Rupegia 4 Nour's Gif

"Breakfast is ready!" Says a familiar voice.

My body is light, my soul is heavy. I don't wanna get up. The smell of orc blood doesn't leave my nostrils, it imprinted upon my heart. I didn't dream of the Gargling Goblin, but now I think I might have acquired a bigger trauma. The scene of stabbing the orc in the neck keeps replaying.

If it weren't for Nour, the orc would have grabbed my head and crushed it. The fear of something coming to attack me from my back keeps a.s.saulting me.

Eventually, hunger wins over fear and I go down to eat.

A simple vegetable soup with Rabid Rabbit meat and toasted bread. The vegetables aren't the sweet ones this time so it goes well with the meat.

"Say, what was all that blood you had on you yesterday?" Asked Selina.

"Orc Headhunter's. I had a very unfortunate encounter with him yesterday."

"The one on the Royd's Kerfuffle? Why did you fight him? I only heard stories of people running away from him," she asks with a surprised face.

"It was a runaway, I met him on the 6th floor."

She gasps and puts her hands on her mouth. How cute.

"Did you fight him alone!?" I see a few customers are listening now. Please lower your voice Selina.

"Heavens no. I fought him with 3 other people. We were cornered so we couldn't run away safely. I ended up being the luckiest one and got hit the least. One guy got poisoned and I'm sure he broke a few ribs since he got kicked twice."
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"Wow. But to come back that b.l.o.o.d.y, did you have a knife fight with him or something?" She giggles a little. Please stop being cute.

"Actually I did. My sword got stuck on him and I had to use my knife to stab him in the neck."

I won't say it got stuck on his groin, that's a sight I wanna forget.

Her mouth hangs open and she stares at me with a blank expression.

Why are you staring so much?

"Well the most important person was the magician woman. She cast [Ice Lance] and pierced his shoulder so he couldn't use his shield arm anymore. Then she used [Shocking Touch] and fainted, with that I had good opening to stab him until he died. There was also another guy who helped by throwing himself into the arm of the orc and holding him so I could finish him. Adding the poisoned guy who still fought and got kicked twice, this really was a desperate fight."

She closes her mouth and her eyes shine while she smiles.

"Wow. That sounds amazing."

"Really? Is fighting so interesting?"

"Yes! I know I'm not strong and I don't want to fight. But to think that there are people who work so hard, who can achieve so much to protect us. This makes me happy."

Oh boy, stop, my heart is melting. Even the eavesdroppers are smiling.

"I-Is that so… well… your enthusiasm makes me a little happy."

She giggles.

"Thank you for your story, I gotta keep serving the customers now. Come back later," she says and leaves.

I finish my meal and go back to my room. Honestly that healed my heart, a little, but still healed. I guess this is why some people fight, if it weren't for us to eliminate that runaway, other people would have to suffer.

­­

I have some time to kill so I'm thinking what I should do with my new skill points. Once I open my status I notice my "Willpower" increased by 1 (now 12). My [Sword Use] also increased by 1 (now 9+2). My MP increased by 20 (now 135) and my "Magic Power" by 5 (now 190), is the increase a percentage? If it is so my MP will increase exponentially, that would be a little ridiculous.

I put all my points in [Reduced Mana Cost], I need to be able to cast magic more often. Perhaps the next level I will get more [Mana Efficiency] and then later I will improve my melee skills again.

I think I will waste another hour here; Nour said to be at the hunters guild before noon and there's still many hours until them.

I really gotta steel my heart, this won't be the last time I have to fight so desperately. This is the life of a warrior and my weak and soft Earth-created heart won't be enough. This is a brutal world and thinking about Selina's words I understand that there's a need for people who protect the others.

I have the potential to grow very strong, this skill system allows me to do so. It's incredibly powerful and I think that whatever G.o.d threw me here probably won't let me lead a peaceful life. Besides, to abandon the sword would make me feel guilty about those who die. I'm not responsible for their deaths but I could have at least helped.

My motto has always been to "do the thing you won't regret in the future". If I don't at least try to defend these people as long as I can, then I will regret it. I don't need to die and sacrifice myself, I need to at least try.

Well, saying is different than doing. Even after this period of reflection I still feel pain and fear. Perhaps I need some time to let it subside. I already decided I will take a week off anyway, no need to keep thinking too much about this.

I spend some time ma.s.saging my sore muscles. It actually feels good, is there a ma.s.sage parlor around here? I will definitely go there if there is one.

After relaxing a while I decide to go meet Nour.

­

The hunters guild is as usual. But the number of people around the hunt report boards is larger than usual. As I enter I look at the tables and Nour is there sitting with his companions. Liam and Rania are drinking something while Nour is chatting away with them.

I approach and they notice me; Nour calls me while the other two wave and smile.

"Good day Mr. Ryder," says Nour casually.

"Good day Sir," says Liam, serious as usual.

"Morning Mr. Ryder," says Rania, more energetic than the last time we talked.

"Good day everybody. I hope you all slept well," I answer and smile.

"I barely remember sleeping. We drank too much, even Liam partic.i.p.ated," said Nour while grinning.

"Gotta let it out once in a while, it's not everyday we fight so hard," Liam defends himself.

"Well, little brother, it seems your next lesson is on how to hold your own liquor," Rania says and she shows her tongue.

"T-That's… not true I can hold it just fine," Nour says and pouts.

"You just admitted the contrary," I say.

"Even you! Argh… then I will drink everyday until I learn my lesson!" Declares Nour.

"Master! Please don't!" Pleads Liam.

"I retract my previous statement," says Rania amid chuckles.

I laugh heartily. Seeing them like this makes me feel a little silly I got so scared.

"But anyway… let's get down to business. I wanted to reward you and I knew you were going solo, so I prepared this." -Nour pushes a sealed letter to me- "You see, I'm a stupid son of a wealthy merchant. I decided to take on adventuring but I still got my own connections. Since I know you are going solo, I think this will help a lot in your future. It's a letter of reference, it will open the doors to you to the most expensive Blood Slave trader of the town. I even managed to guarantee a heavy discount, so you might be able to choose among the best there."

"Oh, wow… but, I don't really know anything about Blood Slaves. Can you tell me what it's like?"

I didn't even put a point into [Slavery Magic], the fact it's regulated magic made me afraid of committing a crime just by having it.

"I see…" He relaxes back on the chair with a thoughtful expression, "A Blood Slave is created by having someone ingest your blood, with that there's plenty of magic that can be done. A Blood Slave follows a contract of servitude, it can be years, decades, an entire lifetime or until certain conditions are fulfilled. I know some people have reservations about slavery but it could be seen the same as a servant who is bound by a contract. If you kill the slave you are still committing a crime. Torture is also frowned upon and will lead to the contract being broken by itself or even the G.o.ds might intervene and punish you, it's rare but it happened."

