Volume 4 - CH 3

Chapter 3: An Unusual Slave Trader 

— 30th day, 11th month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar — Royal Capital Parnam —

With the confusion caused by the annexation of Amidonia having settled, the people had regained their calm. 

It was fully winter now, and on this morning I was finding it harder to leave the warmth of bed. When I woke to the sound of a door hurriedly being shut, I began to stir, my mind still only half-awake. 

Brr... I’m cold. Also, my head feels heavy. Did I catch something? I ought to get more blankets for this simple bed in the governmental affairs office. I’ll ask the maids about it later. 

While I was thinking that, I turned over and something soft touched my forehead. 

“Ahn,” said a strangely amorous voice. 

...Something strange was going on. 

As my head cleared, I came to understand my current situation. First, my head was in a lock. It seemed someone was holding it tight. Was this why it had felt heavy to me? Well, at least it wasn’t a cold... 

Wait, that wasn’t the problem here! My forehead was pressed up against this person’s bosom. If it was slightly soft, that meant... 

“Whoa, what?!” 

I hurriedly broke free of the person’s hold. 

There, before my eyes, was Roroa with a pleased look on her sleeping face. She was drooling a little, but I pretended not to notice that part. 

Huh? What? This situation... Why is Roroa sleeping next to me?! 

This room... It was definitely the governmental affairs office. I was in my simple bed, no doubt about that. So, why was I sharing it with Roroa? She was... wearing clothes, at least. 

Actually, neither of us were in our nightclothes; we were both dressed in regular clothes. 

Huh? What on Earth happened last night? I wracked my brains, trying to recall what had happened yesterday... 

“Souma? What, pray tell, are you doing?” I heard a cold voice from above me. 

I turned my head slowly, with a creaking sound like a robot that’s run out of oil, and there stood Liscia with a smile that gave off a terrifying aura like a hannya mask. Behind her was Aisha, who was in tears for some reason. 

“Oh... morning, Liscia, Aisha,” I murmured. 

“Don’t you ‘morning’ me!” Liscia shouted, pulling the covers off me. 

Roroa curled up into the fetal position, looking cold, but she still didn’t wake up. 

Liscia put her hand on her hip and asked, “What is the meaning of this?! Aisha rushed into my room in tears, and when I asked her what was wrong, she said, ‘I went to rouse His Majesty, and I found him sleeping with Roroa!’” 

“Why would you lay your hands on Roroa before the princess or me?! I can’t accept it!” Aisha shouted through her tears. 

Um, please, don’t say that so loudly, I silently pleaded. If the workers in the castle overheard, they’d talk about how I was “caught in the act”! 

“Calm down, Aisha! Roroa and I are both wearing clothes, right? I’m pretty sure whatever you two are imaging didn’t happen... I think.” 

“Why can you not be more certain?!” Aisha shouted. 

“Well, I don’t remember what happened before I went to sleep,” I said. “Why are we together in the same bed with our clothes on, anyway?” 

“What really happened?” Liscia demanded. “Why don’t you try to remember what you did last night?” 

Following Liscia’s suggestion, I went through the events of last night in my head. 

I recalled having done some work to sort things out after the annexation of Amidonia, in order to adjust the taxation scheme (the Principality of Amidonia had a lower population than the kingdom, and to compensate, the individual tax burden was higher). I had summoned Roroa, Colbert, and bureaucrats from the finance ministries of both countries for meetings that had lasted late into the night. 

Those talks had been going on since the day before yesterday, and we had already pulled one all-nighter on them. We had been taking breaks as we went along. 

In the end, by the time we’d come up with an overall plan, the day had changed, and it was around 3:00 in the morning today. Everyone had been pretty out of it then. 

Colbert and the bureaucrats had shambled out of the room like zombies, while I had taken a dive into the simple bed set up in the office with my clothes still on... and fallen asleep, probably. Some time had passed between then and now. Perhaps Roroa had slept here rather than return to her own room. 

I shook Roroa’s shoulder as she continued to greedily indulge in more sleep. 

