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Scolding After Bullying
At midday on a clear, sunny day. The adults - having finished their lunch a little earlier - led out the horses. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
It is usually Jusa’s job to take care of the horses. Apparently, the horses are sometimes led out through the south gate for exercise. But, after the inner gate was opened to let the horse pass, it was then closed before opening the outer gate so the slave children didn’t have the opportunity to see the outside. It also has the meaning of preventing escape but it is also Myluc’s policy to not let them see the outside as much as possible.
However, the gates were opened wide today. It’s to let the carriage out.
Letting the carriage out means Myluc went out to purchase slaves. And accompanying him on his trip are Jusa and Jill, as usual. The two guards and the sensei are left to house sit.
The seniors had moved out due to the auction before, so the vacant rooms increased. It is probably to replace the seniors. Although given the nature of the ‘product’, there are not many who are willing to let them go just because someone asks to buy them. Myluc’s goal was poor areas. He went around to areas where people seemed to be on the verge of consuming their supplies.
In that sense, Tintinabria region - including the Linga village - is actually a place not many people know about. The current lord is said to be hopeless and wasteful, only imposing heavy tax to the fief’s population. Originally, the land in that region - as I know it - is fertile, and the Tintinabram castle is located connecting an important trade route between the northern Forestia and Celiphasia, so the income shouldn’t be too bad even if they don’t do anything. Jusa murmured the details of the situation to me.
Indeed, it might be difficult to speak bluntly if the other party is a child who is quick-witted. As a result of the population who were ill-treated by the nobles, children are falling into slavery. And yet, the buyers of those slaves are nobles themselves. And, the people buttering up to those nobles are the slave merchants.
It looks like this time’s travel plan is to go around the nearby areas. They plan to return in one week. There were 3 adults left behind compared with the 12 children. They become shorthanded, but they can’t increase the number of people. You can not entrust them with your products if the people can not be trusted after all.
Myluc raises and sells around 10 children each year. If he tries to increase the number from that, then he won’t be able to maintain the quality and the ‘density’ of the education of the children, so that is the upper limit. And for the selling price for a single child, if it only fetches the minimum price, it will be around 500 gold coins. That means his annual income will only amount to 5.000 gold coins. Based on the merchant knowledge I started learning recently, the salary of the employees and the maintenance costs of this place would completely consume all the funds. Considering the possibility of not selling the slaves well, he can’t just thoughtlessly employ people.
Of course, there is also profit. Depending on the children, the prices can skyrocket. Especially if they are beautiful children, clever children, the prices can skyrocket to ten times the minimum price. Even if the price won’t jump up that high, if the prices get bid up at the auction, all the extra money will go straight to profits. If half of the children could be sold for half of the minimum price, Myluc can obtain several times the income of an ordinary person.
「It shouldn’t take that much time」
Myluc had an expressionless look on his face as always. He is talking to sensei.
「I don’t think anything will happen, but if something does happen, contact the station. Pirates haven’t come that much around here, and there are not many idiots who would try to make the Neckamel1 clan their enemy but...there’s no guarantee. Be careful, especially at night」
「Certainly」
「I leave it to you」
After sensei bowed, Myluc turned around and headed to the carriage. Receiving his gaze, Jusa sits on the coachman’s seat. The carriage began to move at the sound of the whip. We children, watched the carriage leave, but the two guards immediately came out and closed the inner gate. Everyone stares outside, forgetting to even breathe.
And once the three adults left, the children’s attitude also began to change.
First is the common reaction of 「I can slack off now」. The classic example of that will be my roommate, Wyst.
The scariest sensei in this housing facility is Myluc. He didn’t shout or hit us at all, but his atmosphere alone intimidated the children. In addition, he’s in charge of teaching etiquette and language. He’s especially strict toward children around six years of age, the time when they are good to sell. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
For the girls, Jill serves as a teacher in a similar position. Moreover, she also teaches the basics of fighting techniques. Jill never talks more than necessary, and she never smiles. So that’s why she was feared the same as Myluc.
With the two of them now gone, the children naturally consider this week a holiday.
What about me? Jusa left me some textbooks again. Nothing changes. I’ll end up forgetting things if I don’t review them soon, so either I’m doing my tasks during the day or read books the whole time.
But, that’s just my plan on the surface. Now that the older children had been sold off to the wealthy at the recent auction, this housing facility is at its sparsest now that Myluc and the others are going out to purchase new slaves. In other words, it is also a situation where it is difficult for others to notice my ability.
So far, I have only used this ability once. I’m going to use my ability madly from now on and ascertain the nature of this ability.....
「Kgh!?」
I saw the tip of someone’s feet at my feet. I immediately jumped aside and stopped myself from falling. Then I turned and looked around my surroundings.
「You finally noticed, you stupid brat」
「You’re always spacing out and yet」
The people hurling nasty insults filled with spite are the unsold, older children. The 10-year-old slave leader Wicax2 and also the children who turn 7 years old this year, Dorol and Detel3. I let out a sigh inwardly while alternately looking at the two behind me.
Among them, only Wicax fits the description of the so-called 「Dropout」. He was not even sold at the auction when he was seven, and is now training as a woodworking craftsman. His features are well-defined, but his face is covered in freckles. And he’s probably not that smart either. And rather than thinking about his future, it seems like he’s most interested in his own position in this housing facility. Indeed, he won’t sell for a high price. At some point, Myluc had given up on him and decided to set him in the 「Bully role」.
Dorol - standing behind - still has potential. He has brown hair, common for the people around here, and a face that could be said to be cute. Frankly, he should just study something or look for a noble to buy him instead of hanging out with Wicax in a place like this in his free time. He will only be put up for auction once or twice to the wealthy.
But he has a crooked nature. At first glance, the leader among these three might seem to be Wicax, but the one instilling others with both truths and lies and skillfully manipulating them is actually Dorol. There were already some nasty emotions dwelling in the eyes of his handsome face.
Further behind is Detel. His hair is blonde, but from what I heard, he’s mixed Ruin-lineage. Meaning, he is of Celiphasia’s descent, coming from the northwestern part of the country. In this housing facility, he is the only one with blonde hair, so one might think it’s rare, but that’s not the case. If anything, it is children like me, with black hair and white skin.....or children not from Saharia and probably mixed-blood children with people from the east, who are said to be rarer. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
He seemed shy and didn’t say anything from the start, always looking down. Upon reflection, I guess he was brought here by the two of them, being told something like ‘We’re the same’. And he just stands around there without being able to clearly refuse the two. That choice can’t be said to be good or bad. If he goes against them unskillfully, he might be the target of the bullying instead.
Bullying? Right, this is probably bullying.
「You, you’re probably misunderstanding something, huh?」
「Yes?」
「Myluc-san looks like he’s interested in you, but that’s not it, ya’know」
Aah. An idiot. Truly an idiot.
Myluc sees us as ‘products’ or ‘stocks’. All that matters for a product is how much it is priced and whether it will sell or not. From what I can see, it seems like he’s intentionally trying to maintain that kind of clear separation. So he doesn’t show any favoritism. The reason why he frequently lent me books and taught me knowledge about being a merchant was that I was trying to learn and memorize the materials one after another. He will properly reward your effort.
However, that is all in order to sell us.
「Don’t get carried away, oi」
Wicax threatened while bending and putting his face closer to me.
Well now, what should I do?
It might be a good idea to get hit by him on purpose here. If that were to happen and I immediately reported it to sensei, Wicax would be sent to the punishment cell. But, he will not be demoted from his position as the slave leader. In any case, he serves in the role of a bully, in a way he’s someone manipulated to work without realizing it himself. I mean, if the conditions in this housing facility were too comfortable, the children would feel homesick once they were sold. This idiot didn’t realize that he had been long abandoned and is just being used.
In that case, it will be troublesome once it’s all over. In the worst case scenario, I could go crying to Myluc but let’s just ignore them now.
「Yes, I’m sorry」
I just bowed my head and tried to get past him. However, Wicax stopped me.
「Hey you, come here for a sec」
He grabbed my shoulder. He’s ten while I’m three. This age difference is not to be taken lightly. Moreover, even Dorol is holding my arm. It seems futile to resist. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「We are going to clean the stables now. You will also help us」
I wouldn’t mind helping if it’s really just helping to clean a place. But, there’s no way that’s true.
Should I test it on these brats? Whatever it is, first I have to steal a skill or material.....
With both of my arms being pulled, I continued to be pulled to the corner of the courtyard. At that moment, an angry voice echoed.
「Detel! What the hell are you guys doing!」
The person who suddenly appeared was Detel’s older sister, Tamaria. Her golden hair is braided. Her facial features and body are completely different from her brother but she seemed somewhat strong-willed. She is 9 years old. She’s the mediator between the girls. It goes without saying she’s unsold.
But, unlike Wicax, this child is not a bully. Although I do not have much contact with her, while she doesn’t have any special skill - from what I can see - she’s a girl who is caring and earnest about everything. Of course, her facial features are also well-proportioned. I can’t help but wonder why she ended up staying here. From what I heard, she always made mistakes at each auction.....
Incidentally, both Detel and Tamaria are names given by Myluc. Although they know each other’s name,s it is forbidden to use them. And since it’s going to be troublesome if someone snitches later, they call each other this way.
「U, um, I……」
Detel was trying to say something, and then he looked down. He’s a really timid boy. I wonder if he could live with such weakness.
「The bitch came」
Wicax made an annoyed look. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Why don’t you go back inside your room and practice sucking」
「You idiot. There’s no one there, even if I go back to my room」
Wicax called Tamaria a prostitute. Although he was also unsold, he plans on becoming a woodworking craftsman. In contrast, Tamaria - who has no skill like that - only has the brothel as her destination in the future.
But she wasn’t giving up either.
「I could make you happy even here, you know」
「Hoーh? Is it okay to do something like that on your own?」
The conversation of children around the age of 10 years old is far too extreme and indecent. At the very least, it’s unthinkable in modern Japan. However, slaves as the lowest social status in this world......this might actually be a normal thing to do with their harsh situations.
「It’s fine. Here, let me bite it off」
「Wha, are you an idiot? Where’s the happiness in that?」
「You don’t understand kindness? You’re going to be a slave your whole life, so what’s the use of it anyway, right? I’m saying I could help remove your unnecessary troubles now」
I see. She responded with that to the insult of ‘You’re going to be a prostitute anyway, right?’. Something like, ‘You’re not going to have to do it with you for your whole life, right? You’re not going to be able to break free from slavery, right? That is to say, you won’t even be able to sleep with a prostitute, right?’.
「Myluc-san will get angry if you do something like that and end up with a scar, ya’know?」
「You boys are surrounding and bullying a 3-year-old kid, really, I won’t be responsible for what happens later, alright?」
She made an imposing stance with her arms crossed in front of Wicax. It’s an attitude that says she won’t back down no matter what. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
「Chi……」
Sensing he’s at a disadvantage, Wicax urged his two followers with his eyes to follow him and left in silence. Dorol also glared at Tamaria and followed behind him. Detel looked left and right, looking flustered and not knowing what to do.
「Detel! You come here! Come here for a bit!」
Scolded by his older sister, his shoulder shook with a start. She stepped forward forcefully and pulled her brother’s arm with all her strength. Then she was about to leave but changed her mind. She quickly turned around and came toward me.
「Noor-kun, right?」
「Ah, yes」
She asked with an adult-like smile on her face.
「Are you alright? Please forgive my brother」
「No, thank you very much for your help」
I lowered my head to thank her. And she nodded.
「Noor-kun is strong, isn’t he? Keep going like that, okay. Don’t be like that, alright?」
While I was wondering whether to answer with a ‘yes’ or something else, she took her brother and disappeared into the shadow of the building.
Now then, what should I do?
For now, I’ll put the books I’m carrying into my room. After that, it will finally be time for experimenting to my heart’s content. www.ihavesinnedtranslation.com
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TL Note : Here is the map, the 'star'-like picture in the middle is the Linga village, link
1. ネッキャメル氏族, Necamel, Neckamel..
2. ウィカクス
3. ドロル、デーテル
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