The G.o.ds? So it's G.o.d-sanctioned slavery, that's… a little concerning.

"The main advantage of a slave is control. You can use magic that will guarantee the slave will never hurt you, or even talk about certain things about you. It's so reliable all close aids of any powerful n.o.ble will all be Blood Slaves.

"Of course, there are loopholes, but they are so roundabout and require so much effort you need a slave who really hates you for them to do that. It's easier for them to concentrate the effort in breaking the contract than for them to go around those limitations. Any contract can be broken by a slave that hates its master enough, by the way.

"There are some other magics like full body control, that allow you to order it to move its body independently from his will. You can even stop the slave's heart with a word, but that's illegal of course."

Full body control seems worse than normal slavery. But my curiosity keeps asking me questions like "Can I control his intestines? Can I control his eyes? Can I stop the blood flow of certain veins?" Maybe I can perform surgery without the need for anesthesia or blood loss if I can cut blood flow or nerve response at will.

"There are quite a lot of Blood Slaves that were adventurers that need to pay debts or would rather serve for some time instead of roam in look of employment, so you can easily find a companion that will fit your style. I know you are versatile, you can heal and attack with magic without even chanting."

Oh, s.h.i.t, I guess people normally chant magic, this is why Rania took time to cast spells and them even screamed their name.

"You have [Blessing Magic], detection and even good sword skills, but finding someone like a tracker will help in finding bounties. Or if you find a mage then you will have much more ease in killing powerful monsters in dungeons."

I can't deny that, even just having someone like Nour already makes dealing with goblins a breeze.

"If you are that kind of person then female slaves who will service men are also plentiful. They are more expensive, of course."

I glance at Rania to see her reaction and she's just calmly listening to Nour while drinking, not even a reaction from her. I guess this is really common.

"Hmm.. So Liam, I'm not sure if it's impolite to ask this, but if it is forgive me you don't have to answer. So, why did you become a Blood Slave?" I ask.

"Oh...? I was having trouble making money by adventuring, so I decided to sell myself for 10 years. By the end of my contract I will have a small fortune, so I will go back to my hometown and inherit my father's smith. If the smith fails I will still have enough money to open my own shop," he tells his story with pride.

"Liam has a real talent for the sword and protecting others. He cost a lot but he was worth every coin," Rania says and pats his shoulder.

Liam blushes and looks away. This scene is suspicious.

So leaving the moral question aside, this is a really thoughtful gift from Nour. He put some thought into what I needed and delivered something that's really valuable.

"I know that you got some good money from yesterday's rewards, so with the discount you can get a pretty good fighter. Far from the best, I'm sorry but they are really expensive. But still, there's a lot of talent on that price range."

Well I got a trump card, my rose coin. It should be really valuable, well at least I hope it is.

"Thank you Nour, I really appreciate this. I will accept this letter, I think it will really help," I answer.

Nour gives me a big smile, even Rania is showing a small smile.

"Now then. With the business done I have a personal request for you" -his face turns serious- "how about you join us? A man with such skills like yours is a rarity."

I smile bitterly, I knew this was coming. I honestly would like to join them, they are good people. Even if I don't know what their goals are I would like to spend more time with them. But no, I can't. They already saw a lot of my skills, I can't really show them more.

"I'm sorry, but… I would like to walk my own path."

"Told you," says Rania, she's also smiling bitterly.

"Well, I had to try. It's a shame we can't walk together, but I don't want this to be the end. I'm going back to my hometown for a short trip but I will come back here later and continue my adventuring. Then I would like to meet you again if you would like," his words have a hint of sadness on them.

"Oh yes. Please, let us meet again," I answer.

"I live in the Faium Princ.i.p.ality, at the capital. If we don't cross paths come visit me. My family runs a magic tool shop, we produce a lot of the wind stones used in the country. My last name is Asaf so you can search for my family with this. You... shouldn't have much problem finding the family shop there."

Faium Princ.i.p.ality is a country subordinate to the empire, like this town. It's to the southwest quite a distance away. Also his last name is Asaf, it sounds arabic, but he's as caucasian as they come.

"Understood. If we don't meet on this town then I will visit you. I don't really have plans to leave this place for some time, though."

"Then it's decided! I look forward to meeting you again. For now I have business to do, we have to prepare for our trip. See you again sometime Mr. Ryder," Nour says and bows.

"One last thing, Mr. Ryder. Good luck in the future, you seem to be making waves already." He points towards the small crowd at the hunt reports.

I wish I wasn't Nour, I wish I wasn't.

Rania and Liam also bow and say their goodbyes. I'm just left with a few curious gazes, a letter and a head full of thoughts.

­

I leave the guild and start walking the streets looking for books while thinking about things. A companion certainly would be helpful, if I had someone to watch my back there would be no need to fear the orc crushing my head. If I had someone like Nour help me then for sure I would feel safer, it's not about his skill but his actions. I might be considered the one who saved them, but that moment that Nour threw himself at the orc's arm was the moment he saved me.

And it's not like Blood Slaves are completely miserable people, it depends on the master. Liam for example seems pretty proud and content with his job, he seems no different than a knight or a retainer with the task of protecting his lord. If I hire someone for a few years it might be the same as hiring a guard or something.

The concept of depriving someone of his freedom might put people off, but I'm a bitter realist, Blood Slaves are merely mercenaries that come with a magical contract. h.e.l.l, even the G.o.ds are observing so it's not abused.

Oh! I found a small book telling the Tale of Creation, it even has a lot of cute drawings in it. I'm buying it! 2 silver.

Now that I think about it I should ask Ciel about what the G.o.ds think of slavery. It seems odd to me they are getting involved in issues of morality. If the G.o.ds themselves say it's okay, who am I to go against them?

But this also means that society won't really progress. The world might be safer by having the G.o.ds watch over us but it's like an overprotective mother, we won't suffer but we won't learn. Adding that to the skill system and I think the progress of this world might be slow. I wanna look at a chronology of this world, I bet things don't really change. It's called a "Playground" after all. If things change too much and too fast the genre of the game changes to sci-fi while you are not looking.

I think the best thing is that I can prohibit the slave from talking about me, this way I don't have to worry too much about my abilities showing. I could even tell the truth that I'm not from this wor-...

What the h.e.l.l? there's a man on a carpet flying around. He's darting along the street and making quick turns and barrel rolls.

What's the matter Aladdin, looking for Jasmine?

Once the entire street stop to stare at him the man lowers near the ground and stands up on the carpet.

"Good day gentlemen and gentlewomen!" He says in a loud voice that has the characteristic buzzing of someone talking on a microphone, "I have showed you all just a small glimpse of the newest magical stone developed! The true flying stone! Incomparable to that common fake jewel that allowed only for you to ridiculously float around, this one allows you to fly fast like a bird, turn so fast a dragon would be envious and make tricks that impress even the Emperor! This stone is the bleeding edge of technology. Even the army is buying them in hopes of constructing the dream of every adventurer, the airships!"

Ooooh, airships, my nerd heart is pounding.

"Come to the Quizzical Emporium at the Bazaar for the latest stones. We have stones so big you can build airships that can hold as much as 6 people! I hope to see you there, honorable citizens!" And he darts away, this time for good.

The street starts buzzing with people talking. I feel like clapping my hands in excitement. I add this flying stone to my notes as research options. This along with the [Golemancy] skill makes me excited.

Wait what was I thinking about? Uh… oh yeah, I think that I could even tell the truth about my origin to the Blood Slave. It's risky but if I make a contract of at least 20 years it might be enough to get the trust or goodwill for him to keep quiet about it. In that time I might even find a way to deal with it if the word gets out. If I acquire enough power I might be able to squash the rumors too.

So I see little reason not to buy one. I don't really have any idea what the price might be, so I should go look for the value of the rose coin. The banker is near the n.o.bles quarters, so I need to cross town. I will first go to the temple, eat something nearby, talk to Ciel about the G.o.ds and slavery and then go to the banker and see the value of the rose coin. I think I might visit the slave trader tomorrow morning. It's near the castle at the north of town, so it's another long trip there. Maybe I should look for the price of that magic carpet, I don't feel like paying for a s.p.a.ce mage transport, I always hated taxis.

­

I look for a better restaurant this time and I found one serving Great Boar meat. They are not commonly found here but a hunter expedition deep into the Sea of Trees found a pack there so the city has a lot of boar meat for the next few days.

The beans are good but I miss rice too. I'm a brazilian who immigrated to Canada so I miss my homeland staple food once in a while. Rice, beans and brazilian-style barbecued meat.

I wait a little in a tea shop. They serve something similar to black tea with an unidentified citric fruit. Is this earl grey? Tastes similar but closer to oranges. A few simple b.u.t.ter cookies went well with it.

Then I go into the temple and search for Ciel. I took a walk around the statues, the temple is too big so I need to circle to find her. She's not down here. I ask a standby priest and he tells me she's at the orphanage. Luckily she isn't on a free day.

The orphanage looks exactly the same as the priest living quarters, the only difference is that instead of priests there are children entering and leaving all the time.

The orphanage is a large, white, and rectangular box-shaped building. The orphanage and the quarters seems to be the only buildings where some decoration is allowed. They have a brown tiled roof, which looks a little expensive for a religious inst.i.tution. There's flowery carvings all around the building, which are filled with a gradient of colors.

It's quite pretty, makes me feel like I'm looking into an open air art installation of some kind. There's a brown picket fence surrounding both buildings, is it really okay for me to enter uninvited?

The building is in the middle of the plot. I can see some sort of small flower garden behind it, while the front is a simple gra.s.s garden with a cobble path towards the entrance. There's a metal swing, a merry-go-round and a raised goal where some kids are playing some sort of ball game where they carry a small ball on their hands. Doesn't look like rugby.

I gather some courage and enter the area. A few boys look interested in my sword, the rest ignore me. I enter the building and meet an old male priest.

"Oh h.e.l.lo, can I help you?" Says the man on a gentle voice that tickles my ears. His eyes look at me warmly.

"I'm… looking for Miss Ciel."

"Oh! The sister is on the kitchen, I will call her over. What's your name?"

"Wolf Ryder. Uh, if she's busy I will just come another time, it's not urgent business."

"She's also not really busy. Don't worry, I will call her over. Come sit here at the sofa."

He takes me to a room with a few simple sofas around a table, I guess this is the guest room. Then he leaves.

The inside is made of grey square stone and the floor is made of wood, the only decoration is some wooden pillars around. The guest room has a small fireplace and a painting of the multiple humanoid G.o.ds hanging above. Kinda cozy.

After a few minutes Ciel comes carrying a tray with a tea set and cookies. Oh no I just drank tea. I don't wanna deny her hospitality so I'll just pretend I'm not full.

"Good afternoon Mr. Ryder. I was wondering when you would come back," she says while pouring tea to me.

"I was training in a dungeon, I came back last night."

"I'm glad you are okay. Every day-cycle we have news of someone disappearing in the dungeon, so please be careful."

"My motto is 'don't die'. So I have no plans of dying soon."

She chuckles.

"Ah, one thing, what is a day-cycle?" I ask.

"Oh? Well, a day-cycle is a period of 10 days, a half-cycle is 5. Every day-cycle you are advised to deeply bathe once, every day-cycle you are advised to pray once, every day-cycle you should make merry at least once, every half-cycle the town watch goes out to cull monsters, every half-cycle you should make love to your partner at least once, every half-cycle the meals should change."

"How about months and years?"

"Months have 30 days and there's 10 months, so 300 days a year."

So a day-cycle is a standard unit of time here, like Earth's week. Perhaps 10 days is chosen because on the Tale of Creation the "base" elements are 10. Dunno why 30 and 300 are chosen, maybe it was made this way just so it was somewhat similar to Earth. I don't think the j.a.panese think anything special about the number 3 or 10.

Ciel is both amused and confused by these questions.

"Ah, I see. In my homeland we say weeks, instead of day-cycle and it was 7 days, not 10."

"How curious… so, what do you wanna talk about today?"

"I heard about Blood Slaves and I got curious why the G.o.ds get involved into it."

"Hah, what a curious question… the humanoid G.o.ds are chosen to be our guides. They keep us on a straight path so we don't make a mistake and destroy ourselves. We need to keep united and strong so we can always put a front against the Monster King. It's their reason of existence to get involved into every aspect of our lives."

"But what if we want to abolish slavery? Shouldn't every person be able to live their lives in freedom?" I say, I'm just playing devil's advocate for now.

Ciel looks troubled, she thinks a bit before saying.

"What do you think freedom means?"

"Shouldn't every person be able to live the way they wish to be? Isn't it cruel to deprive innocent people from the years of their lives regardless of reason? Isn't it too much to have absolute control over someone's life? To be able to toy with someone's body, to make them do everything you want against their wishes even if it's not immediately harmful. Don't we deserve absolute control over our bodies?"

