The country located at the southernmost tip of the continent, Seraphila, is made up of over two thousand islands. A dreamlike natural environment composed of intense sunlight, azure seas, and golden sand. Seraphila was beloved as a vacation destination for nobles from various countries. On islands both large and small, extravagant mansions and castles were built, each flaunting their family’s wealth.
This old castle was also one of them. This castle, which shared the same history as the Empire itself, boasted classical beauty with its generous use of high-quality stone and jewels.
However, the old castle, left neglected with no visitors for a long time, had now crumbled with age and only gave off a desolate atmosphere. Although it had gained a new owner recently, nothing had changed since then. The castle was still shrouded in darkness even now.
* * *
-Josef.
“Rowy. What’s up with you lately? It’s so unlike you to contact me once a day.”
What happened now after being quiet for a while? Josef continued the call halfheartedly while flipping through documents. His friend who had left for recuperation under the name of exile to the edge of the continent hadn’t even said goodbye when he left, and even his calls came as he pleased.
-Are you busy?
“Of course I’m busy. But for you, who has me as your only friend, I can at least take a call. It’s not even a video sphere, just voice.”
-Thanks.
Did I hear that wrong? Josef put down the documents he was looking at and stared at the communication sphere glinting with red light.
“What did you say?”
-I said thank you.
“Sorry, but Rowy. Have you gone crazy?”
That Rowy saying ‘thank you’? And to him? …Did he finally really lose it? It’s already been 2 years since Josef last saw Rowy. It was a credible speculation.
-Josef. I miss you.
Oh my God. He really has gone crazy. Goosebumps spread all over Josef’s body.
“Hey, hey, are you okay? From where I’m standing, you’ve definitely lost it.”
-Josef… *sob*…
“Huk, hey, you’re joking right? Don’t tell me you’re actually crying? Damn, is the world ending? That’s really scary so stop it!”
The horrified Josef spat out curses. Rowy burst into even louder tears at that familiar voice. It wasn’t that Rowy had gone crazy like Josef thought. It’s just that… 2 years since coming to the island, Rowy was currently suffering from severe depression.
* * *
“So basically, the point is this. You’re lonely.”
-Yeah.
Thanks to Rowy who created a flood of tears, Josef threw aside his work and everything else and immediately attempted a call with a video sphere. It was because this wicked friend had definitely gone insane. Josef, who was intensely curious about the crazy bastard’s face, was soon able to see Rowy with his eyes red from crying.
“Your face really doesn’t look good.”
Must have had a hard time—that pretty face is half of what it was. Josef clicked his tongue at that pitiful sight.
Who was Rowy! Wasn’t he a precious treasure born into the Irad Duchy and raised preciously? Not just his family background, but his own abilities were also outstanding—he was a genius who graduated from the Imperial Academy at the youngest age. Especially Rowy’s magical abilities were counted among the best on the continent.
If not for ‘that incident,’ he would have claimed the position of youngest Chief Royal Mage.
-You have to protect at least your face. Really, if not for that, you would’ve died long ago.
Unfortunately, there were a few things Rowy didn’t possess, and those would be sociability, common sense, concepts, and the like.
Despite Rowy, who had never even been near the Magic Tower due to his noble bloodline, his behavior was no different from the lunatics of the Magic Tower. No, rather, Rowy with the Irad Duchy behind him was even more troublesome. Considering all those eccentricities he committed for magical research.
The demon of the capital, the disgrace of Irad, the nightmare of the Empire. All of these described Rowy. The Irad Duchy also treated Rowy as a problem child. In the Irad Duchy, an old family of warriors, Rowy couldn’t be more than a protruding stone that suddenly popped out.
The Duke of Irad’s biggest mistake was pushing that demon with only a pretty face to the Crown Prince in order to get rid of the family’s troublemaker. The stiff and strait-laced Crown Prince and Rowy didn’t match in personality at all.
And so, at Rowy’s coming-of-age ceremony, that infamous ‘incident’ occurred. It was at a point when their engagement had a week left. Rowy refused the engagement, but he couldn’t overcome the family. Harboring resentment about this, Rowy said,
‘Crown Prince’s dick tiny as fuck. Doesn’t even get hard.’
And declared the annulment himself. It was an exposé made at his own coming-of-age ceremony where all the nobles and royalty of the Empire had gathered. His voice, amplified by magic, penetrated every corner of the capital. The capital was turned upside down. The Crown Prince, enraged beyond measure, drew his sword and charged, saying he’d catch and kill that bastard right now.
And so Rowy, simultaneously with his society debut, was exiled to a distant island in Seraphila. It was a truly Rowy-like ending.
‘That was already 2 years ago.’
Ha, still funny. Hehe.
The capital, never short on gossip, had already forgotten about Rowy. However, Josef still giggled thinking about that day’s events. That was the reason Josef faithfully answered Rowy’s calls.
“What are you lacking? Don’t tell me the servants there are bullying you?”
Rowy shook his head. The servants on the island were natives of Seraphila, and they had served the master of this island for generations. Rowy, a noble to his bones, had rather liked their attitude of serving as if worshipping a god. However…
-The people here have no affection.
“What? Puhahaha!”
Josef burst into laughter. For Rowy to look at servants and say they have no affection. Josef just thought this friend had learned jokes on the island. But Rowy was serious.
-They don’t seem to see me as human. They don’t even talk to me.
