That Time a Shut-in for 300 Years Continued to Make Antiques , but All of It Turned out to Be Cheat-Level Magic Tools - Chapter 18

Deciding to purchase Urel, I was met by Janis, the owner of the shop.

He was neatly dressed in a suit, with well-groomed silver hair, exuding a sense of cleanliness. His appearance was quite impeccable. His eyes were narrow, with a hint of tension.

He wore a faint smile, which, perhaps, saved his first impression from being negative, but it seemed to be walking a fine line.

Without a smile, one might feel guarded, yet an overt smile could immediately raise suspicions. Striking a balance between the two, he managed not to arouse distrust in his customers.

It seems that this Janis, the slave merchant, understands his position well. Implicitly, he’s also signaling that he’s different from other slave merchants.

“Excuse me.”

He bowed slightly and took a seat opposite me. Urel, whose purchase I had decided upon, had already left.

“Thank you for deciding to purchase a slave. Urel is an excellent individual. He will surely be of use to you. The purchase price is 100 gold coins.”

He placed the slave ownership contract on the table and conveyed the amount. He didn’t ask what I intended to do, already assuming the sale was a done deal. This, too, was probably a display of confidence.

“Mei, please.”

“Yes, Master.”

Janis glanced briefly at Mei, but that was all. A lesser slave merchant might have made some misguided remarks praising Mei as a slave.

But this man didn’t. Perhaps, he was also taking into account the dynamics between the individuals, which only they could truly understand. His restraint in not intruding upon such matters was commendable.

“Certainly—”

Mei placed a platinum coin on the table. A platinum coin was worth 100 gold coins. Janis accepted it without batting an eye.

While it wasn’t particularly odd considering the value compared to the price, it was uncommon for someone to carry platinum coins. Hence, a usual slave merchant might have shown some reaction. But his calm demeanor suggested that this establishment often catered to individuals of higher social status or prominent merchants.

Internally, I was actually surprised by the platinum coin. Mei, where did you even get this currency…?

“Now, I will proceed to read the instructions regarding the slave.”

I listened to Janis’s explanation. The content was straightforward to me, but considering the treatment of that neko mimi, other slave merchants might handle things differently.

Janis not only explained but also emphasized what was written in the contract. Firstly, even though they were slaves, basic human rights were guaranteed. The provision of clothing, food, and shelter was mandatory. Any undue violence was prohibited, and if discovered, the slave would be returned to Janis without a refund. Additionally, if any injuries occurred due to unjust violence, compensation would be required…

Indeed, there weren’t many slave merchants who were this thorough. It’s understandable that some might even wish to be sold as slaves here.

“That’s all, but do you have any questions?”

“No issues, but can we take Urel with us immediately?”

“As soon as the slave collar setting is complete.”

The slave collar, huh. Presumably, before the purchase, this shop is listed as the master, but after the purchase, it’s standard procedure to designate the buyer as the master.

We were kept waiting for about 30 minutes until the collar setting was finished. Frankly, it felt too long from my perspective… but anyway, the purchase was completed.

“We look forward to your next visit.”

With that, we were seen off by Janis and his staff, and we left the shop with Urel.

“Master, if there’s anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Ah, you’ll likely have something to do right away, so I’ll be counting on you.”

“Right away? What should I do first?”

“For now, let’s return to the inn.”

“I understand,” Urel replied, and together with Mei, they returned to the inn.

This needs to be done a bit urgently.

“Welcome back. Huh? Who’s this child?”

“He’s with me.”

“Is that so? Adding one more person will cost extra.”

“Is that so? Well, that doesn’t matter right now. Rather, call that cat-eared girl over.”

“The cat-eared one, our slave? Did she make a mistake?”

“It’s not the girl who made a mistake. You understand what I mean, right? Just call her.”

The woman frowned uncomfortably, looking down at me with a suspicious gaze.

“I’m sorry, but she’s out right now.”

“When will she be back?”

“She might not return for a while.”

“Is that man in the kitchen available then?”

The woman’s tone changed, and she showed an openly disgusted face as if to say, “Don’t pry any further.”

“The master isn’t here either! What does it matter to you where our people are or what they’re doing? It’s annoying to have guests like you staying here! We’d prefer if you pack your things and leave!”

“What? That’s no way to speak to a guest.”

“What? How dare a slave be so cheeky. You can afford to buy a slave, huh? Tch, a kid like you wasting money just because your magical devices sold well?”

“Oh? You knew about my magical devices selling well?”

The woman’s face stiffened.

“Well, that was… the magical device merchant from before told me!”

“There’s no way he would tell you such details. At that time, the deal wasn’t even finalized.”

“Hmph.”

“Sir, I’ve checked the room.”

“What? When did you—!”

The woman was surprised. Of course, I had known for a while that the bag of coins was gone. This was just a posture.

“So, was anything missing?”

“Yes, a leather bag containing gold coins is gone.”

“I see…”

That bag was just a decoy. I had felt something suspicious about this inn, so I tested it. Fortunately, the girl hadn’t touched it. I had a feeling she would hold back.

“So what?”

“The bag of gold coins from the room was stolen.”

“Really? No wonder that slave wasn’t around! She must have stolen the guest’s belongings and run off! Such a beast!”

“You said she was out earlier, right?”

“Well, I can’t prove that the slave went out on her own!”

“Wait a minute. That doesn’t make sense. If she’s a slave, she should have a collar.”

Indeed, sharp. He pointed out that immediately. It’s a seemingly obvious detail, but not many can make such a judgment in the heat of the moment.

“I’ve seen the collar clearly myself. With that collar, she shouldn’t be able to go far without her master’s permission.”

“I don’t know! She must have managed it somehow!”

Oh dear, her excuses are getting desperate. Well, that’s enough for now.

“Since it’s suspicious, we’ll have to investigate.”

“Hey, where do you think you’re going!”

Ignoring her, I entered the kitchen.

“What are you planning to do here? There’s only cooking stuff here!”

“We’ll see about that.”

I opened a wooden door at the back of the kitchen. There were shelves and wine barrels lined up.

“Stop it! This is just a storeroom! Get out of here already!”

“Mei, move these barrels for me.”

“Understood.”

“What? This is an entrance to the basement?”

“That’s right. And below here, probably the owner and the slave—”

“You bastard!”

The woman swung a meat cleaver at us. A thick blade that could inflict serious harm if swung with enough force.

Well, not on people. Unfortunately for her, Mei is an Andmaid. Such a thing wouldn’t even scratch her, and her reflexes are far beyond human. So when the woman swung down the cleaver, Mei easily caught the blade with one hand and twisted her arm up.

“Ow! Ouch! What is this monster!”

“Really, attacking with such a thing and then calling others names. Mei, it’s self-defense. Just twist it enough to knock her out.”

“Yes, master.”

“What are you doing—argh!”

She fainted easily with a simple neck chop. A feat only possible for Mei. Normally, a karate chop to the neck wouldn’t knock someone out.

Now, we opened the door to the basement and went down the wooden stairs. The basement was quite spacious and tall enough even for Mei to stand upright with room to spare.

“Uh-huh!”

“Heh, finally. It’s always noisy with that one, but I can’t hold back anymore! I’ve always wanted to taste what a beastman is like, hehehe.”

“No… what are you doing?”

Realizing something was wrong, the man turned around. Caught in the act…

“What the hell are you guys doing?”

“That’s our line, you pervert!”