Ciel looks surprised at first, then she smiles.

"Is that your opinion on slavery, Mr. Ryder?"

"No, I'm just curious what is the opinion of a priest on these matters."

"Are you sure you shouldn't call yourself a scholar? I have pa.s.sed through these same arguments when being taught about philosophy and morals."

I shrug.

"Like I said, I'm just a curious person."

She looks at me with a kind smile for a few seconds, she seems to be really amused. Then she talks, "Alright. To answer your questions let me tell you this. We are all creations from the G.o.d of Creation, regardless of where you are born, our mission is to survive and keep the cycle going. Even if you are born ignorant of the G.o.ds they still watch and protects us, knowing of their existence only makes it easier for them to help us. Just like the G.o.d of Creation is a subordinate of the G.o.d of Change, we are subordinates of the G.o.d of Creation and the slaves are subordinates to us. We were never given freedom, it was never the reason of our existence. You can run and hide from your objective but the G.o.ds will find a way to guide you back to the path or simply kill you. We do not have freedom."

"What do you mean by 'kill you'?"

"Exactly that. The Genderless G.o.d of Existence is a subordinate from the G.o.d of Creation that watch over us and kills those who stand in the way of our objective."

"Directly?"

"Yes, directly."

"If he can do that, why doesn't he govern us like a king does?"

"Because that goes against the principle of the G.o.d of Change, to keep things moving forward. If a G.o.d, who exists for a single purpose, is given power to govern us, then we will be forever stuck on that G.o.d's mentality."

"But isn't having a G.o.d control our fate different than having us control the fate of another being who is on the same level as us?"

"We are not all on the same level. Those who can protect others lord over those who can't. This is the reason of existence of n.o.bility, they are the ones responsible for commanding us and protecting us. Slavery is just another level on the hierarchy. It goes from the Overseer, to the G.o.d of Change, to the G.o.d of Creation, to the Genderless G.o.d of Existence, to the Humanoid G.o.ds, to the royalty, to the n.o.bility, to the commoner, to the Blood Slave, to the normal slave and finally to the criminal slave."

So might makes right, in a certain way. At least the G.o.ds seem to protect against sadism and cruelty, but I don't know how much.

The society's structure is ruled by G.o.ds and if you wanna change it you basically have to destroy half the G.o.ds in this world. It's truly a world with a stagnating social progress.

"But what if we want to overthrow the n.o.bility and implement democracy, wouldn't that be considered progress? Abolition of slavery would be the same, we would require to bring a new system and improve our society so there's no need for slavery."

"Just because we are fighting the G.o.d of Destruction and we worship the G.o.d of Change doesn't mean that the G.o.d of Order is wrong. We can't just keep changing everything, we need certain things to remain as it is, it's a balance."

"You don't view the G.o.d of Destruction as an evil force since he's trying to kill us all?"

"G.o.ds are different beings than us, they exist for a sole purpose. Do you feel guilty if you step on an ant while casually walking? Neither us or the ants are in the wrong, we are just two beings who entered temporary conflict and one existence was ended."

It seems this world doesn't view the G.o.d of Order or the G.o.d of Destruction as "evil", just as an "enemy".

I stop and reflect on her words a little.

"Going back a little, do the G.o.ds specify when they intervene?"

"To prevent people from abusing the line if the criteria is known we are never told why exactly someone receives G.o.dly punishment."

"So the only alternative is to keep being as good as you can to avoid punishment?"

"Exactly."

"But what does it mean to be a 'good person'?"

"Well, you basically follow the teachings of the Humanoid G.o.ds. Things like not wasting food, not relishing in hurting others, not committing crimes, not stealing from others, not extorting from others, helping if you can, things like that. It depends on the G.o.d and there are many, many teachings. You are not required to follow them all perfectly, you won't be punished because you wasted a piece of food. If you keep doing it the G.o.ds will send messages and warnings, if you keep defying them then you get punished."

It is reasonable, but still inflexible. Morality really is defined by the G.o.ds, but since the G.o.ds are chosen among those of us, then in a way morality is actually defined by us. It just depends on the criteria of how the G.o.ds are chosen.

"Is there any known criteria for the Humanoid G.o.ds being chosen?"

"That's not known to prevent it from being exploited, but we know that all G.o.ds were once people who achieved something great."

Then maybe it's not so bad.

"Well, I think that's enough about slavery for me today. But just one last question, I want to choose a G.o.d to worship, can you tell me a quick resume of the Humanoid G.o.ds?"

"Oh! that's a good thing, it's always a good idea to worship a G.o.d, most people choose around 3 that might help their lives the most. Their names are quite self explanatory, they are: Genderless G.o.d of Existence; G.o.d of the Sun and Sister G.o.ddess of the Moons; G.o.ddess of Fertility; G.o.ddess of Piety; G.o.ddess of Will; G.o.ddess of Love; G.o.ddess of Growth; G.o.d of War; G.o.d of Law; G.o.d of Festivity; G.o.d of Endurance; G.o.d of Luck; G.o.ddess of Knowledge and Brother G.o.d of Intelligence; G.o.ddess of the Plants and Twin Brother G.o.d of the Animals."

Moons as in there's more than one moon? To be honest I haven't looked at the moon during my days here. I had no reason to since I went immediately to sleep after getting dark. I gotta remember to check the sky tonight.

"What does the G.o.ddess of the Moons and the G.o.d of the Sun do?"

"They were the first G.o.ds. They worked in a more general sense, bringing happiness from those who work below the Sun or the Moons. Today they are not worshiped as much but they are the ones who talk the most to their worshipers."

Oh so I really gotta worship one of them if I want to talk to a G.o.d.

"I will think about choosing one for now. Thank you for your time Miss Ciel, this is really enlightening."

"Thank you for choosing me to talk to, you really made me remember the basis of my faith and stimulated my thoughts. I enjoyed a lot talking to you."

"Then I will be off. I will see you another day."

"I will be waiting," he waves goodbye.

When I leave, I see that the priest I talked to when I entered was standing on a neighboring room. Perhaps he was eavesdropping? It doesn't matter much to me.

Now I gotta go to the banker and see the conversion rate for the rose coin. The bankers are all over the n.o.ble quarters as a safety measure. Since it doesn't matter which one I go I'm just gonna go to the closest one.

­

The walk to the banker was quite long. I gradually saw the adventurer's carnival turn into the more refined wealthy person who has a proper fashion sense. Clothing with decorations on the side of the arms, flanks, and legs with velvet sleeveless jackets and cloaks seems to be the fashion.

