I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 30

Chapter 30: The Alley of the Lost Child and the Slave

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Today was a day off! So off we went to the southern district of the royal capital! Festival mode, let’s go! Cobblestone streets, the clamor of street stalls, the scent of heavily spiced seasonings.

“Luka-sama, please do not go too far in.”

Walking beside me was Yuka. Behind her was our house knight, Tarinuka.

“It’s fine, I’m not a kid!”

Five minutes after saying that, I got lost.

“…Huh?”

When I turned around, the two of them were gone. Crowds of people and strange stalls. And an unfamiliar alley.

“Ah… did I mess up?”

This is bad. New personal best in Lost Child speedrun.

While I was standing there alone wondering what to do—

—Thud.

A small shadow crashed into my stomach. It was so light that for a moment I couldn’t tell what had hit me.

“…!”

The one who looked up was a girl. Long, pale pink hair. It swayed softly in the sunlight. Amber eyes, wet with tears. Her breathing was ragged.

“H-Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She said nothing. She was just trembling.

…Something’s off. Are you lost too?

“There she is!!”

A shout came from behind. Heavy footsteps came rushing toward us.

Whoa, whoa, Father-san? She’s still little, no need to yell like—

“Grab her! She’s a slave!”

…Huh?

When I turned around, there were two rough-looking men.

…And slave trader armbands.

The girl flinched. She grabbed my clothes with small hands, tightly. She probably did it unconsciously.

“Kid, that’s our merchandise. We’re taking her back.”

Merchandise, huh. Worst possible scenario.

I looked at the girl. She was trembling, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out. Her eyes were desperate, trying to tell me something. She couldn’t even say “help me.” That must be how cornered she was.

…Leaving a frightened girl alone would seriously go against my personal code.

Ah, geez.

“How much?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking how much this girl costs.”

The men glanced at each other, then grinned.

“Are you buying?”

“I am. I like her.”

If I said that, then we were customer and seller.

“I have the money.”

…Probably.

Don’t underestimate a ducal house allowance!

The men’s faces looked like they’d just found a sucker.

“She’s expensive, you know? We just finished raising her.”

These things are won by striking first! Attack before they name a price!

“…Ten gold coins. How about that?”

Yuka had said she was extremely high quality, so twenty gold coins. I didn’t like trading people for money, but apparently it was normal here. Better to get used to it.

“Forty gold coins. She’s in bad condition, but we risked our lives capturing her. We can’t sell for less.”

Forty!? …I don’t really know market values, but I know gold coins are stupidly expensive.

Still, since I named a price first, they probably weren’t ripping me off completely… My strategy to hijack their pricing logic without revealing my wallet situation and forcing out their lowest possible number was either a success or total failure. I couldn’t tell anymore.

Do I even have 10 gold coins? Don’t make me laugh. I don’t even know how much I have, but I’m pretty sure Mother stuffed a lot in there!

“Fine. I’ll pay.”

“…Really!? Th-then it’s a deal. Contract concluded.”

It was when they said that, and I checked inside my purse… It was packed tight with gold coins.

“…What?”

“Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t tell me you can’t pay now?”

“…No, I think I have enough…?”

Mother, this is insane.

I thought it felt heavy for some reason, but…

What is this?!

Even after counting out forty coins, I still had thirty left. The gold coins were sparkling and blinding…

This is not the amount you hand to a middle schooler! How many Yuka-samas is this worth?! (Trash ethics.)

Anyway, when I took out exactly forty gold coins from the pouch, the men’s expressions changed. The girl looked surprised too. Honestly, I was more surprised than you guys. Once they realized I was the real deal, they were all smiles.

“Much appreciated!”

They removed her collar and left. I spoke to the girl.

“…Umm, for now. Nice to meet you?”

She was still trembling. Just the two of us left standing in the alley.

Let’s head back to the plaza first…

“…It’s okay now. Once you calm down, let’s walk.”

She slowly let go of my clothes and looked up. Looking at her properly, she had very refined features. Translucent white skin. Long eyelashes.

“…Huh? That means…”

From between her hair, something peeked out slightly.

A pointed ear.

…Wait.

Out of curiosity, I gently brushed aside her hair. Her body jolted, but she didn’t resist. The hidden ear was revealed. Long, slender, sharply pointed.

…Th-This is! There’s no mistaking it…!

“…An elf?”

Her amber eyes widened. There was still surprise and fear in them.

“…?”

She tried to say something. She was trembling. I knew it. Elves weren’t exactly ultra-rare, but they were uncommon. Long-lived, possessing high magical power and physical ability. I’d never heard of them being slaves, and they were famous as one of the three perfected races in the world. So that was why she was so expensive despite being covered in injuries.

“…!”

Without a word, I gently patted her head.

…Those guys hid it, huh? Now I understood why the slave trader said they risked their lives. I sighed. An elf would be valued anywhere, and yet they made her a slave…

“If this gets exposed, does that make me a criminal…?”

The girl squeezed her eyes shut.

…Did she think I was angry?

“…It’s okay.”

I crouched down to meet her eyes.

“For what it’s worth, I’m a self-proclaimed good person.”

Her amber eyes trembled.

“Do you have a name?”

“…No.”

Her voice was hoarse. Well, yeah. She’d been running earlier.

“Then let’s give you one. Can I name you?”

“….”

After thinking for a moment, she nodded. Pink hair. Like a spring flower. Sakura would be too obvious?

…Blossom sounded too intense.

“Fia.”

Short and easy to say. It just felt like a simple name. It didn’t have any particular meaning. I really just came up with something that sounded like a girl’s name.

“From today on, I’ll call you Fia.”

The girl—Fia—looked at me like she was looking at something unbelievable.

“…Why?”

“Hm?”

“Why did you save me?”

…That was a sad question. Maybe pitying her was wrong, but that was what I felt. I thought about it for a moment. It was simple, really.

“I don’t like the slave system.”

“…?”

“You’re probably thinking, ‘You bought a slave though.’ But this is my reason.”

Fia’s throat made a small sound. She was holding back tears. At that moment…

“Luka-sama!!”

Yuka’s voice was laced with relief, but her figure was radiating with anger. Behind her was Tarinuka.

“Are you unharmed, young master?!”

Then Yuka’s gaze shifted to Fia. She grasped the situation instantly.

“…Young master, Yuka-dono, what happened?”

“Please explain.”

Her eyes were scary.

“I bought her.”

“…Pardon?”

“I bought a slave. She’s an elf.”

Yuka’s eyes narrowed. Fia trembled. Honestly, I was scared too. Yuka stepped closer and brushed aside Fia’s hair.

“…Indeed.”

Then she spoke quietly.

“Luka-sama, how did this happen?”

Right. Sorry. I didn’t expect to end up buying an elf slave either. Elves rarely appeared in human nations. Nobles would want her immediately. The royal family might even offer to protect her. She was nothing but a seed of trouble.

But still… I didn’t know.

I looked at Fia. She was still trembling, the fear ingrained in her not yet gone. But compared to earlier… I felt like I could see a little hope in her eyes.

“…Yuka, I’ll explain later. Let’s go home.”

I held out my hand to Fia. She hesitated for a moment. Then slowly took it. Her hand was small. It felt terribly fragile. And so, in that back alley, I picked up my second slave… Fia the elf.

…This is definitely going to bring more trouble. But well, now that I’ve picked her up, I’ll make Fia happy too. That’s one thing I refuse to compromise on in this world. I’ll make her forget she was ever a slave.

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