“Hey, Roroa. Get up.” 

“Hm... What’s up? Darlin’... I’m still sleepy.” Roroa rubbed her eyes as she sat up in bed. 

“No, not ‘What’s up?’” I demanded. “Why are you sleeping here?” 

“Cut a gal some slack,” she said. “I was downright exhausted after all the meetin’ yesterday. I didn’t have the energy for draggin’ myself back to my own room, so I joined you in bed, Darlin’.” Roroa stretched, then stood up from the bed on unsteady legs. She was still groggy and couldn’t see straight. “It’s no good. I’m still tired. Gonna go back to sleep in my own room.” 

“Yeesh...” Liscia said, with an air of one who’s washed her hands of the whole situation. “Aisha, please, would you carry this girl back to her room?” 

Aisha snapped to attention out of her daze. “Yes! At once, princess!” 

“Also, haven’t I told you not to call me ‘princess’?” 

“U-Understood. Pri... Lady Liscia.” 

Now that Aisha had become the second candidate to become a primary queen and their positions were close, Liscia had started telling Aisha not to address her as princess, but to use her name instead. Aisha was still getting it wrong, though. 

Aisha supported the groggy, staggering Roroa and led her out of the governmental affairs office. 

Having watched the two of them go, I hesitantly looked to Liscia. 

“Um... That’s how it is, so could I perhaps ask for your forgiveness this time?” For some reason, I sounded like a man making excuses after he was caught cheating, but this is what it means to live as a man. 

“Honestly...” Liscia puffed up her cheeks a little as she plopped herself down on the bed. “These things happen because you have a bed here. Maybe I should break it?” 

“Please don’t,” I said. “Where would I sleep?” 

“You finally made a room of your own, didn’t you? Or would you rather use my bed? Use a different one each day.” Liscia gave me a heavy stare. 

Did she mean that I should use her, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa’s beds, taking turns in a different one each day...? 

“I think I’d be too nervous to sleep, so let me pass on that, please,” I said. 

“Geez,” she muttered. “I’m being hounded by Marx to ‘Produce an heir, quickly!’ you know?” 

“Urkh... Could you wait a little longer on that? I do have something in mind.” 

“Something in mind?” she asked. 

I rose from my bed and stretched. “I’ve finally stabilized the internal political situation in the country. I’ve got a secret pact with the Empire, too, and though there are some countries nearby that worry me, things should be stable for the time being. Well, that’ll depend on what the Demon Lord’s Domain does, though.” 

“I suppose...” 

“Also... I’ve managed to convince myself that I should become king,” I said. 

“I wish you’d say you’ve resolved yourself to do it instead.” 

“Resolved myself to it... Maybe I have? I’m prepared to face the consequences.” 

“I’m not really getting the difference there,” said Liscia. 

“There’s nothing standing in my way. So...” I puffed up my chest to look more confident. “Now I’m going to do as I please. Up until now, securing my power was the first priority, so I was avoiding policies that would cause too much of a stir in society. If a policy had been too out there, it would have caused needless internal confusion, and that could have benefited a foreign adversary. But now, I don’t have to worry about that. I’m going to do more and more to remake this country.” 

I declared this pretty forcefully, but Liscia still had a dry look on her face. 

“That’s fine, but... what does that have to do with you still not having laid a hand on me?” 

I was silent. 

It looked like I’d failed to dodge the issue. I’d thought I’d managed to change the topic, too... 

Let me say now, it wasn’t that I was adverse to doing those things with Liscia and the others. No, really, I wanted to act all lovey-dovey with them. I mean, the current situation was giving me a serious case of blue balls. But, before that, there was something I needed to accomplish. For Liscia and the others’ sake, too. 

“W-Well, you’ll find out the answer eventually,” I said. 

“You’re not just dodging the issue?” Liscia demanded. 

When Liscia tried to stare into my eyes, I averted them the best I could manage.

“I really do need more capable people working for me,” I said. 

I was seated around a “kotatsu” table with Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa, who had woken up after having gone back to sleep, and we were eating lunch. I’d decided it was a good time to broach that topic. 

