To The Slave Auction 3
I didn’t understand what Gossendorf had done.
But I was able to understand what he had done upon listening to the following exchange.
“……tch, 7 million!”
“7 million 500 thousand!”
When Sevreschaff calls and puts in an additional 500 thousand gold, Gossendorf immediately follow up.
“Y, you, what are you doing?”
“What, you say, Egil-sama wants to win the bid for her, right?”
“Well, yeah but……why are you staking your money?”
“It is because it seems Egil-sama has brought 5 million. I can also fork out up to 5 million, everything that I own.
After saying that, Gossendorf laughed.
“For the time beingーーlet us compete until 10 million”
“No, like I was saying, the reason you fork out your money isーー”
When I say that, Sevreschaff called 8 million.
And then Gossendorf loudly called 8 million 500 thousand, looked at me, and made a smiling face.
“Please do not misunderstand, okay? This is an investment”
“……Investment?”
“Eeh, it is an investment. It is because I am always helped by Egil-sama. You always do things like assist on quests that I cannot clear as a supporter, help me out and make my work as an informant easierーーit is my sly investment in order to have you help me hereafter too”
“You……”
“Aight then, shall I invest as well”
, Habrik who sits to my left said with his arms folded behind his head.
“I want to get Sir to owe me a favour too”
“Even you……why”
“I mean, I as the introducer can get a bonus if Sir clears the quest that I introduced. Therefore, I’ll invest too”
“Heh, you too huh. But……”
Gossendorf who said with an amazed look,
“You don’t have that much money, right?”
“Well, I’ll make it work somehow with my retirement money”
“Hah……you know, ‘retirement money’, is something you get paid with after you retireーー9 million 500 thousand! Well, whatever, so, how much can you fork out?”
When Gossendorf says that, Habrik grins broadly,
“An actual number’ll be about 2 million. So I’ll take over when you exceed 10 million”
“Oi, you guys. Are you guys being serious?”
We’re serious.
I could tell that they’re saying that from their expressions.
Both of them aided me with funds without touching on why I who’s an S Rank Adventurer only have about 5 million.
I think it’s surely because the both of them know what I’ve been using my money on.
ーーInvestment.
That word, it may be a word they used so that they don’t trouble me.
I’ll probably refuse if they just normally say that they’ll give it to me, I know that the two of them aren’t living that richly.
That’s why I’m very thankful when they say ‘investment’ and putting it in a way that they’re asking for something in return from me.
“Sorry, both of you”
“I said it’s fine. But……looks like the other party won’t back down huh”
It’s currently stopped at Gossendorf’s 9 million 500 thousand.
Although it’ll be great if it ends like this, that’s probably difficult.
“Alright, I’m gonna rock the boat”
Habrik who says that, stands up and points at Sevreschaff.
“Oi, you! I’m gonna go all the way to 20 million gold with you!”
“”Wha!?””
Both Gossendorf and I were surprised and raised our voices simultaneously.
No no, you’re not shaking him up with that, you’re just adding fuel to the fire, alright? If the other party was thinking about backing down, they’d probably get irritated and compete with us.
“……10 million!”
However, Sevreschaff slightly falters and calls softly. And then,
“12 million!”
Habrik who very confidently folds his arms and calls.
The sum suddenly rocketed. And then the idiot Habrik has an expression as though he can still carry on fighting.
A rowdy hall, and the call from the other side that didn’t return.
As the butler-like old man whispers into Sevreschaff’s ear, Sevreschaff’s expression that was crisp turned into a rage-filled expression.
And then, the moderator voiced out.
『Is there anybody else?』
Nobody responses.
And then,
『In which case, the one who successfully bid on Serina・Maverick is, that person over there』
Habrik who was Illuminated by the light.
“Uwaa, it’s very bright huh. Haha”
It ended readily.
Gossendorf and I could only laugh.
“Who would’ve thought that he’d fall for such a lie……I wonder if he gave up because he thought the sum was going to get large?”
“Who knows. It’s just that, it seems Habrik’s words were the deciding factor. Well, I glad”
“Aah, it’s thanks to you guys. ……Hey, Eleanor, stop crying”
I gave my thanks to Gossendorf and Habrik and called out to Eleanor who’s still crying.
I pat her head and squeezed tightly her hand that I couldn’t squeeze back just now.
Thereupon, Eleanor wipes her eyes and smiles sweetly at me.
“Thank you, the two of you. And, thank you very much. Egil-sama”
“Well, it’s mostly thanks to the two of them though”
“No, it is because it is Egil-sama that the two of them thought to help out. Thank you very much, for saving my friend”
I’m really glad, that I’m able to see her smile.
Thanks to this smile, I’m able to think that the way I lived is correct.
And then, we went to take over Serina.
“Serina!”
“ーーEleanor!”
I ran up to Serina who exited the slave auction’s building.
Serina who wore worn-out slave clothes ran over while crying the moment she saw me.
“I’ve kept you waiting, Serina”
“Uu, UUu……thanks. Truly, thank youu”
Serina and I who ended up being on completely opposite positions than when we were at the slave trader.
Me who’s patting the head, and Serina who’s bawling.
