Labyrinth Renovation – 047 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 47: Nice to meet you!

When we returned to the auction house, the paperwork had just been completed.

Next to Evans-san and Ricardo-san stood the young beastfolk former explorer I had won at the auction.
The handcuffs and shackles are still in place.

"Maho-sama. This slave is bound by a contract to obey you. Please confirm the contents of this document."
"Fuumu, fuumu? "

I receive a document from the auctioneer.

The term “slave” has a somewhat harsh connotation, but it's basically just hiring live-in employees with a lot of debt at high salaries. If I were to whip him into submission, it would certainly feel like slavery, but ancient slaves were treated as valuable property, so it's probably just a different form of labor contract.
If he's a former explorer, working in the labyrinth itself shouldn't be a problem.

I read through the document carefully.
The bid I won was for 13-year-old Ziga Din. A warrior from the Silver Wolf Tribe, a small tribe in the north, and the son of the clan chief and heir apparent.
Rank is 14. Former leader of Merry Jane's top exploration team, which consists entirely of beastfolk, he has no magical abilities but is an unmatched warrior.
It says he sold himself for 6,000 gol.

I see, I see…… The price I paid was 22,000. The difference is quite significant. Well, it's an auction, so I guess that's how it goes.

If you buy yourself back, you must pay the amount paid by the winning bidder plus a surcharge…… huh? The amount stated on the document is 26,400 gol. That's a 20% increase.

In addition, there were various other points written down, such as “the salary will be decided through negotiation,” but in summary, it meant “it’s up to the buyer”.

Regarding the amount, it seems to be based on the assumption that he will be used as a gladiator, and any prize money earned must be divided with the slave, with at least 20% going to the slave.
I don't intend to make Ziga-kun a gladiator, so it doesn't matter.

"I've read it."
"Is there an issue? Otherwise, this agreement shall become final. The deity of the contract magic is Lisa Terra. The rank is 6. Please rest assured that this fee is included in the winning bid price."
"Uh? Hmmm? "

There were a bunch of words I didn't know.

"What is a contract magic? Also, the rank 6 thing and the god?"
"There are multiple gods who handle contracts. Among them, Lisa Terra's contract magic is ranked at the high level of rank 6. Naturally, the cost will be high, so it is only used for expensive slave contracts or business negotiations."
"I see. What happens when I agree to that contract? "
"It forces absolute obedience to the master."
"Can you manipulate their personalities too? "
"No, it's magic that binds their actions, so it doesn't affect their personalities."

That's fine then. It would be a problem if he suddenly ran away or I got stabbed from behind in the labyrinth.

Even while I was receiving the explanation, Ziga-kun stood straight with his back upright, facing only forward.
He doesn't even look at me.
I'm a little worried about whether we'll get along, but as long as he does his job, it's fine.

The contract magic was performed at the Luknuwis Temple, as expected.
The auctioneer was handing over money, and I could see gold coins, so it seemed to be a considerable amount.
Sure enough, this place is a rip-off.

The contract was completed without incident by connecting hands and using magic.
It's probably similar to what Seir likes to call a "contract path".

"Kuhuhuhu…… Who would have thought that I, a proud warrior of the Silver Wolf Clan, would end up being bought by such a young child……?"
"Oh, he spoke!"

Perhaps feeling that things had settled down now that the contract was over, Ziga-kun spoke for the first time. Quite self-deprecatingly.

"Isn't it rude to call me a child? I'm Maho Saeki. You can call me Maho. Nice to meet you."
"I have no intention of becoming friends. I'll just do what I'm told."
"Right. That's fine, though. Well, there's no need to be so uptight. Things will be easy."
"I hope so."

Well, he was suddenly bought as a slave by a mysterious woman he didn't know, so it's unreasonable to expect him to act normal. If he calls himself part of the proud Silver Wolf Clan, he must have a lot of pride.

I mean, this kid looks like he's still a boy, but he doesn't seem to think so himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't refer to an older woman as a young child.

It may be necessary to quickly learn the differences between beastfolk and humans.

◇◆◆◆◇

When Ziga-kun's hands and feet were freed and we left the temple, the sun was setting. It was dusk.

We should get back and continue exploring the dungeon, but before that, I have a few things to double-check with Ziga-kun.

"What happened to the party you were leading, Ziga-kun? I heard that it all started because they were cursed and it cost money to break the curse."
"They should be working fine without me."
"I wonder if we can invite them."
"Invite……? What does that imply? "

Ziga-kun became filled with murderous intent. His hair stood up a little like a dog's. That's interesting.

