Kujonin Chapter 17

  

Kujonin
Author: Hanakuroko
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Story 17

I paid for two days' stay for the inn, and when I went into the cafeteria, Ayl had returned.
Her entire body was covered in mud, and she looked exhausted.
This kind of thing might be normal for an adventurer.
I used Cleanup on her, and when I handed her a restorative she immediately drained it.
"Thanks, you saved me." (Ayl)
"Did your subjugation go well?" (Naoki)
"Aa, I defeated it, but it's a job that isn't worth the price."(Ayl)
"This restorative is amazing. It can heal a bone fracture too? Isn't it expensive?" (Ayl)
"No, I made it myself, so it's just the cost  of the ingredients. And those were things I received, so in actuality the cost is zero."
"Naoki can do anything, huh?"
"It's not like I can do anything, you know? I learned it while I was exterminating monsters."
"Tomorrow I'm going to do a different request."
"I see. I'm going to do the same as today."
"Is the reward that great?"
"I wonder. Anyway, it looks like I'll be sticking with it for another 2 days."
"Really? That's amazing. I won't give in either."

Like that we entered the cafeteria and ate our meal together.
It seems Ayl's reward was 200 Notts, 2 gold coins.
"As expected of B Rank."
"This is actually on the cheap side. Even so, I even suffered a bone fracture. If it weren't for Naoki's restorative, it would have been a huge loss."
"An adventurer's body is an investment, after all."
"That's right. Un, delicious! Field boar meat really is delicious, na!"
Ayl said so while gobbling field boar meat.
There was also an event where Ayl punched the adventurers who came to get involved with me flying, but in general, I guess it was a lively, exciting, adventurer-like dinner.
The liquor is also setting in, so with this slightly tipsy feeling I go to sleep.

The next morning, leaving the sleepy-eyed Ayl at the Guild, I went to the slave trader mansion.
At the mansion there were the dead bagroaches, so I scooped them out with small bug nets that I had prepared and put them in bags.
In the morning I recovered all the bagroaches on the first floor and bas.e.m.e.nt, putting them in bags.
The bags have already become 3 bags.
Continuing on, I go to the 2nd and 3rd floors that I didn't look at yesterday.
There wasn't much there, but there was masmascarl in the attic.
When I asked if I should exterminate them, "Please definitely exterminate them," was the situation.
Going to the attic, I used Cleanup and placed the rat-killer dango.
In the time while I was waiting, the fat slave trader came to make his greetings.
"Are you interested in slaves?"
He asked while his greasy face was sweating.
He seems fl.u.s.tered.
The reward for subjugating what has become 1,000 bagrouches would be 2,000 Notts, that is 20 gold coins.
In short, he wants to pay with slaves.
I don't have that much interest in slaves, but the need for gold coins; about that, I also don't have that much attachment to money.
Just when I was thinking about what I should do, he began referring me to all sorts of slaves.
Saying that fundamentally the hard working people here are slaves, so the employees are also slaves.
When I said that, if that was the case, then I'd be glad with someone who could cook, he had all the cooks line up.
All of them were over 30 gold coins.
"I don't have the remainder, so this time I'm not going to go for it."
"I,is that so?"
When I refused, the slave trader pulled a disappointed face.
It's about the right time for the masmascarl to be wiped out, so I went into the attic and stuffed the corpses in a bag.
Altogether their are probably about 50 of them.
If you reckon 1 is 5 Notts, then it's 250 Notts.
If you add the bagroaches' part then it's 2250 Notts, 22 gold coins and 5 silver coins.
The slave trader's sweat becomes unstoppable.
"If you don't have enough on hand, I'm okay with waiting for a future day."
"No, th,that's against our principles."
The sweat on his forehead is painful to see.
Living in such a mansion and even smuggling but having no money is strange.
Is he reluctant to spend?
Or could it be that he's mired in debt so that this mansion and everything is put on mortgage?
For now, while I drink the herb tea they put out, I wait.
"If it's me, would I do?"
The lady maid suddenly said.
"Teyl."
"I have not previously served as a s.e.x slave, and my price is not yet that high. If it's cooking, I can do it to some degree. Would that serve?"
"Even if you say that, how much would it be?"
"20 gold coins."
"Then, this girl please."
"Teyl, if you leave, then who will govern the maids?"
The slave trader said to her, as if he was clinging to the maid.
"It will be fine, you know. Everyone will properly manage. Isn't that right?"
"""Yes ma'am."""
All the maids responded in one voice.
"It will be fine. Master, if you get back on track, you'll be able to take back the mansion."
The maid said, as if to persuade the master.
Somehow, the mansion already belonging to the slave trader - is not how it seems.
"Further more, Mistress will prefer this way, right?"
"I got it. I will sell you. Then, Naoki-san was it? I leave Teyl to you."
And that's what happened.