“It is not me who you should be thankful to. He is currently having an exchange with the slave trader so he is not around though……”
“The person who’s beside you? Now that you mention it, he isn’t around huh”
Egil-sama said to me, “It’s probably better to first talk to her without me and let her have a peace of mind”, and left Serina and me to be by ourselves.
So Egil-sama is currently going to the bank with the slave trader to pay the gold.
He said he will then wait at home so I think Egil-sama and Serina’s introductions will have to wait until we return.
However, Habrik-san and Gossendorf-san are standing watch from afar for the sake of our safety so I think we will be safe even her previous owner attacks us on our way back.
And then, I tell Serina as I pat her head.
“That person is my current Goshujin-sama. Now then, shall we return?”
“……Hey, why don’t we run away like this?”
“……Why?”
“I mean, I’m scared”
Serina touches her upper arm where it appears that the wounds from being beaten up by her previous owner still haven’t healed yet.
Although it looks like the wounds on her face have slightly disappeared, a little bit of it is remaining so she covers it up with cosmetics. A damaged product fetches less money……something along the lines of that huh.
“It’s not the nicest way of putting it but, he’s the type of person who buys slaves, you know? I mean, the one who saved me may have been that Egil-san person but, I’m……I’m……”
I understand what Serina wants to say. She was treated violently by her previous owner, escaped, and then was caught and sold by the slave trader again.
It isn’t strange even if she becomes afraid of menーーrather, it isn’t strange even if she doesn’t want to get close to them.
However,
“If you’re saying it seriously then I will get angry, alright?”
I understand Serina’s feelings. However, Egil-sama, Gossendorf-san, and Habrik-san, they sacrificed themselves and saved Serina. It’s precisely so that I didn’t want her to say that even if she’s scared.
Thereupon, Serina closed her eyes and nodded twice.
“……Sorry. I’m really sorry. I’m happy that they saved me, I’m also thankful to them. But I’m scared. I don’t want to be beaten up anymore. It’s scary, the eyes that men look at me with. Even just now, they weren’t looking at me as humanーーtheir eyes were as though they were looking at something that’s just a tool for sex”
It’s pretty severe huh.
I embraced Serina.
“I love Egil-sama from the bottom of my heart. I’m certain that I won’t ever be able to fall for any other men. I who have been a slave once, albeit just a little, am able to understand Serina’s feelings. ButーーI want you to at least trust just Egil-sama”
“……Is he, that different from other men?”
“Eeh, he is a very reliable person. I plan to follow that person for the rest of my life”
“But, he still didn’t remove your Slave Tool. As I thought, if you don’t obey himーー”
“This is my own personal punishment”
I continued to talk while I touched the Slave Tool that’s worn on my neck.
“I think that I can surely be blissful if I’m able to be by Egil-sama’s side like this. Earning a keep together as Adventurers, getting married, having childrenーーhowever……I have no intention of forgiving the ones who made me suffer something like this. This, this is the symbol of my resentment. It is so that I don’t forget this resentment amidst the blissful times with Egil-sama……”
“……Is that so. I’m sorry, for asking something weird”
“No, it is fine. Serina as well, you don’t have anywhere to go, right?”
Serina who separated from me placed her hand on her head and gave a bitter smile.
“……Well, yeah. The village I was in was burned down when I was caught by the slave trader, I no longer have any relatives. I guess I have neither anywhere to go nor anywhere to return”
“I see. In that case, let’s live with Egil-sama and me, three of us together”
“……If it’s someone who Eleanor trusts that much then, I guess I’ll have him let me do that. But……am I not in the way?”
“Not at all. Besides, I think that Serina will also certainly fall for Egil-sama”
When I say that, Serina froze open-mouthed.
“Serina? Oーi, Serinsan?”
“Aa, sorry. I was surprised because Eleanor said something weird”
“Huh, did I say something weird?”
“Eleanor, likes the Egil-san person, right?”
“Yes, I love him”
“And yet, I will fall for him?”
“Yes, that is correct”
“No, I’ll change the way I put it. It’ll be weird if I come to like him, right?”
“No, there’s nothing weird about it though?”
“……Is that so, Eleanor is weird huh. In various ways”
“I wonder”
“Eleanor-san, are you almost done?”
and over there, Habrik-san and Gossendorf-san came.
And then, sure enough, Serina hid behind me.
Although it might be slightly weird, I felt happy because it’s a situation that’s opposite from the past.
“These people are the ones who assisted us in saving Serina. There, Serina”
“Is, is that so. Un……er, erm, thank you very much!”
Her pink hair rustles as she lowers her head.
“Nah, I’d like you to not worry about it”
“Yeah. More importantly, are the two of you going to follow Egil-sama”
“For me, of course. Although Serina is still contemplating, it looks like she has nowhere to go”
When I say that, the both of them looked at each others’ faces.
I wonder what’s going on. It feels like they’re slightly troubled. It’s as though they’re hesitating on whether to talk about something or not…….
And then I guess they resolved themselves. Gossendorf steps out,
“I suppose it is better to have the two of you know about it, so I will talk about it. About the reason that Egil-sama became an Adventurerーー”
saying that, he talks about Egil-sama’s past.