This was my room in the castle, which I’d made after Hakuya had informed me, “It’s about time you got a room of your own.” The truth was, I had been allotted the room much earlier, but I’d been using it as a storage room for the Little Musashibos. Since he’d insisted I use it, I had given it a major remodel. For that, I’d used the financial support for supporting the king’s lifestyle (my salary) and went wild with major renovations to suit my tastes... and what was the result? 

The two small rooms, each of which were around the size of a six-tatami-mat room (which would be 106.7 square feet), were connected by a door between them, creating a room almost like a Japanese apartment. 

One room had carpet laid over wooden flooring, and that was where my work space with a treadle sewing machine was. It was a room where I could focus fully on making clothing or accessories, purely as a hobby, or dolls like the Little Musashibos. 

The room that would serve as my ordinary living quarters was, thanks to some nice touches by the designer (me), a perfect reproduction of a Japanese-style room. As soon as I’d heard that there was a tatami culture in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, I had procured a number of those straw mats and laid them in this room. 

Also, there was an area in the center of the room that had been dug out, on top of which I’d placed a round table with a blanket stuffed in between the space where our legs went and the bottom of the table. There was another hole dug out inside of that dug-out area, and beneath it I had installed the heater Genia developed based on an idea I gave her. 

Basically, I had recreated a hori-gotatsu. 

In the dug-out area where our feet rested, there was a dome-shaped iron grate, keeping us from touching the heater. It was a lovely space, warm in winter, and nice and breezy in summer once you took the blanket out. Truly, it was a space that let you feel the designer’s (my) attention to detail. 

And, well, that was the sort of room I’d made, but all of my fiancées really liked it, especially Liscia, and they had taken to staying here. The hori-gotatsu was really popular with them. It had gotten pretty cold outside, after all. 

After the annexation of Amidonia, Hakuya had said, “Please, understand, this is necessary to maintain your authority,” and forbade me from using the general cafeteria, so I had taken to having my breakfast and dinner (lunch was usually in the governmental affairs office) here around the table with Liscia and the others. 

Most of the meals were made for me by the castle chefs, but on days like today, when I wanted to eat something Japanese, I made it myself. I had rice, soy sauce, and miso to work with, after all. 

“Hey there, mister!” one merchant said. “That’s one fine slave you’ve got servin’ ya.” 

“How much’d she cost ya? You a rich kid from a good family or somethin’?” 

“Um... er... Thanks...” 

While politely brushing off the people who addressed me in merchant slang, San and I walked down a shopping street in the capital at midday, carrying bags with us. The bags contained mostly food and soap, along with new cloth to make simple garments. I’m sure you could figure this out without me saying so, but almost all of it was for the slaves. 

“Well, we managed to get our hands on a nice amount of quality cloth,” I said. “That store, The Silver Deer, was good. The shopkeeper was a real dandy, and when he heard we would be using the material to make new clothes for slaves, he sold us a whole lot of it for cheap without looking the slightest bit unhappy about it.” 

“How very nice for you,” she said. 

“Ah...! Sorry, San. For making you tag along and carry stuff for me.” 

“You needn’t show such concern for a slave,” San said nonchalantly. “Order me to do whatever you wish.” 

She was a little taller than I was, and the way she looked walking with her back straight, she had such dignity that you never would have taken her for a slave. Maybe she had come from a good upbringing? 

“But, still, these are stores, what’s with them having no shopkeepers other than slaves?” I asked. 

“For as long as they wear their collars, slaves are absolutely loyal,” San explained. “It is possible to put them to work, too, so I think this is normal.” 

“Oh, I see.” 

“More importantly... why do you go to the trouble of feeding your slaves well and giving them new clothing when you intend to let go of them, Master Ginger?” asked San. 

I asked, “Clean things or dirty things, which do you think people will take better care of?” 

“That would be... the clean things, I think...” 

“Right. It’s the same idea here.” 

It felt a little wrong to speak of people like things, but slaves were always treated like things. That being the case, I wanted to make them things that people would treat well. I was well aware of how hypocritical that was, but it was all I could do right now. 

