiety.

"Have you taken other elves as slaves besides me?"

"Of course. Elves may be money-eating hippos at first, but once they've established a foundation, they can be useful in various fields. Some elves even know how to make potions, and having just one can rake in money in no time."

"…"

She had thought as much.

Alfia could sense a faint forest energy from Karami, but its concentration was far from ordinary. Even rolling around in the forest wouldn't result in this.

The World Tree.

The first tree in the world.

It was the aura of the World Tree, the spiritual pillar of the elves. He must have absorbed this aura from being around her homeland's elves for a long time.

There was no other way Karami's body could emanate the World Tree's aura.

"Where did all those elves go?"

"I returned them all to nature's embrace."

Alfia mulled over the phrase 'nature's embrace.'

For elves, returning to nature's embrace meant going back to their homeland, the Great Forest. Given how knowledgeable Karami seemed about elven culture, he might have used it in that sense.

On the other hand, Karami was the Slave Reaper. If that was what he meant by nature's embrace…

Alfia stopped thinking too deeply about it. It made her chest feel heavy. She focused solely on winning this bet.

One cup.

Another cup.

An endless Möbius cup of emptying and refilling. As this cycle repeated, soon nine empty bottles were rolling around.

Each glass of alcohol was worth dozens of gold, all high-class liquor. As their number increased, joy spread across Victor's face.

Usually, Karami would drink for free using Emily as an excuse, but this time, for some reason, he said he would pay.

It didn't matter who won.

Victor was just thankful if they kept drinking.

On the other hand, Alfia's pale face turned red, and her inner thoughts seemed to burn black like they were scorched.

Elves naturally had superior alcohol tolerance. Alfia, in particular, was top-tier even among elves, yet she was gradually getting drunk.

Due to the alcohol coursing through her body, her pain had subsided, but the more she drank, the further the light of freedom seemed to be slipping away. Karami's complexion hadn't changed at all since they started drinking.

"You… Y-You're quite good at drinking, aren't you?"

"Rather than being good at it, I'd say I enjoy it moderately. But Miss Alfia, you're not looking so well. Shouldn't you consider giving up?"

"G-Give up? Nonsense! I'm still perfectly sober!"

Alfia boldly exclaimed.

***

"I'm… sober. Perfectly sober…"

The fierce competition ended when we opened the 11th bottle.

Alfia, who had already been showing signs of intoxication, wobbled her head precariously before finally slamming her forehead onto the table with a thud.

She didn't get up from that position.

With that headbutt, the scales of victory shattered.

"You've won."

"Haah, I suppose so."

Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and slump into my chair like a slug. Looking at the back of Alfia's head as she lay passed out, I couldn't hide my sense of disbelief.

Is this really an elf? More like a drinking elephant.

Since she has long ears instead of a trunk, maybe I should call her earphant.1

Anyway.

The problem wasn't getting drunk, I almost couldn't drink anymore because I was so full. I knew she could drink well, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent.

One's a chipmunk eating slime fritters.

The other's a drinking elephant.

What unique slaves. Well, there would also be a vampire who drinks milk instead of blood, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

How much does all this cost?

Empty bottles were scattered everywhere.

All of that was my alcohol bought with my own money.

Alfia was wary of me, so I needed to raise her affection towards me, and there was nothing better than alcohol for that.

But if she drank for free, it wasn't me giving it to her, but Victor. That was why I had no choice but to buy the alcohol myself.

"You're quite the drinker. Were you always this good?"

"It's a fundamental skill for a slave trader."

That was a lie.

The truth was, I was terrible at drinking. My original self wasn't a heavy drinker, and neither was Karami. So how did I beat that elephant? Well…

Ding.

A system notification rang out.

[The duration of Potion of Invulnerability has ended]

What else could it be?

Of course it was an item.

An overpowered item that grants immunity to all sorts of debuffs, including poison. It only lasts for an hour, but has a whopping one-week cooldown. It cost a hefty 5k.

And I used it just for this drinking contest.

Thanks to that, it felt like I was drinking a tasty beverage instead of alcohol, and I didn't feel drunk at all. If Alfia had managed to drink just a little longer until the duration ended, I would have been the one face-planting on the table.

Me, a kind master who gave her a chance to escape.

I raised her affection a little bit too.

After drinking this much, she probably wouldn't feel any pain either.

I was glad it worked out well.

"Let's go, you silly ugly elephant. Sleeping like that will give you a sore neck."

"Uugh… I'm not ugly… I'm super pretty…"

"Alright, you pretty elephant."

"Hehehe… Pretty."

I hoisted the sleep-talking Alfia onto my back.

"Master, thank you for your hard work today."

"Hoho, what hard work? This kind of hard work is always welcome. I think I made more than when you requested the job? I can buy Emily a pretty dress now."

Leaving Victor beaming at his pouch of gold coins, I returned to the room and laid Alfia on the bed.

With each breath she exhaled, a mix of alcohol and forest scent spread. Her pale face was flushed red, and true to her elven nature, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

I stared at her as she slept, looking much more peaceful than before.

[Alfia, the Eternally Suffering Elf]

Actually, the first encounter with her wasn't at the outpost.

There was no scenario to save her.

In the original story, Alfia was kidnapped by those mercenaries and handed over to Roperman, who was both the leader of the Desert Rose Merchant Group and a collector.

At first, Roperman treated Alfia preciously, but his attitude changed drastically when he discovered she had a major flaw.

Alfia suffered all sorts of sexual assaults from Roperman, unbearable for a woman, and unable to bear the pain even with alcohol, she was forcibly given drugs.

Steeped in drugs, Alfia's mind deteriorated to the point she ended up being put up for sale at a dirt-cheap price in the slave market. That was where the first meeting was supposed to happen.

That was the original story.

For a main character in an otaku game to be sexually humiliated and broken by some weirdo?

The unicorn brigade wouldn't stand for that. They'd be coughing up blood immediately.

Naturally, the community was in an uproar, and faced with fierce backlash from players, the game company revised the story.

Tada. Well, actually, Roperman is impotent and a sadist who gets pleasure from violence. Alfia is abused, but not sexually assaulted.

Something like that.

So if I just waited a bit, I could have gotten Alfia at a cheap price, and by nursing the broken Alfia back to health, her affection would skyrocket instantly.

Knowing her backstory perfectly, I could easily progress to her liberation. I could, but…

Wait until she was broken?

Absolutely not.

Things might get difficult if I distorted the story.

It might make predicting the future even harder.

But who am I? A slave lover, right?

If there are hardships, it would be my role to bear them. I couldn't stand to see them suffer.

I brushed aside Alfia's golden bangs, damp with sweat.

"Just wait a little longer. I will free you from this suffering, and return you to nature's embrace."