As if coming to his senses belatedly after what Sesenia said, the merchant man waved his hands.

“Ah, no. To say the magic tool is faulty. That’s absolutely not the case.”

“I’m suddenly feeling uneasy. Hmm. Was this the right deal? I’m suddenly thinking maybe Rohan paid too much.”

“Oh my. Don’t worry.”

He took off the ring in his hand and pressed it into Sesenia’s hand. It was a very urgent action, as if he was afraid her mind would change.

“It’s a ring that can control the magic tool around the neck. If he tries to attack or do anything dangerous, just squeeze your hand wearing the ring and it will immediately send a shock to his neck. Now then, let’s take him out.”

The merchant quickly opened the cage door.

“Young lady. The merchant seems very suspicious. Could there be a problem with the magic tool after all?”

Lizbeth whispered in a voice that seemed to carry. It rang out purposely as if to make sure everyone heard.

As if trying to quickly dispose of garbage, the merchant who felt he couldn’t get any more money moved faster than ever.

Meanwhile, the man inside the cage walked out. As if he had been hunched over for a long time, the man approached Sesenia with his body slightly lowered, then suddenly turned. Then he tried to lunge at the merchant who had kept him caged.

“Stop.”

Sesenia stopped the man with her voice instead of using the magic tool. The man looked at Sesenia with eyes full of resentment.

“I can’t forget what that bastard did. Even if I leave, I must kill him before I go.”

“No. I’m your owner now. If there’s a problem with you, I’ll be responsible for everything, and I can’t be bothered with that guy getting hurt. So just come.”

“…..”

Like the saying that the sister-in-law who stops you is more hateful, the man looked at Sesenia with an expression full of anger.

“I…!”

“Don’t worry. I’m not telling you to never do it. If you really want to kill that man, do it after you’re freed later.”

At those words, the man who had been crouching like a beast trembled his lips with an aggrieved expression, then dropped his head to the ground.

‘I felt a little sorry for forcing him, but now the ownership of the slave belongs to me.’

There was a reason Sesenia stopped him. That merchant clearly seemed like an utterly shameless person who would make a fuss and demand medical expenses if the slave touched him.

“…..”

“Heheh. ‘After you’re freed,’ you say. Young lady. It sounds as if you’re saying I can be killed after he’s released.”

“If you’ve done wrong, you should die. Of course. Don’t worry. He’s still my slave for now. Oh, of course. After he’s no longer a slave… I can’t guarantee anything. Well then, let’s go.”

The merchant stared at Sesenia with his mouth gaping open in bewilderment, but Sesenia smiled brightly and innocently like a child.

Only then did the man’s expression slowly change as he realized what Sesenia meant.

“Really… can I kill him later?”

“Of course. I won’t care what you do after you’re freed from slavery.”

I’d be even more grateful if he used that anger to destroy the slave traders.

Sesenia looked at the man whose head was one size bigger than hers, then took the lead in walking.

“W-wait a moment. Such words are…!”

The slave trader stammered as if trying to say something more, but they no longer listened to him.

**

Sesenia, who had just left the gloomy alley past the slave traders, shifted her gaze to Rohan.

“Rohan.”

“Yes.”

“Go and get us a carriage. Let’s go to our warehouse.”

“The warehouse all of a sudden? No, more importantly. What do you intend to do with this slave?”

Rohan, who had been listening well to Sesenia’s words in front of the slave trader, belatedly put on a firm expression.

“I’ll make him the warehouse manager. He looks a bit scrawny but muscular, so he’ll manage the Hepria cotton well.”

“…You bought a slave for just that purpose?”

That wasn’t the intention, but there was no need to reveal all intentions to the world right now.

“Yes.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why can’t I, Rohan?”

“No. Everything must be according to your wishes, but… if that was your intention for buying him… wouldn’t it have been cheaper to just hire someone? A slave is…”

Sesenia quietly looked at the slave following behind us.

“It’s good to kill two birds with one stone, isn’t it?”

“Two birds with one stone… I support everything you do, but… I wish you wouldn’t do dangerous things.”

“Is buying a slave a dangerous thing?”

“Yes. It’s dangerous. Isn’t he wearing a magic tool because he can’t be controlled? So of course it’s dangerous.”

Sesenia shook her head at Rohan, who was hesitating.

“The scariest thing in the world isn’t slaves. It’s the humans who pretend to be normal while living their lives.”

Like the emperor and my sister who killed me. Like the person who was my father who drove me into a corner. As if she had chewed on poison, the inside of her mouth turned bitter.

