Mental Rebirth: The World's Savior Was Not Me, but My Childhood Friend and Stalker - Chapter 10: The Slave Crest

“What happened to you? Are you okay with that injury?”

As soon as we arrived at the inn, Touko rushed over to me. I explained what had happened earlier. It felt like her hair was standing on end… that’s how intense her anger seemed.

“Let’s kill them. No, just killing them isn’t enough. They have to regret ever laying a hand on Yuusha for the rest of their lives. First, we’ll slowly cut off their hands and feet, then douse them in pig’s blood and throw them into a monster’s den to be eaten alive. We’ll do this to one of the trio first and make the others watch. The ringleader… the one who hurt Yuusha, we’ll save for last. Let him watch his friends beg for their lives and die miserably, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Where are they now? What are their names and features?”

“No, no, that’s okay! You don’t need to do that!! I’m fine!!”

“You’re too soft, Yuusha… but that’s also what I…”

Seemingly understanding my desperate plea, Touko backed down. I must think about settling here and escaping the troublesome task of defeating the Demon Lord. I don’t need any more trouble.

“Ah, you’re Yuusha-san? I’ve been waiting for you.”

A rough-looking middle-aged man approached me with Rubure by his side. He pushed Rubure towards me, causing her almost to lose balance. I caught her and could hear Touko grinding her teeth in the background. Scary.

“You know, you should take better care of your belongings. Your slave, having no money, had a blast at the gaming place. Well, it’s fine if you pay, but you shouldn’t have made us go through the trouble. Here.”

He handed me something like a receipt. It was a bill for using the gaming facilities. The amount was significantly more than what I had lost at pinball earlier.

“Rubure, what have you been doing?”

“I-I just… didn’t realize it was paid… hehe…”

Rubure laughed awkwardly, showing no sign of regret.

“Why didn’t you just wait elsewhere and let this guy pay with his body or something?”I tried, but when I went to mark her with the slave crest, it was already there. You can’t overwrite an existing slave crest. A slave elf would have sold for a good price, but an elf with another crest is worthless.”

“Slave crest?”

“It’s a contract crest, Master. The pattern of the crest changes depending on the contract, but the one we put on Rubure is especially binding. That’s why some call it a slave crest.”

Indeed, if the contract is to “do anything,” it’s no different from being a slave. Or perhaps even worse.

“So… Rubure has no value as a product…?”

“No, that’s not it. If you relinquish your ownership, the slave crest will disappear. Then I can mark her with a new one. That would be better for us, hehe.”

I looked at the receipt. It was a significant amount. Then I looked at Rubure, still giggling.

“Rubure alone isn’t worth this much…”

“Oh? If you’re interested, then come to my place. Let’s negotiate. Don’t worry; I intend to pay a fair price.”

“Yuusha-san!? Wait a minute!!?”

As I was about to leave with the middle-aged man, Rubure clung to my clothes, pulling on them.

“It’s fine, right? You’ll surely find a good master. It’s not like your situation is changing, so it’s not a loss.”

“It’s different!? Can’t you see his expression, Yuusha-san!? He’s been eyeing me like I’m a piece of meat! It’s obvious he’s going to make me a sex slave!”

“Is that so?”

“No, that’s not it; I’ll be gentle with you, Rubure-chan.”

The middle-aged man replied with a soothing voice, but it was clear from his gaze that he had vile intentions towards Rubure.

“No way, no way, no way! Disgusting! Yu, Yuusha-san, you’re joking, right? Look, we’ve shared a bed! We’ve spent nights together! How can you sell such an irreplaceable companion… You wouldn’t do that, right!?”

Indeed, what she said was true, but her phrasing always led to misunderstandings.

“Tch, so you’ve already done it with her. Well, that’s to be expected… Sorry, bro. That would decrease her value as a product.”

“See! He’s not even trying to hide it anymore! Please, don’t abandon me! I’m sorry!”

While saying this, Rubure burst into tears, sniffling and begging on her knees. Honestly, I had no intention of apologizing to Rubure, who hadn’t shown any remorse, but now I felt like the bad guy.

“Ru, Rubure… okay, lift your head. Look, Mei has returned.”

I pointed towards Mei, who was carrying a bag. I had already signaled to Mei by showing her the receipt. The amount was so substantial that we didn’t have enough, so I asked Mei to exchange it at the inn’s lobby.

“I apologize for the wait. The amount was significant, so it took some time to prepare, as payment by promissory notes is not accepted. Please accept this.”

I took the money bag from Mei and handed it to the middle-aged man. He looked puzzled at first, but his eyes lit up when he saw the contents, and his mood improved.

“Heh, master, you’re too much. I should’ve known that someone with a high-quality elf slave like yours would have no problem preparing such a trivial sum… I look forward to your patronage again!”

He bowed several times before leaving. I waved him off politely. Rubure watched the scene in a daze.

“…That joke was too cruel! What do you think elves are!?”

“Sorry, sorry. But when you so casually asked me to cover for you…”

“I believed in you, Yuusha… that you would pay for me… but to think you’d sell me…”

Why am I being treated like the bad guy by this elf… What kind of thought process leads to that…

“Huh? Yuusha would never engage in human trafficking, even if it involves a female elf. If you trusted him, you should have trusted him till the end. I knew from the start that Yuusha had no intention of selling you. It’s annoying, but it’s true.”

“Touko-san is right. Even if it’s someone despicable, if he had engaged in human trafficking, I would have lost respect for him. But I knew he wasn’t that kind of person, so I realized it immediately through the eye contact. That being said, Rubure-san should reflect a little on her actions.”

Surprisingly, Mei trusted me, too, which relieved me. Touko looked at Mei with a competitive spirit, as if saying she trusted me more, but that’s typical of her.

“Uh… I’m sorry… I just got carried away because it was all so new to me… I didn’t even know we needed money…”

“Hm? Right, come to think of it, is there even such a thing as money in elf society?”

“No, we all help each other, so there’s no concept of buying or selling. There’s nothing that belongs to a single person. Everything is shared.”

It’s a difference in culture. In that case, I am sympathetic towards Rubure. It’s simply something she didn’t know. I imagine Rubure having fun until suddenly being asked for money and panicking.