“Slaves that are clean, of good pallor, and well dressed appear more valuable,” I said. “I think it’ll help keep away the buyers who just want to use them as disposable labor.” 

“Being able to sell the merchandise is the most important thing in business,” said San. “I am not sure if you have the right approach to this as a seller.” 

“That’s why I told you I’m not cut out to be a slave trader, okay?” 

“Aren’t you? I think you might make a surprisingly good slave trader.” 

“That’s the exact opposite of what you were saying just a moment ago, you know?!” 

“It is just the mindless prattle of a slave. Pay it no mind.” San smiled mischievously. Urkh, she was definitely messing with me. “If I have angered you, then use the whip...” 

“I’m not going to hit you, okay?!” 

“But, if you do it just once, you might awaken to something inside you?” 

—Some days later. 

“Okay, everyone,” I said. “Let’s move on to the three times table. Three, go!” 

“One three is three, two threes are six, three threes are nine...” At my instruction, the slaves began to sing out their three times table. 

Next to them, another group of slaves were practicing their writing, using water to wet a slate. Paper and ink were expensive, so that was what we were using as a substitute. 

I wanted to have them available, but... I really didn’t have that much financial leeway, after all... 

“What are you doing this time?” San asked, sounding exasperated. She’d just returned from the errand I’d sent her on. 

“Hm? I thought I’d teach everyone to write and do arithmetic,” I said. 

“...Why?” 

“I did some thinking. When it comes to tools, those with some added functionality are better taken care of, right? Well, what sort of added functionality can you give humans, I wondered, and the answer I came up with was, ‘Education, maybe?’” 

The sad truth was, many people only thought of slaves as a cheap source of labor, meant to be used until they broke and then thrown away. 

True, that was an extreme position, but it was also true that for ordinary slaves, hard manual labor was about the only use for them. Now, what about a slave that knew how to write and do arithmetic? If a slave could read, write, and do arithmetic, wouldn’t that make them too valuable to waste as disposable manual labor? 

The fact of the matter was, those with such skills who fell to become slaves, they sold at a higher price, and they were used in a wider variety of ways than slaves that were only capable of manual labor. They served as shopkeepers, and were even sometimes hired as servants and secretaries to the nobility. 

You might think, “Well, we should teach all slaves to read and write, then,” but that would be inefficient. It took time to educate slaves, which meant they’d cost that much more in upkeep. Besides, most of the people who visited slave traders were looking for manual laborers. There were a limited number who would buy educated slaves. If too many were available, they would go unsold, and if the slave trader became forced to sell them as cheaply as manual laborers, it would defeat the point. This was, ultimately, a business, after all. 

Still, that wasn’t something that was a concern for me right now. I had no intention of continuing with this work. 

Even if I had to pour some of the savings my grandpa had left me into it, I was fine with that so long as I could arrange for the people here to pass into the hands of as reasonably good buyers as I could manage. Even if I didn’t turn a profit, I would actively work to sell them to buyers I thought would be good, and once I had seen everyone off to their various fates, I would close up shop. I thought of it as a way of paying my respects to Grandpa. 

“That’s how Grandpa taught me, and I’ve learned enough that I can teach the same to everyone,” I said. “Would you like me to teach you, too, San?” 

“I will be fine without,” San said. “I came from a family of merchants, so I can read and do arithmetic.” 

A family of merchants? How had she ended up a slave, then...? 

“Um... Do you mind if I ask?” I ventured. 

“It isn’t a terribly interesting story. The owner of a store who was swindled by others found himself needing to sell off one of his daughters in order to protect his store and family. That’s all there was to it.” 

“What do you mean, that’s all...?” 

“It is a common story,” said San. “The kind of misfortune... you could find anywhere.” 

No matter how prosperous the country, no matter how good its governance and public order, the malice of people will never go away. No shortage of these things will happen. I just happened to be the one to fall into it, San’s cold eyes told me. It was as if she had given up on everything. 