“Young lady… but that guy is…”

He should have understood by now, but Rohan didn’t give up.

“What are you so afraid of? Is a dog on a leash that scary?”

As if to show him, Sesenia went up to the man, stood on her tiptoes, and stroked his hair. As if bewitched by something, the man who had been mixing informal and formal speech all along now lowered his head towards her.

Just like a real dog.

Rohan gaped in astonishment.

“He listens well.”

“…You’re not listening to me at all.”

“Yes. There’s nothing to worry about. If a dangerous situation comes, Rohan will save me, so what’s there to worry about? So stop hating him. He’s lived his whole life hated as a slave, we should treat him well. He’s family now.”

“You have something in mind, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

What more needed to be said? Rohan finally nodded as if letting go of everything.

Actually, as soon as Sesenia said “Rohan will save me,” he seemed to give up everything and became much calmer.

That’s when it happened.

Lizbeth, who had relaxed a bit after leaving the slave traders, poked Rohan in the side.

“Stupid big brother. You should have listened to me earlier. You tried to act cool then, but it’s no use now. Hurry up and go call a carriage.”

Lizbeth looked at her brother Rohan as if he was pathetic.

Even so, Rohan didn’t move easily. Lizbeth whispered in Rohan’s ear for a long time as if he was pathetic. Only then did he make an “Ah” sound and clench his fist as if realizing he had made a mistake.

“That’s right. I was being foolish. From now on, I will stop all dangerous things for the young lady.”

“Good.”

He seemed to have a lot to say, but couldn’t say anything. Instead, he quickly disappeared to call a carriage.

**

The carriage Rohan got moved quickly to the destination. The destination was the warehouse where the cotton was stored.

A cool breeze leaked in through the slightly open carriage window. Today was a really good day for Sesenia. She smiled brightly and brushed her hair back.

Sesenia didn’t notice their gazes, but the two men in the carriage were looking at her like that.

The carriage drove quickly and arrived at the Iar Company warehouse. It was a 30-minute distance from the capital, but they arrived strangely quickly.

A warehouse larger than the ducal mansion. As soon as they arrived at the place with a small house for the warehouse keeper next to it, Sesenia hopped out of the carriage.

“It’s my first time coming to the warehouse. Rohan must have done a really good job. I was a bit worried.”

“Thank you for the praise.”

It wasn’t just empty praise, he really did get a good one. A warehouse located on a wide plain. Small farms could be seen around, and there was nothing particularly obstructing the view.

Even if ill-intentioned people tried to break in, the view was good enough to spot them at once.

“Now you’ll stay here from now on.”

Meanwhile, the slave had also gotten out of the carriage and stood next to Sesenia.

The slave who followed like a puppy without being told. As if he had become an innocent puppy in the sunlight, the slave was quite docile. It was quite different from when he was at the slave traders.

Sesenia beckoned him closer to the warehouse with a wiggle of her finger.

As soon as he came, Sesenia grabbed the warehouse door with a groan. She was supposed to open the door coolly, but Sesenia just staggered in front of it. Rohan approached right away to open it, but the slave placed his hand on top of hers.

“Shall I open it?”

“Yes.”

It was a very warm hand. It was rough enough to show what kind of hardships he had been through, but the inside was warm. As if showing that even though he hadn’t been able to live like a human, he was still alive.

As the door opened like that, the cotton piled up inside came into view. The fluffy cotton seemed a bit deflated, as if it was time to be beaten.

“The warehouse is a bit big, but if you take it easy, it should be manageable. You need to beat the cotton well.”

“Did you really buy me to beat cotton?”

“What else? Should I have bought you for another purpose?”

Sesenia tilted her head at him asking about her intentions.

“To kill someone, or to do bad things at night. Or… or…”

“I bought you for a completely legal job.”

“Why?”

“I want to ask that too. Just why?”

When the slave expressed his bewilderment, Rohan, who had been waiting for it, chimed in.

“Well. Is there a why? I just said I wanted to, didn’t I?”

Rohan, who had chimed in with the slave’s words hoping for an answer this time, let out a deep sigh, but the slave was different. He looked back and forth between the warehouse and Sesenia with shaking eyes.

“Ah…”

“What? Now that you’re here, do you want to run away?”

“…No.”

“If you do well here, I’ll set you free. But if you run away, you’ll live your whole life with a clenched fist.”

I held out the ring on my hand, making a threat that wasn’t a threat. While smiling.

“Until then… you’re letting me loose here?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t… understand.”