"How is it? I'm not saying we should enslave your friends too. We run a labyrinth called Melquodia. I thought they might be interested."
"I heard that Melquodia is a hopeless labyrinth. You can't make money in a place like that, can you? "
"You can earn money, lots of money. I'll hire you. In addition to paying wages, we provide room and meals. I'll even add shampoo. You can join your friends and explore the labyrinth in your free time, Ziga-kun."
"…………We're all beastfolk. Why go that far? What the hell do you want me to do? "

Ziga-kun looked at me suspiciously.
Is what I'm saying that incomprehensible?

"Maho, your explanations are really vague. Don't you need to explain it in more detail? "
“That may be true, but... I haven't completely decided what to do with him yet. It's definitely true that there's a manpower shortage, though.#
"Will you tell him about the hardware store? "
"I'm thinking of telling him. Or rather, if I don't tell him, he won't be able to do his job."

What we need is a partner in crime.
Someone who can keep the secrets of the hardware store and help liven up the labyrinth. In that sense, Ziga-kun, who is bound by a contract magic, is very convenient. Although he may not like it, he should accept it as fate. I'm not some kind of altruistic person who goes around saying, “Slaves are so pitiful!” and setting them free.

After that, we moved to a place outside the city where no one could see us, and I called Seir.

Just by thinking about it in my mind, Seir really did teleport and appeared in front of me. At that moment, Ziga-kun suddenly jumped back several dozen meters. Entering a battle stance, with both ears lowered, tail down, and legs trembling.
I guess he's really scared because someone suddenly appeared.
I didn't know anything about beastfolk, but his movements are very dog-like.

"Don't be so scared, it's okay. Come back here."
"W-What is that thing? Isn't it a monster?! "
"It's not a monster. Regardless, we are companions, so you can relax."

Ah, from the perspective of a beastfolk, Seir might seem even more out of place.
He's slowly moving back, but he's still pretty cautious. He seems to have made a name for himself as a senior explorer in this city, but Seir is even higher in rank than the Doppler, one of the bosses of the lowest layer. Maybe he's even stronger than the Red Dragon. I've never really seen them fight, though.

『Who is this person? 』
"Ziga-kun. I bought him."
『Fumu. I think there are enough animals already.』

As usual, he seems a little cold toward everyone except me. Well, Seir claims to be a god, so I guess that's to be expected.

Afterward, we returned to the Dharma City Hall to coordinate our future activities.
The immediate payment is not a problem, but the amount is quite large, at 50,000 gol per year. It is necessary to set aside some funds to avoid any serious issues, but we now have a little extra cash available.
Besides that, we could sell food to merchants here and there to earn some small change.

"Fiona, do you have any spare weapons? It's for Ziga-kun."
"Yes, but what kind of weapon did you use, Ziga-kun? "
"……Hm. No need for polite language. Are you a noble? "
"Really? But you're like my senior as an explorer. You're advanced."
"Fiona is at a higher level than me, too. Ziga-kun, Fiona is actually rank 16, despite her appearance. Isn't that surprising?"

When I said that, Ziga-kun looked really surprised.
Beastfolk have different facial features from humans, but their ears and tails reveal their emotions, so they are easy to understand.

"S-Sixteen……? "
"What's more, our Fiona has both the Warrior's Blessing and talent for magic."
"A magic warrior with a rank of 16……? The only person I've heard of like that is the famous hero. Or could that be you? "
"You're wrong. The hero is supposed to be a Mathers' explorer."
"Um, what's this hero?"
"He's a person with that nickname. He went into a dungeon alone and earned the nickname 『The Fearless One』 and is now known as the hero."
"I heard that he’s a weirdo who calls himself a hero."

Hmmm. A hero, huh? Isn't that person originally Japanese?
No, I guess there is a similar word for “hero” here……

"So, Ziga-kun, what about your weapon? "
"My usual weapon is an axe. It doesn't have to be that big."
"Uh? An axe? Is this one okay? "

I took the hatchet out of my bag and handed it to him.

"That's a good axe. Also, is that a magic bag? As expected of a noble, you have amazing things."
"You might be misunderstanding, but I found this. More importantly, how's the axe? Is that okay for now? "
"It's good enough."

Ziga-kun says this while swinging the axe lightly.
It's handy that he can use an axe from the hardware store. Since there are an infinite number of them, it doesn't matter how carelessly he treats them.
According to Fiona, armor for explorers is quite expensive. If we sell beginner-friendly weapons like axes and knives at low prices, it might be easier to keep people around.