“Well, it is an ability I am lucky to have, so allow me to teach them with you,” San said. 

“...Please do.” 

It might be difficult for a slave, but I want San to have hope, too, I thought earnestly, watching her teaching a young slave boy to read.

Months later, my sales weren’t exactly booming. Or rather, I hadn’t sold a single one. 

Ha ha ha... What to make of this...? 

While I was sitting at the counter clutching my head, San brought out some tea for me and asked, “I believe there were customers. Why did you not sell to them?” 

Yes, it was true, a number of customers had come saying they wanted to buy slaves. However, from what I’d seen in my interviews with them, none of them were the sorts I could ever bring myself to sell to. 

“If I have confidence in one thing, it’s my ability to see through people,” I explained. 

“They were not up to your standards, then, Master Ginger?” 

“Every single one of them only looked at slaves as tools to be used and then thrown away,” I said. “No matter how gentlemanly they might have acted. It’s not that easy to hide the dirty parts of your heart, though.” 

“Is that right...?” San asked. 

“I did promise everyone I would find them trustworthy buyers, after all. I have to select them carefully.” 

“If you keep saying that, you may find yourself in financial distress and eventually slavery yourself, you know?” San asked. 

“That’d be a problem, but... Long ago, Grandpa said this about business: ‘Every lull comes to an end, and the tides can suddenly change. That’s why you need to wait for your chance without giving up, and when the opportunity comes, grasp it without fail.’” 

So, for now, no matter how hard it is, I will persevere. So I don’t miss the chance that will surely come someday. 

While I was thinking that, San smiled despite herself. “It’s strange... When I am with you, Master Ginger, even though I am a slave, it almost gives me hope for the future.” 

It was a soft smile. For that smile, I felt like I could push myself a little longer. 

It’ll be fine. A chance is sure to come along eventually. Probably... Yeah... I’m sure of it! 

That was what I told myself as I continued to wait. And then... 

...the chance suddenly came not long after that.

One morning, when I opened the store, the same as I always did... 

“Excuse me! Are there any slaves here who can read or write?!” 

“I need them urgently! I’ll buy them for a good price, so let me have them!” 

“Me, too! If you have any demands, just let me hear them!” 

...a great mass of people suddenly swarmed inside the shop. They were all relatively well-dressed and well-kept, too. Many were there at the behest of their masters, but others were nobles or knights here to buy for themselves. Both San and I were flabbergasted. 

“Erm... All of our slaves can write and do arithmetic, actually...” I said. 

“Is that true?!” 

“Please! Oh, please! Allow me to buy them off of you!” 

“I was here first! Our domain is in trouble!” 

“C-Calm down, please! What exactly is the situation here?!” I cried. 

I had San and the others prepare enough tea for everyone, then asked the customers to explain what was going on. 

It seemed that it had all started when our young sovereign, His Majesty King Souma, had changed his policy on how nobles and knights were to be evaluated. His achievements in the time since the former king abdicated had been exemplary. He had put down the three dukes who opposed him, defeated the Principality of Amidonia which had attacked us, and just the other day annexed them. At this point, his position in power was secure. 

It seemed that the king had suddenly said, “Starting now, I will be adding the ability to manage your domain to the list of factors considered when deciding promotions and demotions for the nobility and knights, so good luck with that.” (Though I doubt he’d said it quite so frankly.) 

The ones who were panicking were the nobles and knights who hadn’t given much thought to their own lands, leaving the ruling of them to magistrates instead. The bureaucratic nobles who had come to work in the city had seen participating in the affairs of state their path to advancement, while the knights had believed distinguishing themselves on the battlefield would lead to promotions. That was why, now that they were going to be held to account for the management of their own domains, they’d hurriedly begun to search for talented magistrates and people to work under them. 

The only things required of a rural bureaucrat were the ability to read and write and the ability to do arithmetic, but few in this country possessed both skills. Both required being taught, and those who had been taught (or rather, those who had needed to be taught) were concentrated at the top of the social structure. Merchants could probably do it, too, but they had their own businesses, so it wouldn’t be possible to hire them without paying compensation equivalent to their profits. In other words, there was a truly limited supply of people willing to become bureaucrats out in the rural areas. 