I thought about pa.s.sing by the university's library but looking at my clothes I think it might be a very uncomfortable experience. From what I understood the university is either for the gifted or the wealthy or n.o.ble. I need at least a set of better looking clothing to enter there.

That thought gets reinforced when I enter the bank. This is a fancy, fancy place. Spiral supporting pillars with details in gold and purple, black floor tiles with a perfect shine, couches that make my a.s.s tingle when I see them, uniforms that make the attendants look as fashionable as n.o.bles and a large line of decorated booths where attendants wait with a smile. I wanna finish my business here quickly and then leave.

I find the nearest attendant and shyly ask for the conversion rates of the coins. I feel he looks at me coldly but responds in a perfect tone without any hint of rudeness. He points me to a wall where familiar black boards are hanging.

It seems these are boards are made of some sort of magical material or something. The boards hold conversion rates for a variety of coins. Most are for foreign coins where the board in the center with the decorated borders is the one for the local coins.

The coins are alloys and their value depends on the alloy composition and weight. Governments might change the alloys and weight of the coin as economic measures. As an example, they could reduce weight to save costs, introduce cheaper metals or change the alloy when new mines are found or old ones are exhausted.

To my extreme happiness, rose coins are very valuable.

The normal exchange rate the empire aims to is that copper, silver, gold and rose coins have a 1:100 exchange rate. Which means that 1 silver equals 100 copper, 1 gold equals 100 silver and so on.

The attendant explained that a few months ago a mine was discovered that held a ma.s.sive amount of a platinum, which is used for rose gold. The rose coin is just an alloy of gold and copper and a small amount of platinum is added to give it value. The gold and copper is just for color coding the coin because the amount of platinum is too small to make it into a normal coin. The coin is also never used without someone who can appraise the metal. The [Metal Appraisal] skill gives a percentage of alloys in the coins when I used it, so that's how they do it.

The current version of the rose coin is worth 70 gold. The empire will soon mint a new coin with a higher platinum content to adjust the price. The attendant says the value is going to drop 1 or 2 more gold before it stabilizes so there's little reason to hold this coin. The attendant looks visibly surprised when I tell him I want to exchange my coin. I just hope I don't get accused of stealing from somebody. But considering the price of some of the adventuring equipment I wouldn't be surprised if an adventurer finds something worth a rose coin or two.

The attendant points me to the corner of the wall where a few attendants deal with money exchange. There's no line, so I go there, present my coin, get the gold counted in front of me. I take it and leave immediately. That place was making me feel stressed.

There's still some time until dusk so I kill some time and buy 3 books with random hero tales and 1 romance book. I'm not a romance type but I wanna understand what is love in this world. I also found a very fluffy pillow, so I'm gonna use this one now.

I also decide to quickly buy a middle-range set of clothes and a cloak. It's a dark-blue woolen shirt with golden lines pa.s.sing on the sides of the arm, black pants following the same design, black leather shoes and a fashionable dark-blue velvet cloak. The cloak doesn't cover my left side, it goes down to my waist on my right side and there's a small piece that is fastened to my left arm. I saw a few people using it already so I don't think it's too out of the norm even if it looks ridiculous to me.

After that I find a stall selling Dragolite meat on a stick. It tastes like chicken but there's a strong lingering taste of something that reminds me of herbs. I dunno if it was the seasoning or if that's the usual taste.

Back at the inn Selina seems cheerful as usual. The innkeeper seems to be observing me, s.h.i.t I'm not trying to steal your daughter. He doesn't seem to be cold to me though.

I go to sleep very relaxed and content with my choice of pillow.

I have a short dream with the Gargling Goblin. After frustratingly waking from the nightmare I dream of killing goblins but it wasn't another nightmare, it was a memory of the adrenaline rush of a fight.

­

Today the breakfast had vinegar on the salad, seems like it's apple vinegar. I'm starting to want to look at the Farmer's Market and look for some fruit or something to make juice. I can ask the inn kitchen to prepare it for me.

After breakfast I put on my new, more fashionable clothes and start moving towards the castle.

Today I see a few pamphlets advertising the Quizzical Emporium, a drawing of an airship is visible. They are going all out on the advertising.

The airship design is that of a horizontal egg, the top half of the egg is smaller, which gives a deck for people to walk on. Plenty of propellers can be seen behind it, it's apparently the means of propulsion. So does this mean that this world has a concept of aerodynamics?

As I move on I see the castle in its full glory for the first time. It's made of blue-grey bricks and plenty of decorated windows can be seen from it. It looks like a square tower that reduces in diameter every 10 or so meters. It starts ma.s.sively thick and gets smaller the higher it is until it becomes really thin and goes up a few dozen meters before a huge flag is hung from a pole on its top. Even at this distance it's possible to discern the details on the flag.

At first I didn't pay attention because the streets are pretty crowded in crooked multi-storey buildings. So you can't really see much of the details until you get into the main brick road that goes to the castle.

The stores around the main road are all of the highest quality and with a lot of variety. Restaurants, tea shops, bakeries, bookstores, magic shops, magic crafters, smiths, magical smiths, potion sellers, high cla.s.s inns, taverns that remind me of modern rustic restaurants, furniture shops, real estate and the closer you get to the castle the more perfume shops there is. I don't resist and buy the cheapest men's perfume I can find. 1 gold coin, it's just so d.a.m.n expensive.

Finally I find the slave trader that the Nour's letter names on the envelope, it's called Golden Necklace.

I think I should have bought even better clothes, the slave trader is as lavish as the bank. It has an incredibly glossy dark floor and golden seams connecting the tiles, the walls are adorned with plenty of crystal statues of humanoids. The building is large but the lobby is small and filled with doors to other rooms.

Once I enter an old man with some clothes that are strikingly similar to a suit and tie comes to me.

"Welcome, Grand Sir. How may I help you?" The man bows and talks to me.

"Good day. I have a letter of recommendation here."

And I deliver it. The man takes the letter, looks at the seal and turns to me.

"Could you follow me? I will take you to a private room and then take the letter to the head so he can verify its contents."

"Understood," I say and nod.

He opens one of the nearby door and leads me inside. I guess all those doors were rooms like these. Two lavish couches and a gla.s.s table are present in the room, there's no windows and the lighting is magical, shining jewels on the ceiling bring light into the room. I see a small vent on the corner of the ceiling, they even have ventilation technology here.

The man motions me to one of the sofas and then leaves.

There's another door on the other side of the room. After a few minutes, a middle-aged man with a lavish a purple silk robe and plenty of jeweled rings comes from it. The old man comes after him while carrying a tray with a tea set and cookies. I eagerly look at the brown cookies, is that chocolate!?