During the time the maid Teyl-san was gathering her luggage together, I burned the bagroaches and masmascarl in the back garden and waited outside the gate.
Teyl-san exchanged departing words with the mansion's people and came out of the gate.
From her hand hung a leather bag.
"Thank you for waiting. Although I may be inexperienced, please treat me well."
So saying, she handed me the leftover 250 Notts, 2 gold coins and 5 silver coins, in a pouch.
"Same here, please treat me well. Teyl-san."
"Please don't attach -san. Naoki-sama."
"Understood."
Teyl's age is around 50 years, I suppose.
Her brown hair is bundled in the back; she truly gives you the feeling of a maid.
I wonder if I can deal with this person in the future.
Well, I guess I have no choice but to get used to her.
I'm her master and all.

When I returned to the Guild's inn, it became a bit of a commotion.
It was the F Rank Adventurer in the coverall bringing along a grandma maid.
Everyone thought it was strange.
An F Rank adventurer returning with a slave; it shouldn't be that she was the reward; even if the reward was to be a slave, Teyl was way past the age.
There was all sorts of incongruous things that didn't fall into place.
But, when one of the adventurers said, "Isn't it his mother?" the adventurers judged Teyl to be my mother and seemed to lose interest.
I wrapped up the request completion procedures with the receptionist.
When I said that I'd like to utilize one more room in the inn, Teyl stopped me.
"I'm a slave, so right now it's fine if I stay in Naoki-sama's room."
The innkeeper as well, since that was the case, withdrew the inn register book.
For now, we put Teyl's luggage in my room and go to the cafeteria to eat.
Within that, Ayl also returned.

When I asked for two peoples' portions in the cafeteria, Teyl once again stopped me.
"I cannot eat with Naoki-sama. Later I will have the cheapest meal,"
She said.
"No, Teyl is  my slave, so from now on I will have you follow my rules."
"A,acknowledged."
"Then sit, eat together with me."
"However, for a slave to eat dinner with the master is…"
"Teyl. Don't make me say it over and over."
"Forgive me."
"If you don't like meat, then I can ask for something else."
"Not at all; please make it the same as Naoki-sama's."
I ordered field boar meat and wine.

"And so, I want to confirm the expectations and rules from hereon out."
"Yes."
"I will be heading to the eastern port city. There I want to get my hands on a map and then travel around the world. I am thinking of seeing all sorts of sights, smacking my lips over all the world's food, and raising my level and skills."
"The world, is it?"
"Yes. I'm not going to be limiting it to Alisfay in particular; I intend to travel all over."
"You intend to go outside the country, is it?"
"That's right. Would you like to come with?"
"I'm a slave, so where Naoki-sama goes I will follow."
"Even so, for me I was thinking about releasing Teyl when you find a job. By the way, I released 2 slaves in Kubenia."
"Is that so?"
"That's right. One of them became a gravekeeper, and the other went to the Capital's magic school. I had heard that it's difficult for former slaves to find a job. Even so, I'm thinking that if you find a good job, I will immediately release you from slavery. If it's that, I was thinking that I can immediately release you and you can return to the mansion."
"No, that can't be allowed. There is no good place for me in that mansion, you see."
"That so; then follow me for a while."
"Of course. However, is it alright for me to ask one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"I have mostly spent my time caring for the mansion. I can do calculations and cook, but I can't fight monsters and the like. Is that alright?"
"Aa, if it's that, there aren't any problems. I have also pretty much not fought anything, since I'm an F Rank."
"I,is that so? I was certain that…"
"Aa, that's right. Because of my line of work, my level is high for my low rank."
"Line of work?"
"It's pest extermination. The job at the mansion was like that, right?"
"Like that, your level rises?"
"Yeah, basically. About that, I think you can understand the reason. Can't do anything but get used to it."
"… Understood."
Since the food came, we took part in it.
Seems like Teyl likes wine; she asked "Is it alright to have another" many times.
I asked for a bottle of wine and set it in front of Teyl.
"Drink as much as you want. If you run out, let me know."
In the Guild's cafeteria, no matter how much you eat, you can pay the bill with 2 or 3 silver coins.

By the time Ayl came into the cafeteria, our meal was already finished.
Like always, I used Cleanup on the mud-covered, wound-covered Ayl, handed over a topological type wound medicine, and explained the situation.
When I told Teyl that Ayl is an adventurer following me, for some reason she said, "Please take care of me" with a glare.
She's probably just drunk.
When Ayl saw Teyl, she said, "You picked up a slave again; you intend to release her, huh?"
When I told her that tomorrow I wanted to spend the entire day preparing and then I'm going to the east, Ayl said, "Got it" and ordered a field boar dish.

When I returned to my room and made to get into my bed, Teyl also got in.
She seems to be drunk, so I surrendered the bed to Teyl, got out forabbit fur and goats.h.i.+p cloak from my item bag and made a sleeping spot next to the bed and slept.

  

Hope this doesn't turn into a catch-and-release story… Probably not, but I'm still going to say it. Still, yandere lizardkin, chill old dogkin, or drunk grandma. I'm not sure which one's the winner here…
Still, I guess he isn't opposed to having slaves. Sera's just the type he can't handle?>