Those who were low in social stature, but who had worked hard to study on their own because they’d believed it would surely be useful someday, had been the first to be called on. However, these people had all been hired by the nobles and knights able to offer the most favorable conditions. The ones in trouble were the lower-ranked nobles and knights. 

They wanted people, but they couldn’t offer conditions that were good enough to attract them. The last thread of hope they had to cling to was slaves. 

Come to think of it, slaves come from all walks of life, I thought. Slaves who can write and do arithmetic cost more, but some have been sold. 

It seemed that the nobles who had that thought were all rushing to the slave traders. The slaves who could write and do arithmetic at the major slave traders had sold out immediately, and now they were going around to the medium to small scale slave traders. That was how they had come to our shop. 

“Okay... I understand the situation,” I said. “I have a number of conditions to consider, so I will hold interviews.” 

And so, I interviewed each of the prospective buyers one by one. 

Rather than focus on the purchase price, I was concerned with how the slaves would be treated afterwards. There were quite a few who said, “I want to employ them as bureaucrats, so I’m willing to release them from slavery.” Those people were given preference when I set them up with slaves. I didn’t sell to those I could see clearly had ill intent, and decided to keep relatives together as much as possible. 

For the mother with the infant... 

“I’ll release her from slavery! The child can come, too! So, please, I’m begging you, have her come to my domain!” 

...is what one female knight begged me, half-crying, so I let her buy them. She had apparently become a knight because she’d admired the gallant Princess Liscia, but her abilities were completely biased toward the martial side of things, and she had no idea how to manage her domain. That was why she was in a desperate hurry to find good help. She seemed like a good sort, and I figured they’d be fine with her. 

The slaves kept getting sold off one after another like that, but... the ones that really surprised me were those two sister slaves. 

It seemed one young noble was so enamored with them, he would not only set them free, but also wanted to take them as his wives. What was more, this noble was apparently from a fairly major family. 

“Were you not here to look for potential magistrates and bureaucrats?” I asked. 

“Of course that was my original intent, but I was smitten by their beauty and intellect,” said the noble. “My house is presently in a situation where it is best that we do not form blood ties with other houses. I am sure that it would reassure His Majesty if I were to take a wife of common birth. Besides, when I think of the posting that awaits me, I cannot say that I see the daughters of any other house wanting to wed me.” 

That noble’s name was Piltory Saracen. He was apparently the young head of a fairly major lineage in this country, the House of Saracen. He was passionate, and seemed to be every bit the affable young man he looked like. 

Why does a man of his stature want slaves? I wondered. Probably, his situation and post had something to do with it. 

“Um, I can’t have you take them anywhere too dangerous...” I began. 

After that, even though I put some serious conditions on their treatment of the slaves, buyers came in every day, and within a few days, the only one left with me was San. 

The reason San had been left for last was because she was helping me. It had been too much for me to handle all of those people by myself, and San had been a tremendous help to me. 

Of course, with her beauty and shapely figure, there had been many buyers who’d wanted to buy her under conditions no less good than the sisters Anzu and Shiho had received. However, San herself said, “I will stay to help you until all of the others have been bought, Master Ginger.” So I’d indulged in her kind generosity. 

We were in the shop before opening. While sitting at the counter, I looked to San who was beside me offering me tea. 

“San, you...” 

“What is it, Master Ginger?” she asked. 

“Um... Well... It’s nothing...” 

“Hm?” 

San had worked hard for the slaves, and for me. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t felt something when I’d seen her doing that. 

Fortunately, everyone had been bought, and thanks to the nobles, I had some financial leeway for the time being. If I were to release San from slavery, we could start a new business together. I had started to wonder about the possibilities. 

But... I’m sure someone better will come along for San, I thought. There’s no guarantee that my new business will succeed, and maybe San would be happier that way, too. 

While I was thinking about it, the door that I was sure I had a “Closed” sign on it opened. When I looked up, wondering what it could be, there was a single young man there. 