The man sits and bows to me.

"Welcome to the Golden Necklace. Your name is Mr. Ryder as the letter says, correct?"

"Correct."

"My name is Ghulam Bhatt, I am the head of this establishment. I am surprised at the contents of the letter given to me, you have made a powerful ally."

"H-h.e.l.lo, Mr. Bhatt. I-I just did what I thought was right."

I'm blushing, this man has a perfect tone, perfect face and perfect movements. If I were a woman I would be falling in love with him.

"And a reward was given... now, the letter says you are looking for an adventuring companion, is that right?"

"Yes, I have no real requirements. I only want someone who can help me fight, show me your best."

"Any preference on gender?"

"No…."

That's a dangerous question.

"Then excuse me. I will collect the best and bring them here, we will start with the women."

I'm getting a little uncomfortable. He leaves and comes back in a few minutes with 5 women. They are all wearing a loose fitting small silk white dress, it keeps the legs bare, shows half the thighs and is open on the sides. Two of the women are so well endowed the b.r.e.a.s.t.s spill to the sides. I can even see the form of the nipple. This is way too dangerous and stimulating, what am I doing here?

Oh no, the last one entered, this is too much for me. Slender body that shows a hint of muscle, light brown skin, slightly wavy black hair that goes a bit below the shoulder, a small feminine face.

That's Lily.

­­

No it's not, it looks like her but it's not. I wanna jump and hug her, I wanna kiss and make love to her. I miss Lily so much, I wanna go home.

The seller follows my gaze and turns to me.

"That one is a mage with knowledge of blessing and dark magic with an inkling of knowledge in the rare [Summoning Magic]. If you wish to study exotic magic she's the one you need. She was also trained in simple [Potion Brewing]. She's not a front line fighter but she will be a perfect support for you. Even in bed."

I start shaking.

"Please remove her," I say, holding back my emotions.

The seller gets taken aback but he obeys and the old man guides her away.

"Was she not satisfactory?"

"It's not… she reminds me too much of someone."

"I see…"

Then the seller describes each woman.

A demon-race woman. She's tall and well-endowed. She has pure black skin , straight white hair that touches the shoulders, pure red eyes, and she can materialize a huge blade that comes out of the back of her hand. She can even fly by summoning bird wings. She specializes in spear fighting and has [Wind Magic] that supports her flight. She allows to be used as a s.e.x slave. Oof, scary. Just gonna ignore her for now.

A dwarf woman. She looks like a short teenager. She has a bowl cut, black hair and a round funny nose. She uses the traditional dwarven shield and hammer combo. She has [Earth Magic] and [Light Magic] for healing, she's self sufficient and lasts long.

A human woman. She's well-endowed but she has a mean but s.e.xy face and short black boyish hair. She's tall and strong and can hold her own against other knights. She used to be an adventurer. Her body shows plenty of scars.

A human girl. She's average looking but has pretty brown hair. She excels in water, fire and [Wind Magic], she's basically the gla.s.s cannon. I was a bit interested in her since she had a large magic repertoire.

Then the women go away and he brings 3 men.

A large dragonkin. A tall and ugly man with short brown hair. He has dragon wings that he can use to fly for a short burst, small patches of sharp protruding scales from the side of his arms and legs that act as armor and can even be used as blades. He can breathe a sand storm. His experience is on all sorts of melee weapons. Truly the greatest warrior of this establishment.

A dwarf man. He looks the same age as me despite having double my age. Similar to the dwarf woman but he can't use [Light Magic]. On the other hand he's already an experienced adventurer.

A human man. He has a boring face and no hair. He specializes in [Blessing Magic] and [Light Magic], knows a little bit of [Wind Magic] and has some training in sword and shield. He allows to be used as a s.e.x slave, even for other men.

I was thinking, who is the best, the girl mage or the dragonkin? The dwarf woman was also attractive because of the healing magic. With the amount of money I have I can buy more than one but can I really take care of more than one person for now? The contracts are also only for 1 or 2 decades, acceptable.

Seeing my indecisiveness the seller asks.

"Mr. Ryder, can I suggest you wait 2 days until you make a decision? I have a new shipment coming and there's two great jewels there, even better than the ones here."

I'm surprised, what's better than the dragonkin and the genius magician?

"What about these ones, aren't they going to sell in the meantime?"

"I can hold them until the shipment arrives, you have priority because of your recommendation. Also, these are my jewels, slaves of this quality normally take a few months to sell. It's unlikely anyone capable of buying them is going to come so soon."

I see no reason not to, I'm going to relax for a few days anyway.

"Alright, I'll wait."

I wanna come back and eat those cookies again. The black one wasn't chocolate but it was a delicious mix of vanilla with a fragrant fruit, it goes perfectly with the tea. The tea seems to be something like a mix of ginger and cloves, tasted really good.

­

I waste time until noon and then change back to my normal clothes and go to the hunters guild for training.

"So you are still alive?" Says Toga.

Not even a greeting, just a mean gaze and straight words.

"Uh, were you expecting the contrary?"

"You didn't come back for more training. That usually means you recklessly went into a dungeon and got yourself killed."

"Wow, that's not far from the truth. But I played it safe and fought on Royd's Kerfuffle."

"Even that would be dangerous, did you hear an Orc Headhunter was found on the 6th level? That could have been you."

So, this means you care about me, Toga? Awn, I'm touched.

"Well… t-that was me, I fought the Orc Headhunter with 3 other people."

Toga doesn't even twitch, he just stares at me as if a.n.a.lyzing me. Then he looks at one of the guys at the bench, the same on that healed me the last beating I got.

"Harper! Who was the guy that killed the Orc Headhunter!?"

"I think it was some Wolf Ryder!" He screams back.

Toga slowly turns at me. He stares me even deeper, as if his eyes could pierce my soul. Then I see a small smile on his mouth.

"So, Mr. Slayer, are you here for more training?" He says, his voice is even more threatening than before.

"Y-yes… I would like… to spar again," I say meekly while avoiding his gaze.

He throws me a wooden sword he was carrying.

"Pull up your guard!"

And then he beat me again, even harder this time. There were people cheering me, encouraging me to not give up, crying in joy every time I managed to block, flinching every hit I got. I think some were betting. I couldn't pay attention to that, my life and dignity were on the line.

This time Toga didn't just beat me, he made it into a marathon of beating. We took almost the whole afternoon fighting until I could barely stand anymore.

"That's enough. Today was a productive day, I'm pleased with the results."

More like pleased in seeing me suffer.

