Chapter 15 : Slave Girl
It's been a year since I acquired the dishwashing skill.
Around the time I learned the skill of peeling potatoes, a middle-aged man visited the mansion with a little girl to discuss business.
Then, in the guest room we guided him to, he said to me and Sebas:
"One gold coin, how about it?"
When I asked what was one gold coin, he said it was the price of the girl who came with me.
"I'd like you to wait in the guest room (here) for a moment, is that okay? I want to talk to the butler."
"Go ahead Go ahead."
"......I'll be right back."
With a smile I left the middle-aged chubby merchant and the expressionless girl in the guest room and went out into the hallway with Sebas.
Then, when I have left the guest room where my voice could not reach, I strongly asked Sebas.
"Sebas, what is with that person! Suddenly, one gold coin for a girl, how about it, he said, that's just like a slave trading isn't it!?"
"Nothing as like, it is slave trading. Luke-sama."
"ee!? Because slavery was prohibited in the Serena Kingdom right?"
There is a system of slavery in this world.
When I first learned about it, I was indignant at how sickening things were introduced into an otome game.
Fortunately, in the Kingdom of Serena where I live, this system was banned many years ago, so I was relieved that I would never see it, but......
Nothing as seeing it, it's coming to sell directly straight to my house tho!?
If it's a common different world thing, slaves are like templates, and the protagonist normally buys them, hmm? its quite so for the protagonist to be able to do so cooly right......
Just hearing about people being sold is making my mood get worse you know.
"Certainly, slaves are not recognized in the Serena Kingdom. Slave trading is also strictly prohibited, and if you do, you will be punished for committing a serious crime."
"Then why?"
"Things are as manner of speaking."
"Manner of speaking?"
"Luke-sama wanted a worker, so you have someone introduced you with a single gold coin. If so there won't be any problems."
"What is that!? After all, it's the same as not being banned. It becomes as no longer a crime or anything. does the country know about it?"
"I do think they're aware of it, but there's no evidence. If the parties concerned agree, there's nothing one can do about it."
"But, if you seize the evidence, they'll be charged with a crime, right?"
"Exactly. As long as the evidence is presented to the government office, the country's controlling body, the seller and the buyer will be judged and punished."
"If that's the case the talk is quick. Persuade the girl that she was about to be sold to have the testimony. Let's quickly hand over that merchant to the government office."
I was about to return to the guest room, but Sebas said, "Please wait." and stopped me.
“Luke-sama, if the merchant Keaton-san’s crimes come to light, the Cranbell family’s crimes will also come to light at the same time.”
"Will the Cranbell family's crimes come to light? Does the Cranbell family have crimes? That's the first time I heard of it tho!? And Keaton-san you said, do you know that merchant, Sebas?"
“Yes, the Cranbell family was a regular customer for Keaton-san.”
"Haa!? A regular customer!? Regular customer of a slave trading means, isn't that thing bad! It's the one that will get accused of a crime and judged isn't it! Did my father is actually into a slave dealing then?!"
"No, there is no fact that Lloyd-sama bought a person. The one who did bought a person was the predecessor."
"The predecessor did?"
"Yes. If the reason to why bought it is known to the world, it will be a very troublesome matter."
"u......"
The previous lord……the grandfather (Ojii-sama) who died in a fire before I was born.
To be frank, as someone who's already no longer in this world, as far as I'm concerned, was such an existence I don't care about.
Even so more or less, he is still this life Ojii-chan (Grandpa).
What kind of person he was, such curiosity does exist.
That's why I asked Emma and Arche about the predecessor.
However, the answer that comes back is always "I hear that he is a fine person". Otherwise, "I don't really know the detail." And only unclear things.
At that time, all I could think was "was that so~", but it wasn't that they didn't know him, but that he was a difficult person to talk to a child about huh.
This is bad......。
My Ojii-chan, far from being a villain, is evil itself tho.
He's a splendid corrupt nobleman tho.
Could it be, this will come to light later on and ruin the Cranbell family?
“Umm~ Sebas-san. I will ask something unrelated but, what will happen to the Cranbell family if the matter of the predecessor is found out?”
“In the case of the predecessor of the party, the status and property will be confiscated and the sentence will be imprisonment. However, he has already passed away, so you don't have to worry about it there. The current members of the Cranbell family, Lloyd-sama, Luke-sama, and Erina-sama, will only have their status and territory confiscated. No prison sentence."