“I have a request,” the young man said. “Could I ask you sell that slave to me?” 

The young man was dressed like a traveler from another country. He wore a conical straw hat low over his forehead, as well as a traveling cloak. The way he looked... Was he from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, perhaps? 

“Um, we aren’t open for business yet...” I said. 

“I apologize,” said the young man. “I was charmed when I saw that raccoon girl, and I simply couldn’t help myself. Is there any way you could give me that slave? Of course, I intend to pay well more than she’s worth. Once I’ve bought her, I will also set her free.” 

“How much would you be paying, exactly?” San asked. 

“San?!” I exclaimed. 

While I was still surprised that San was trying to move things forward on her own, she gave me a grin. “You did well for all of the other slaves, Master Ginger. I am the only one left. That being the case, as one last service, I will sell myself for a high price, and give you the extra money. Please, use it to start your new business.” 

“What are you saying?!” 

Had San been thinking about that all along? 

The young, foreign man dropped a small bag of coins on the table. “In this bag there are ten large gold coins and fifty gold coins. Will this price be acceptable?” 

Ten large gold coins and fifty gold coin was... 1,000,000G?! The average slave went for 10,000G to 20,000G. Could he just plop down that kind of money?! 

This young man... there’s something strange about him... 

He was acting like rich men often did, using the power of their money to get their way, but I didn’t get that same unpleasant feeling from the young man in front of me. Unlike Sir Piltory, who had taken the two sisters, it didn’t feel like he was in love with San, either. If anything... I felt as though his attention was focused on me. Like he was watching to see what I would do when presented with a large amount of money... 

While I was eyeing him cautiously, San bowed her head to the young man. 

“It is enough. Please, take me.” 

“I told you, don’t decide that for yourself!” I stood up and placed myself between them, picking up the bag of coins and thrusting it back toward the man. “I’m terribly sorry, but she’s not for sale. When I start my new business, I want her there to work for me.” 

“Master Ginger...” 

San’s eyes were wide with surprise. This was... my selfishness. 

“I’m sorry, San,” I said. “It may be better for you to be bought by this person. He clearly has considerable finances, and I can’t guarantee my business will succeed.” 

But, I couldn’t do it. When San was... about to be stolen away from me, I finally realized it. How strongly I felt that I didn’t want to lose her. 

“But, out of my own selfishness, I don’t want to let go of you,” I said. 

“Master Ginger... I acted presumptuously...” San teared up as she said that. Then she walked over to me and bowed her head. “Please... Let me stay at your side, Master Ginger...” 

“Yes. Of course I will.” I gently embraced San. 

After doing that for a little while, I recalled that we were completely ignoring the young, foreign customer. When I looked at him, the young man had an awkward, forced smile on his face. 

I let go of San and bowed to the young man. “I-I’m sorry!” 

“No, uh... I was wrong, too,” he said. “I had just meant to test you, but I didn’t expect you two to suddenly start confessing your love for one another... Uh, congratulations.” 

“Th-Thank you... very much,” I stumbled. 

H-How embarrassing. Just remembering that whole sequence of events made my face feel like it was on fire. 

...Wait, huh? Testing me? Had this guy just said he was testing me? 

Out from behind the young man, an adorable girl in a hooded robe who wore her hair in bunches entered the shop. That girl came up beside the young man with a cheery smile on her face. 

“See? He’s an interestin’ slave trader, just like Sebastian said, huh?” 

“You can say that again,” said the young man. “I doubt there’s another like him anywhere in this world. I guess, as the saying goes, it’s always darkest under the lamppost. Who would have thought there was still a talented person like this hidden in the royal capital. This is why I can never get tired of head-hunting.” 

Then the young man removed his hat. That face... I had seen it on the Jewel Voice Broadcast! 

“Y-Your Majesty?!” I yelped. 

There stood His Majesty, Souma Kazuya. 

What was more, the girl standing next to him was Princess Roroa of the former Principality of Amidonia, whose betrothal to King Souma had been announced during the Jewel Voice Broadcast earlier! San and I hastened to bow before them, but His Majesty said, “Ah, I’m here in secret right now, so none of that,” and stopped us. 