"Thank you… for the session." That's all the words I can say until I'm fully healed.

It took two instructors to heal me to full, my shirt was bloodied.

­

I get back to the inn and Selina greets me.

"Welcome back Mr. Ryder, did you fight something fearsome again today?"

"Just a bloodthirsty instructor," I answer with a wry smile.

"I-I'm sorry…" She understands the joke and hides her mouth with her hand while giggling.

"Don't be, it's training… it's a life I chose."

"Thank you for your effort," she bows and leaves while smiling.

When I get back to bed I see my stats. "Endurance" and "Willpower" increased by 1, [Block], [Parry] and [Dodge] increased by 3. I guess I didn't have enough chance to use my sword for attack during this beating.

Then I remembered there's a skill called [Shield Use], why is it not increasing? Is this an offensive skill like [Sword Use]? Do I need to attach a blade and kill something with it so it doesn't count just as [Shield Bash]?

This is my progress so far.

­

Info

Name: Wolf Ryder Age: 16 Race: Human

HP: 100 MP: 135 Magic Power: 190

Level: 10 Experience: 189/1500

­

Stats

Strength: 8 Endurance: 9 Dexterity: 9

Speed: 10 Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 15

Willpower: 13 Charisma: 10 Piety: 3

Perception: 15 Sanity: 8

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Other

Status Effects: NONE t.i.tles: NONE

Affiliations: NONE

Companions: NONE

Crimes: NONE

­

­

Wolf Ryder Skill Report

Physical

Skill Name: Level Skill Name: Level Skill Name: Level

Sword Use: 9+2 Dodge: 3+4 Parry: 3+4

Block: 3+4 Shield Bash: 0+1

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Magical

Skill Name: Level Skill Name: Level Skill Name: Level

Mana Efficiency: 4+0 Mana Recovery: 4+0 Reduced Mana Cost 4+0

Fire Magic: 1+0 Nature Magic: 5+0 Blessing Magic: 5+0

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Miscellaneous

Skill Name: Level

Andraste Language: 10+0

OBS: Level means (free point)+(trained point)

­

I have a few confusing dreams about fighting, I didn't sleep very well.

­

Today my body is way too sore for training, it hurts even to walk around. I wanted to talk to Selina but she's way too busy this time. It's awkward, it's not like we are friends and I can just call her anytime. We only talked during meal time, I don't know where she goes outside of that.

I spend the morning in bed and then doze off again until it's almost time for lunch, then I get the courage to walk around and search for some exotic food.

I found a place with a super spicy Dragolite soup, it had a hint of curry in it. Took some effort but I ate it. I'm not weak to spicy food though so I wonder what the h.e.l.l was the cook thinking when he made this.

Then I decide to go to the hunters guild to train magic. People should already know I have fire and [Electric Magic], so I'm just gonna train my mana pool. I saw in the dungeoneering tips book that mages should exhaust their mana everyday until they develop resistance to overusing mana. Doesn't seem like a lot of people follow this advice though.

There's a skill called [Mana Overuse Resistance]. Powerful mages that get their mana too low or use mana too fast can suffer from loss of senses, painful headaches, and sore muscles, this skill reduces the symptoms of that. The advice book tells it happens because of the large amount of mana leaving your body hurts the soul or something, so it happens more often to people with large mana pools.

There's another skill called [Blackout Resistance]. It allows you to remain conscious even after having your mana in the negatives. These 2 skills are really hard to get but they are super useful in a situation of life and death. Having your mana in the negatives means you used part of your soul as a source of power. This damages your HP and normally leads to unconsciousness. But for a back line caster that should always have full health being able to trade your health for magic is huge. It's just not recommended to use as a normal part of the strategy because it shaves years off your life. You also have to deal with the feedback from overuse before blackout becomes relevant.

I tell the manager that I'm just gonna do mana pool training with [Fireball] and he gives me the ok. I put my normal battle stats and start casting [Fireball].

I can only do 12 until I'm tired then I wait meditate until it recharges and repeat. I tried casting 13 once but I nearly fainted from overuse and due to embarra.s.sment decided to not do it again.

I kept to the furthest corner so people wouldn't notice I don't chant and also so I can stay far away from the s.a.d.i.s.tic gaze of Toga. I have seen others use [Fireball] and a small one is chanted nearly instantly. I thought about putting points in [Mana Control] so I can change the size of the [Fireball] but I didn't think it would be necessary to go to this level of deceit.

This is really taxing mentally. My head starts hurting when I'm low on mana and it takes quite some effort for me to concentrate on meditating. I manage to do it until it's almost dusk, then I go back to the inn.

I'm starving, it seems using mana makes you more hungry than normal. I had to ask for a second serving of the already generous meals the inn gives.

"What's gotten you so hungry?" Asks Selina.

"It seems training magic makes you super hungry," I manage to answer between my desperate eating.

"You can use magic too!? That's amazing, what spells can you use?"

"Oh… i-it's nothing. Just a small [Fireball] and support spells for myself, like [Regeneration] and [Wind Armor]," I desperately talk back.

"'Nothing'? You are quite humble. A magician who knows the sword is such a romantic way of fighting."

"Uh… what do you mean 'romantic'?"

"Most stories of heroes are people like you, melee fighters with a trump card in magic. Their experience lends them the wisdom to make the most of their powers. Like that one whose entire strategy relied on finding the chance to cast a single [Shocking Touch] into the eye of a dragon, it was all or nothing. A huge, dangerous and feared monster can be brought down with a single, simple spell. Oh the wit required to fool the dragon into getting close enough even though it knew what the adventurer was capable of. I got chills when I read that tale."

Is this what a normal girl thinks about or are you just special?

"Indeed, sounds like a poetic fight," I laugh and answer.

Oh boy, this girl melts my heart. But… Lily… I couldn't admit this at the beginning but it seems I will spend a long time here. Does the time on earth stop or are you still looking for me? If I were to take decades to come back she knows I would tell her not to wait. I'm far too pragmatic, I don't want her to spend who knows how long waiting for me. I want her to find someone and be happy, even if that someone isn't me.

Is it cheating if I do it inside a game? Will it be cheating if when I die here I get transported back to my wedding? I just don't know, there's no way I can know and no way that I can find how to know. I just don't want to be alone, I just want to be happy and I miss sleeping and waking up beside my wife.

It's not even a month and I'm like this, but in the first few days I already got plenty of life and death situations that would last me an entire lifetime on Earth. I just want some happiness before I die horribly in this world… can someone tell me how long I should wait before it's okay for me to pursue someone else? Is that a question that is even possible to be answered fairly?

When I get on my bed I cry a little and fall asleep.