"It's not at all 'only' talk tho. It is a big problem tho. Just living and then all will end up lost isn't it."
"That's also the reason why Lloyd-sama didn't take action. If he took action, Luke-sama and we would be lost on the streets."
".......Father, was trying to correct the bad government. But he never let us think about it......"
"Yes."
No~, my father is surprisingly a person of character~.
Because he's fat and has bad eyes, he can only be seen as an evil magistrate see, I even conveniently decided that he was a bad person for Erina in terms of education you know.
About the truth side of things, there was also a time when I thought about how to make him lose his position as a feudal lord.
No way, I didn't know that he was a good father who thought of his family.
I'm sorry father. It was my prejudice isn't it.
But laissez-faire is no good right~. If you're a modern-era child, you'll end up becoming a delinquent, you know. [Tl note no 1]
"Luke-sama?"
"Aa, sorry"
Otto, not good not good.
I was too absorbed in my thinking for too long.
Now I have to face the problem at hand. If I do unnecessary things with a poor sense of justice, I will end up becoming a homeless child.
In any case, I don't want Erina to have a hard time.
And while I'm at it, everyone in the mansion too.
For the time being, let's get through with it peaceful for today and let Keaton go home as is.
(Oh, come to think of it...)
Having made up my mind, I was about to go back to the guest room when suddenly, the girl who came with Keaton flashed across my mind.
Feeling of seeing, she looks about the same age as Erina and Sei.
Her long gray hair hung down carelessly, making her look like a ghost.
The dress was reasonably decent, and although it wasn't expensive, she was wearing a clean dress, but maybe she wasn't used to the long skirt, so she ends up stepping on the hem and feeling like she was going to fall.
It may be that, in an effort to improve her appearance in order to sell, she was just suddenly forced to wear something she was not used to wearing.
"Sebas, What will happen if I don't buy that girl?"
"I think it will be sold to other buyers, but what do you think. It seems that it came to the Cranbell family as an unsold item, so as from me, I can't do a prediction of it."
"Unsold item? Did that girl come to the Cranbell household unsold?"
"Her long hair made it hidden and difficult to see, but there was a large bruise from her forehead to her right eye. I think that bruise prevented her from finding a buyer."
“I see, that’s why even though the predecessor already passed away, he came to sell to the Cranbell family.”
"Most likely. Also, Luke-sama, I said I can't predict it, but one thing, just this I can say. If she leaves Cranbell territory, I think the chances of her living a satisfying life will be considerably reduced."
"u...... that sounds like if I bought her, her life would be better though......"
"I do think so."
Boo!
Don't give that "I do think so" me!
If I don't buy it, it will make it seem like I'm an inhuman isn't it.
What does Sebas is trying to say.
Is he trying to tell me my father's intentions, come to think of it, he was worrying about that child's future.
Well yeah that is about slaves. I can only imagine that they wouldn't be able to live a decent life at that point.
"Haa......." *sigh*
I let out a heavy sigh and tried to think of what to do.
But, I soon realized that it was meaningless and useless.
By the time I thought about the girl, I already had the answer.
It might lead to the ruin of the Cranbell family, and buying one slave won't be a fundamental solution.
Even so, once I knew that the girl in front of me might have a hard time, I couldn't leave her alone.
"Haa......" I sighed once again and asked Sebas for a favor.
"Sebas, I want you to lend me a gold coin. Also, along in regard to the future of the Cranbell family, and an excuse to report to Father too, I want you to think together. Can I ask you this favor?"
Sebas said, "Certainly," and took out a gold coin from the inner pocket of his tailcoat and handed it to me.
One gold coin is equivalent to 100,000 Japanese yen.
It's not the kind of money you would normally carry around in your pocket.
“Could it be, you knew I was going to buy that girl from the time the merchant came?”
"I don't think you will buy it. You might buy it, I just thought of that."
"I-Is that so..."
For some reason, it's hard to swallow why I seem to have moved as Sebas intended though......。
W-Well, that's fine.
More than that, the first thing I bought after being reborn, I didn't expect it to be a human girl.
Moreover to even borrow money.
Far from having a bad aftertaste, it's likely to be mildly traumatic you know.
TL: Maza Miya
Editor: Maza Miya
[Tl note no 1: laissez-faire, a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with individual freedom of choice and action.]
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If you were to find some oddities with my translation feel free to point it out.
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No need to rush.