“Um... Sire... What are you doing here?” I asked, my head still a mess of confusion. 

Souma grinned. “I’ve heard good things about you. Like that you taught slaves how to write and do arithmetic, and arranged for them to be bought by places that would treat them well. From now on, slave traders around the capital will start imitating you and educating their slaves. It seems the treatment slaves receive has gotten better, too.” 

“I-I see...” 

“From the looks of it, you don’t realize your own incredible accomplishment,” he continued. “Well, maybe you were able to pull it off precisely because you’re that humble.” 

King Souma nodded to himself, seeming satisfied with that explanation. 

“Ginger. You tried to improve the treatment of those in the weakest position in society by giving them jobs. As a result, those slaves are slaves no more. This is something that people at the top, like Madam Maria and I, couldn’t have accomplished so easily, even though we wanted to, you know? Yet you, out here in the field, pulled it off.” 

“No... I was just... I was desperate to protect those in front of me, even if that was all I could do...” 

“I’ve been looking for people who can do things like that.” His Majesty put his hands down on the counter. “I intend to nationalize the slaving trade in this country. Slave traders will become public servants, and there will be proper tests they have to go through. That will make them easier to manage, after all. On top of that, to ensure that the slaves aren’t just used as manual labor until it breaks them and then thrown away, we will also establish facilities to train them for jobs. At the same time, I also intend to create an intermediary service to help people find jobs so they won’t be reduced to slavery in the first place.” 

“That’s...” 

“Yes,” he said. “It’s exactly the same as what you’ve been doing. That’s what the country is going to do.” 

That’s incredible! Doing that will surely save people like San! I thought. 

While I was thinking that, Souma extended his hand to me. “And I want to hire you as the first head of the jobs training facility.” 

“M-Me?!” I yelped. 

“You came up with the idea and implemented it yourself,” he said. “I think you’re the best person for the job. You can take that money I showed you earlier to help with the preparations. Why don’t you use that money to set her free and start working on it together?” 

I looked over to San. 

San nodded to me with a smile, then spoke these words: “‘Every lull comes to an end, and the tides can suddenly change.’” 

...Yeah. That’s right, San, Grandpa. This is that opportunity. 

I nodded back to San, then took the hand Souma had offered me. “I’ll do it! Please, let me!” 

“Thanks. I’ll be looking forward to seeing your skills in action.” 

We exchanged a firm handshake. The contract was sealed. 

Grandpa, I’m going to be serving the king now. You don’t have to worry about me anymore, okay? 

While closing my eyes and reporting this to my grandpa, who had surely gone to heaven, Lady Roroa said, “Looks like ya got that all settled then,” and wrapped herself around Souma’s arm. “Well, let’s leave it at that for work today. For here on, I’m thinkin’ it’s time we had our date, ain’t it? Right, Big Sister Ai?” 

When Lady Roroa called out toward the door, a strong and beautiful dark elf woman came inside. Wasn’t this person the second candidate to become King Souma’s queen, Lady Aisha?! I remembered having seen her host the music program alongside King Souma before! 

Lady Aisha seemed slightly embarrassed, but she wrapped herself around the arm opposite Lady Roroa. “Wh-Why, yes. We should do that.” 

“Um, you two? Could you not do this in public...” the king said. 

““No!”” 

“...Oh, okay.” 

When they both shouted him down, Souma slumped his shoulders in resignation. 

At first glance, he looked like he should be happy with a beautiful flower in each hand, yet he was clearly feeling anxious. He might be the capable king who had destroyed the Principality of Amidonia, but he was weak when it came to the women who would be the significant others in his life. 

“Maybe I should watch out, too...” I murmured. 

“Did you say something, Master Ginger?” Perhaps imitating those two, San wrapped herself around my arm with a smile. 

That smile left me feeling fulfilled, and there was nothing I could say. 

—It seemed that being no match for the woman you love was something that affected king and commoner alike.