­

I had a nightmare of the Headhunter staring at me with his beady little eyes.

­

This second day my body feels better but I'm still not good enough to be beaten again into a pulp. I also didn't increase my strength yet so I think I should start a muscle training regimen. I will exercise myself quickly before bath like I did on Earth, I just need something to replace dumbbells.

I look at my MP and see it increased by 30 now (165), that's a nice amount. I can certainly cast [Fireball] one more time now. No "Magic Power" increase though, I wonder what is needed for that.

Today the breakfast is bean salad with not-corn crumbs and a leg of Rabid Rabbit. Honestly the cuisine around here is not bad, I just really miss rice.

Now what do I do today? I'm not really in the mood for exploring, my head is still heavy with last night's thoughts. It's like I mentally cornered myself, I don't think I will get out of it unless I make a decision to ignore part of my mentality. Any decision I make will end up hurting a part of me, so obviously I should choose the one which hurts less. But it's not that easy to be logical on the matter of love, this is a thing that's purely emotional.

I try to pick up the romance book to read but I can't concentrate so I just absentmindedly turn around the pages without absorbing anything.

­

After wasting my morning I decide to hurt myself and go to the training ground to increase my MP again. I just pick a random stall and eat lunch on the street. Tastes bland, I barely even remember what I ate.

This time Toga wasn't staring so much at me, he seemed satisfied at the amount of pain I was giving to myself.

Besides forgoing shame and losing my senses 5 times from overuse, nothing happens and I just robotically repeat my training sequence with [Fireball] followed by meditation. I got a bit of a headache, though.

I come back and absentmindedly eat my dinner. Selina wasn't serving today, I don't know why. In the end my mood just got worse.

­

I dreamt of the Gargling Goblin again. This time I told him to f.u.c.k off but it didn't help and I woke up in the middle of the night sweating cold.

­

In the morning I look at my MP and see it increased by 50 (now 215) this time. It's a large amount, I certainly did well in the training.

Now it's finally the day to buy a slave. I anxiously eat my breakfast and go to the slaver. I don't even know what I want from it anymore.

"Welcome again, Grand Sir. Would you like to go to the room immediately? I will call the head, the new shipment is ready for inspection."

"Sure, please do."

I enter the room and remember the heavenly cookies and tea. This thought takes some of the edge off.

This time the old man comes first and leaves me to devour the cookies, did he notice I liked them? There's double the amount than the other day.

"Welcome again to the Golden Necklace, Mr. Ryder. I'm glad you waited, the new shipment was astounding, I'm sure you will be happy," Ghulam says after bowing.

He sits and claps his hand, then the door is opened by the old man.

Astounding indeed, I froze when they entered. Two women, two beautiful women.

A fox girl. Light brown hair, nearly orange with a bob cut. Diamond jaw, small lips and nose, round orange eyes, pointy orange fox ears on top of the head, such an incredibly cute face. When she walks sideways I can see an orange fox tail dangling about, it even has a white tip. Looks so soft I wanna hug it.

An elven girl. Silver straight hair, it almost shines. Short, skin as white as snow. Oval face, upturned blue eyes, nearly asian, small pointy nose, red lips and the unmistakable long pointy ears of the elves protruding at a right angle from her head.

That's honestly not what I thought when he said the new slaves would be even better than the previous ones. I thought a bigger monster than the dragonkin would appear or something. And judging my current state I don't think I should be in this room with these two girls.

"These are my two new prizes. The fox girl is Alissa. She's an offering from an exclusive deal Rabanara has with her fox clan, they train and give a slave every 3 years to this town. It took me a lot of luck but I managed to acquire her. She has been taught since her birth her destiny is to be a combat slave. Due to her beauty she has also been trained on how to serve a man, but don't worry, she's guaranteed to be a virgin.

"Her skills in tracking are amongst the 5 best of her clan, her nose and ears are her best tools but she still learned how to hunt with ease. She has a real talent with the bow and the short sword. Her dexterity and speed means she has pinpoint accuracy. She has the rare skill of [Sense Presence] so she's perfect for hunting. She was also trained in the traditional lifestyle magic so she's ready to live even amongst the n.o.bility.

"The other one is called Silvane. She's the daughter of a fallen n.o.ble from the elven lands of Elaria, so she has no relation to the elves on this side of the continent. Her father, mother and brother were executed as punishment for failing to fulfill their duties as n.o.bility so she has no supporters which will save her. Like normal her only hope of regaining n.o.bility is by following an adventurer who achieves heroic feats. Like all n.o.bility she was trained in serving men and how to care and manage a house and a business.

"Her skills are in [Light Magic], [Blessing Magic], [Wind Magic], [Nature Magic], [Earth Magic] and [Fire Magic]. She has an amazing mana pool as she was training to help her family in managing the dungeons in their territory. She's guaranteed to become an amazing magician in the future if you train her right. She's also a virgin.

"Both have contracts for life," he adds.

Oh boy.

I need to leave this place. I'm not in the right mindset to make a rational decision on who to choose. Only one of the women talked about "servicing men" so I didn't even think of them in this way. But now, seeing these girls who are ready (and willing?) my body aches for comfort. That need for comfort fights my fragmented will and guilt from my love for Lily. What am I supposed to do? Wait, there's a way out! They must cost an exorbitant amount, there's no way I can buy them, right?

"W-What's t-the cost? T-they must be t-too expensive for me."

"With the discount from your recommendation, 60 gold for the elf girl, 70 for the fox girl."

NO!

"There's no rush. If you want to talk or observe them closer it's allowed, such an investment shouldn't be done hastily," the man says with a grin.

He noticed my situation, I'm desperately holding myself. He trapped me here, there's no way I'm going away without buying one of them now.

­

I'm weak… I'm sorry Lily… but I'm far too weak. This world hurts far too much and I'm far too scared that I will die to pa.s.s on the chance of some happiness. There's a devil disguising as a man who's tempting me, he threw two wonderful women in front of me and said: "Here! Pick one, grab her, f.u.c.k her, make her yours. She will be your thing, your toy, forever, no strings attached, no messy relationships, no love dynamics, no anxiety from rejection, she's your perfect woman. Even the f.u.c.king G.o.ds tell you it's okay to do it, now f.u.c.king choose!"

I'm sorry Lily… I'm a bad man, I'm sorry you fell in love with me, it's okay to not wait for me. I will do what I want in this f.u.c.king world because there's no one f.u.c.king else that will help me. I was abandoned here without care so I will abandon whatever is holding me back from my previous world. This world will be mine… wait no, too far.

­

"I will take Alissa."