“Kuhahaha! But you originally liked that stuff? It’s your world. Really.”
Rowy, who was different in some way, had absolutely no talent for human relationships. Since he frequently clashed with others, Rowy himself seemed to enjoy being alone. So when Rowy said he was going to the island, Josef secretly thought it was an excellent choice.
But to actually become alone and then feel lonely. Hahaha! Josef burst into laughter again. Being picky was indeed befitting of someone born to a ducal family. Lonely or whatever, it had already been 2 years since Rowy went to the island. Acting like this now meant something else. Rowy was just tired of island life.
“That’s so you. So you. So then? What are you going to do? Want to come stay here for a bit?”
-No. How long would it take to go there…
“Thought so. Then? If you’re lonely, what should we do? Why don’t you raise a dog or something?”
-A dog?
At the unexpected word, Rowy’s eyes sparkled.
“If you want, should I find one with good bloodlines for you? No wait. I’ve heard that actually, mongrels have overflowing loyalty.”
-Loyalty?
“Yeah. You’ve never raised a dog, have you? No wait. You haven’t even raised a hawk.”
-Right.
If you’re a noble, you raise at least one, or as many as dozens of hawks. Because they’re absolutely necessary when hunting. Raising hawks that hunt and bring back prey according to their master’s orders was quite entertaining. For that reason, Josef also raised twelve hawks. The only flaw was that they required more care than expected. There was no way Rowy, who couldn’t even take good care of himself, had ever raised a hawk.
“It’ll be fine. They don’t require as much care as hawks, so have servants do the annoying stuff, and you just pet it when you’re lonely and go on walks. You could hunt too. It might even bring back small game. Once it recognizes you as its master, it won’t betray you either.”
-Really?
“Yeah. Should I find you a decent one? Or it might be good if you find one yourself. Since you’ll be together for a long time.”
-Okay. Got it. I should do that. Thanks, Josef.
“Y-yeah.”
It’s already been 10 years of this wicked relationship with Rowy. Having heard the word ‘thanks’ twice today, which he’d never heard once in all that time, Josef answered awkwardly and ended the call. However, Rowy, having achieved his goal, already didn’t care about Josef or anything. He was thoroughly excited at the thought of getting a cute and loyal dog.
Though Rowy had absolutely no interest in animals, he roughly knew what a dog looked like. Rowy, who was imagining what would become his dog while spreading his wings of imagination to the fullest, headed outside excitedly. Because if he missed the tide, he wouldn’t be able to go out today. One unfortunate point was that Rowy had absolutely no idea where dogs were sold.
“Prepare the boat. I’m going to the slave market.”
Dogs or slaves. It was a thought befitting of Rowy, a noble to his bones. And so the outing after a long time began.
* * *
“I came to see dogs.”
“Dogs… you say?”
Karl, the overall manager of the slave market, kept dripping cold sweat profusely. The young man with gorgeous silver hair and blue eyes was, he’d wager, more beautiful than any bedwarmer slave Karl had ever handled. It was a capital offense to compare someone who was obviously nobility to a slave, but Karl, who had lived his whole life only looking at slaves, had nothing else to compare to.
They say people curse the king even where there’s nothing, so just thinking it in your head is… However, Karl, a commoner to his bones, couldn’t even straighten his back in front of Rowy, a noble, and kept bowing repeatedly.
“By dogs…”
“You don’t know dogs?”
Rowy’s eyebrows shot up sharply. Karl, who hastily sucked in a breath, immediately guided Rowy.
“Oh my, of course we have them. Yes yes, then are you looking for a female or a male?”
“Hmm.”
At the unexpected question, Rowy pondered for a moment. Dogs have genders too, right.
“Um, would males have stronger loyalty after all?”
The only dogs that came to mind were hunting dogs he’d seen during hunts. Rowy couldn’t think at all that those fierce-looking things could be female. Rowy, who imagined his dog bringing back prey according to its master’s words, smiled lightly.
“Yees, males do tend to have more loyalty.”
With an angelic face but perverse tastes. Karl’s face turned pale. Rowy, not knowing what kind of futile thoughts Karl was having, was just thoroughly excited.
‘Josef’s hawk was named Bin. Then should I call mine Van?’
It was quite a perfunctory naming, but what mattered was this. The fact that Rowy was giving it a name. The fact that he was getting an existence meaningful to him.
Rowy’s mood floated through the sky. It was the best mood he’d had recently while suffering from depression. Rowy’s steps got faster and faster. The guide Karl was pushed along and opened a door.
“Here it is. There are many, so take your time looking and choose!”
“What is this?”
Rowy’s expression, which had been looking around with a heart full of excitement, crumpled immediately. In front of Rowy were young boys thoroughly drugged, looking at Rowy with hazy gazes while barely covering only their private parts.
“D-does this not please you? These are the finest beauties we’ve gathered. They’re well-educated too.”
At Rowy’s expression that showed no sign of clearing, Karl kept wiping away sweat. Karl dreamed of the greatest slave market not just in Seraphila but on the continent. It would be a disaster if the noble lord wasn’t satisfied. He’d gathered literally only the best merchandise—if they couldn’t find what they wanted here, his reputation would plummet significantly.
“Look closer! You’ll definitely like them. Hey! Bring that one over!”
At the sight of them bringing a child over in perfect order, Rowy’s face finally crumpled completely. I came to buy a dog though.
