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 - 4

Chapter 4: Your Life Is Mine

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

About a month had passed since the tea party with Elysia. Honestly, I hadn’t had enough healing, but I’d make do with Mother here instead (how rude).

“…For Luka-chan to come and cling to me like this…Could it be that you’ve given up on yourself because you don’t have any talent for magic…?”

“That’s not it. I just like you, Mother.”

“Hauu, what a good child! At this rate, even Elysia-sama won’t be able to handle you.”

Is that so? Maybe it is (wishful thinking).

…Elysia. I felt like she had said something. Ah—right, that.

“Come to think of it, it’s almost time for me to enroll in the Academy, isn’t it?”

As if she had just remembered, Mother replied cheerfully while stroking my head gently. 

“That’s right~ It’s the Royal Academy, just like your big brothers attend.”

I don’t know why, but even after being reincarnated into another world, having to go to school again felt depressing.

Well, my “I’m Overpowered” harem plan had already fallen apart anyway, and even when a teacher taught me magic and I tried to use it, what came out was something that barely qualified as magic. For example, fire. Seriously, the only thing I could produce was a flame like from a lighter. If you blew on it a little, it went out, you know? By the way, this fire and such depended on elemental affinity. I was fire-only, so I was basically just an ordinary person. Thanks for that.

Watching me, Mother fell silent for a while as if deep in thought. Then, eventually, she clapped her hands lightly.

“Hey, Luka-chan?”

“What?”

“There’s something you should experience before entering the Academy.”

I had a bad feeling about this. Mother smiled brightly as she said it.

“Let’s take in a slave.”

“…What?”

My thoughts lagged a beat. …Slaves. So that existed in this world too.

“…Isn’t that a bit sudden?”

“It’s not sudden. If anything, it’s rather late.”

Late? I’m still seven years old, you know?

“Nobles, Luka, are beings who will eventually stand above others.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that many times.”

“To use people… ”

Mother continued carefully, choosing her words.

“…Means to take responsibility for their lives.”

Responsibility. That word felt slightly heavy.

“So this is a social experience.”

“A social experience…”

“To raise. To protect. To choose.”

“All of that is part of a noble’s education?”

“Yes.”

Mother looked me straight in the eyes as she said it.

“It’s a lesson so that you won’t run away from responsibility.”

She had a serious expression I rarely saw.

…I see. Certainly, it might be a reality I should understand before attending the Academy as a noble.

“…Can we just look?”

“Yes. But—”

Mother replied surprisingly casually.

“Someday, I intend for you to choose, Luka.”

“…Okay.”

Such a light tone. As if she were talking about choosing clothes. Honestly, when I heard the word “slave,” it gave me nothing but negative impressions. An outdated value system I’d only briefly learned about in social studies class.

…I knew it couldn’t be helped, but the difference in values made me feel a little sad.

That afternoon, accompanied by Mother and the maid Liene, I headed to a building on the outskirts of town.

..We actually came. Even though I really wasn’t in the mood for this. Inside, it was quieter and more orderly than I had expected. Lined up were children around my age. All of them kept their gazes lowered, their faces drained of emotion. We walked around and looked through the building. Unlike before, the expressions of the children lined up began to change.

A child older than me. A child who smiled brightly. A child who repeatedly said, “I will be useful.” Each one believed themselves to be merchandise, mechanically repeating those words just to survive.

“…You don’t have to decide today.”

Mother said that. Hearing it, I was honestly relieved. There was no way I could choose just one person. Besides, there was no need for me to choose anyone. That would be the easiest option to take. So I tried to leave…

That was when it happened.

At the edge of my vision, there was one child who wasn’t looking this way. Her hair, so glossy it didn’t seem unkempt at all, shimmered like obsidian—deep black, simply beautiful. And I felt she carried a darkness heavier than anyone else here. Her gaze was fixed on the floor. Only her fists were clenched tightly. There was no will to escape this place. No hope. She just wore the face of someone waiting for it to end.

“…Wait a second.”

My feet stopped on their own.

“Luka?”

“…Just that girl. Let me see her before leaving.”

Mother said nothing and simply nodded. Even when I approached, the girl did not lift her face.

“What’s your name?”

“…”

That silence hit the hardest. Something unpleasant welled up deep in my chest.

—Ah. This…

If I pretended I hadn’t seen her here, this thought would probably stick with me forever. I slowly took a breath and said, “…I’ll choose this girl.”

I had just decided not to choose anyone a moment ago, though. The procedures were finished astonishingly quickly. A signature on paper. A few gold coins exchanged hands. And just like that, one person’s life was transferred.

…Too light.

“Then, please take this.”

The shop owner held out a collar, and Liene received it. Mother’s expression didn’t change. It was just like an ordinary shopping trip.

“Can you stand?”

When I spoke, the girl reacted a moment late and nodded faintly. Even the act of standing was awkward. Had it been that long since she stood up? My chest tightened at her every small movement. Before I realized it, I had stepped forward.

“…Can you walk?”

“…Yes.”

Her voice was small, devoid of emotion. But she responded properly to my words. That frightened me a little. The building’s doors opened. Light from outside streamed in.

—Bright.

It was so different from the place we had just been. Even though it was the same town, it felt like the world had switched. The girl narrowed her eyes for just a moment. That was all. No surprise. No awe.

“…Has it been a while since you were outside?”

“…I don’t know.”

That answer pierced my chest. The carriage was waiting. Mother boarded first, and Liene urged the girl forward.

…Wait.

That was when I realized it. No one had called her by name.

“Hey.”

“…Yes.”

“You need a name, right?”

I said something obvious. But she hesitated slightly, her gaze wavering, before answering.

“…If necessary.”

—If necessary.

At those words, I clearly realized it for the first time.

Ah. I had bought this girl’s life.

“…It’s absolutely necessary. We’ll decide later.”

With that, I boarded the carriage. The door shut, and the wheels began to turn. Outside the window, the slave trader’s building grew more distant. As I watched it, for some reason, the depths of my chest wouldn’t settle.

I should have done the right thing. It should have been the correct choice.

I looked at her again. Her expression hadn’t changed at all from when she was inside. Right now, I didn’t care about being born a noble, or about talent. As myself—as just me—I had to protect her.

The life she should have walked… The happiness she should have grasped… I had taken that burden onto myself. I was just a child who had been reincarnated without understanding why. But I would fulfill it. I would fulfill my responsibility.

But it’s not like I can do anything anyway.

And now that I thought about it again, I started getting irritated. When I got home, I’d go around smashing those crystal-like spheres.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー