Chapter 1 – Remaining Money

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By the time the morning sun rose, my house was completely charred.
I was in a daze.

Everything had truly been consumed by the flames.

I just couldn’t understand…
What on earth could have caused it all? When I got home from work, it was already engulfed in inferno, so at least I know it wasn’t my fault.
Could an arsonist be at work somewhere…?

“……”

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no way to restore the house to its original state.
And with no clue as to who the culprit might be, they couldn’t be found.
It all seemed utterly meaningless.

“……”

Words failed me.
I had no idea what to do.
I had work today too, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go.
I’d always thought that unexcused absences were wrong, so I’d been diligent about showing up until now—but suddenly, nothing mattered.
I decided not to go to work.

※※※※

I set out into the city.
Having no particular errand to run, I wandered around aimlessly.

“Hey, so once you beat that big shot, there’s a hidden room in the back—filled to the brim with treasure!”
“Really?”
“It’s true! I made a killing off it, and that’s how I managed to buy this magic sword.”
“Magic swords range from the best to the worst. It’s probably an unbranded one, isn’t it?”
“Ugh… W-well, that may be so, but it was still something special.”

I passed by a group of men clad in sword-bearing armor.
From the conversation that casually reached my ears, it seemed they were discussing how to make a fortune in the labyrinth.

I’d heard plenty about earning money in the labyrinth—defeating powerful, rare monsters to sell their materials, or retrieving treasures from within to convert into cash.
Rumor has it that some have even gathered enough wealth to found an entire nation.

It’s quite the dream job.

“…Well, it’s not really my concern, though.”

I have no talent for swords, nor for magic.
Of course, my strength and wits are pretty average.
At best, I can handle a spear a bit—something I learned from my late father.
I’m just an ordinary twenty-five-year-old.
Even if I were to venture into a labyrinth, I’d probably be taken out in an instant. I know that much.

…Sigh. I need money.

“Money, money, money… I need money. If I had money in abundance, even if one or two houses burned down, I wouldn’t be this desperate. Money, money, money, money, money… Oh, by the way, how much do I have left in my savings?”

Suddenly, I became curious about my account balance.
I had deposited some money in the Labor Bank.
I decided to go check it.

※※※※

“Harold-sama, your current savings balance is 150,000 Robs,” said the receptionist at the Labor Bank, flashing what looked like a practiced sales smile.

――150,000 Robs.
This appears to be all of my current assets.
It’s probably about what a lowly laborer might earn by working diligently for a month.

Not long ago, I had about a hundred times that amount.
But I splurged on buying a house—a modest, new build that I had customized to my satisfaction.

Well, that house turned to ash last night, though.

“……”

I had worked incredibly hard up until now.
In addition to my regular job, whenever I had free time I’d do piecework, and I’d even venture into the mountains to gather wild vegetables and medicinal herbs to sell.
Buying a house was my goal, and I truly put my all into earning the money for it.
And in the end, everything burned to the ground.

I feel so helpless.
I have no motivation for anything.

That’s it—I’ve got a brilliant idea.
Since I’m feeling utterly unmotivated anyway, I might as well paā-spend the rest of my money.

“Um… is it alright if I withdraw the full amount?”
“Yes.”

Before I knew it, I had withdrawn my entire account balance.

※※※※

I wandered through the city, pondering how to spend my money.

Should I eat something delicious?
Or perhaps try my luck at gambling—a vice I’d never indulged in before?

I was mulling over various options, all rather ordinary.

Then, at that moment, I noticed a shady-looking man standing at the entrance of an alley.
He wore clothes and exuded an aura you don’t often see around here.
He was probably an outsider.

The man was holding up a sign that read “奴隷競売　開催場はこちら” (“Slave Auction – The Venue is This Way”).

“…Slave auction?”

Slavery is legal and not particularly unusual; there are quite a few slaves in this town.
There are even slave shops.
Still, the auction format struck me as a bit odd.

“Hey there, Onii-san, want to join the slave auction? There’ll be all sorts of slaves on display.”

Noticing that I had stopped, the man spoke up.
Apparently, he was recruiting participants.
I was somewhat intrigued.
But since I didn’t have the money to buy a slave, I decided to decline.

“Nah, I’m good. I don’t have enough money to buy a slave anyway.”

Slaves are high-end commodities.
Even at the lowest, they cost no less than 500,000 Robs.
And after buying one, you still have to pay for food and a host of other expenses.

I couldn’t fathom why he would invite someone like me, who didn’t exactly look wealthy.
It was beyond my understanding.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Some start as low as 10,000 Robs, you know? If you’re lucky, you might even snag one at a bargain price.”

10,000 Robs? That’s an incredibly low price.
But, of course, the price would only escalate from there.
I could easily imagine that.

“You say it’s a bargain, but won’t the price end up going up eventually?”
“That depends on how the buyers battle it out. Sometimes you can really snag one at a bargain price, believe it or not. It might be a loss for us, but that’s what makes it interesting… If nothing else, why not just take a look?”

Just to look, huh?
If it doesn’t cost any money, then I might as well check it out.

“Well, if it’s just for looking, that’s fine. As long as it’s free.”
“If it’s just for looking, it won’t cost you a dime. So, does that count as joining?”

It seemed to be free.
In that case, I nodded.
I decided to take a peek at the slave auction.