‘He definitely seemed to overflow with charisma at the slave market.’
Those chilling jewel-like eyes that held no emotion whatsoever. Daer recalled those arrogant eyes that had looked at him. However, unlike that intense first impression, his master was….
“Ouch.”
“Water! Drink water first!”
To his master who had burned his entire mouth by gulping down hot chocolate as is, Daer hurriedly thrust a water glass at him. His master was… childish. In his actions.
When they hadn’t even walked a few steps after leaving the slave market, Rowy discovered an ice cream sandwich board.
‘Ice cream!’
Without even properly realizing the fact that he had become a slave and been sold to someone, Daer was led by his new master’s hand into a dessert shop. And this was the situation.
His master, who had ordered enough desserts to fill the table with this and that, was so excited that he even stomped his feet. Well, he’s a bit childlike, but anyway, since he had become his master, from now on he would serve his master well and….
“……!!!”
“Spit it out!”
Unable to wait even a moment, Rowy, who had put a pie full of hot honey in his mouth in one bite, let out a silent scream. Daer was horrified and held out his palm.
“Ugh… it’s hot.”
Daer, who swallowed the sigh that was bursting out, snatched the pie away from Rowy.
“Please drink a cold beverage first. I’ll cool it down for you.”
“Mmm….”
His eyes were brimming with tears from how hot it was. Rowy wiped his eyes and sucked on the iced tea Daer had handed him. At that utterly ridiculous sight, Daer swallowed another sigh. Then he pulled all the pies in front of him and began cutting them into bite-sized pieces.
Cutting them out precisely as if measured with a ruler, it was like watching a feat. The former Holy Knight Commander who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship didn’t create even a single crumb. Even holding a tiny dessert knife instead of a holy sword, Daer did his best as always.
Rowy looked at such Daer with sparkling eyes. Precisely, at the pie Daer was cutting. Feeling that gaze, Daer picked up a piece of pie. Rowy’s eyes followed the pie as if entranced. Daer unconsciously waved the pie in front of Rowy’s eyes. Rowy’s gaze followed it left, right, left….
‘My new master is, well… cute.’
Daer, who stopped teasing, handed over the piece of pie. Rowy, who snatched and ate it, smiled. It was a pretty smile. If this was what a slave does… perhaps being a slave might suit him well. Of course, if life unraveled that easily, Daer wouldn’t have become a slave in the first place.
“I’m Rowy. What’s your name?”
“I am Daer.”
“Mmm, I see. From now on, I’ll call you Van.”
“…Pardon?”
What does that mean? Daer stopped his hand that was cooling the pie and stared blankly at Rowy. He couldn’t follow this sudden conversation.
“I came up with it.”
“My name, you mean?”
Even though I already have a name?
“You’re mine now, after all. I should give you a name too.”
“…A name?”
“Why? You don’t like it? You couldn’t possibly dislike it. Right?”
“……”
“I’ll call you Van from now on, okay?”
Rowy smiled brightly once again. It was definitely a pretty smile, no different from before. But….
‘…O Elion.’
In that moment when that smile somehow felt scary, Daer—no, Van—instinctively knew that his new master was also by no means an easy trial.
* * *
“Hehe.”
Rowy, who had tasted almost all the desserts in the dessert shop, laughed pleasantly. His mood had been swinging like a seesaw lately. He had definitely been in a bad mood at the slave market.
‘Could it be that I was depressed because I couldn’t eat desserts?’
That’s possible. There was no one on the island who knew how to make proper desserts. So much so that Rowy, who had desperately wanted ice cream, had once frozen juice with magic. The frozen juice tasted completely different from the ice cream Rowy had imagined. Still, he had eaten it quite deliciously. Rowy, who until just moments ago had devoured all sorts of sweets including ice cream, licked his lips again.
The dessert shop he had impulsively entered after seeing the sandwich board was excellent. From cakes to ice cream and beverages, everything perfectly suited Rowy’s picky taste. Rowy, who had eaten to his heart’s content while stomping his feet, was currently in a hazy state with a full stomach as if he had become a lump of sugar.
‘What if it really is because of desserts? Should I buy a patissier and take them back?’
That seems like a good idea. I already bought one slave anyway. Rowy looked at Van standing beside him. His gaze went straight up.
“How tall are you?”
“195.”
“Wow.”
Wow, damn it. Rowy, who barely rounded up to 180, felt again the feeling he used to have among the people of the Irad Duchy who were originally tall.
‘Everyone looks down at people when talking.’
His mood was about to turn bad again. But still. If I’m going to take him around, he should be at least this much. Rowy, who quickly became generous with the power of sugar, nodded. Rowy spun around as he was and looked Van over. Tall. Good body. Mm, indeed my eye for things.
However, the ugly restraint around his neck and the clothes put on him at the slave market bothered him. Especially that ugly restraint. The crude magic was too terrible. For a mage’s slave, it’s too shabby. It would be nice if I put a more sophisticated spell on it. Making him kneel with just a flick of the hand or something… Of course, he didn’t have the means to make it right now.
‘I should buy this and that before returning to the island.’
When you say you live on an island in Seraphila, normally you’d imagine enjoying swimming in calm seas, but the island where Rowy lived was in a slightly different situation from other nobles’ vacation islands. The island, with strong currents flowing in the open sea, was often trapped for days depending on the weather.
Was it originally an uninhabited island? The servants who managed the castle commuted from a nearby island, but when the weather didn’t cooperate, even they couldn’t come to the island. On nights when storms raged like that, the island would be empty and quiet as a mouse.
“I should buy some clothes. Come to think of it, where’s your sword?”
“Weapons cannot be possessed at the slave market.”
“Then let’s go buy one!”
“Pardon?”
Rowy shouted impulsively. The Irad Duchy was a military family that had long produced Imperial Knight Commanders, but Rowy was a heretic who had been born holding vast magical power. Rowy, who grew up without even being able to hold a sword, let alone see the family’s training process with his eyes, always had a fantasy about swordsmen. It was an opportunity to fully realize his long-held dream.
“You need a sword. You’re a combat slave.”
“Are you moving to another region?”
“No, not that.”
Rowy shook his head. In large cities and borders, barriers were set up to ward off monsters. However, those barriers weren’t perfect, so they frequently encountered monsters when crossing between cities or crossing borders. In such cases, combat slaves were routinely accompanied. Because they were the cheapest. Of course, Rowy had no intention of leaving Seraphila for the time being.
“It’s not that, I want to try hunting.”
“Monster hunting?”
“I was thinking of rabbits and such.”
“Ah, rabbits.”
Van nodded roughly. So he bought a slave to catch rabbits….
“You need a sword after all, right?”
Rowy’s eyes sparkled brightly. Van, who was gradually getting used to Rowy’s impulsive thinking, obediently followed behind Rowy. A slave couldn’t stop his master anyway.
The forge was at the end of this downtown area. Though it was a place he had passed by fleetingly 2 years ago, Rowy, who had managed to remember it, led Van as if he were a regular at that forge.
‘White Beard Forge’
“Here.”
“What are you looking for?”
At Rowy’s call, a man with a bushy white beard came out and asked. He looked like the stereotype of a blacksmith. It feels like going on an adventure. Excited, Rowy raised his chin and said.
“Show me swords.”
At those words, the blacksmith looked Rowy over.
“What kind of sword are you looking for? If it’s a silver dagger, there are some over there.”
Of course, Rowy had no intention of using a silver dagger.
“I said a sword. One that cuts monsters and humans.”
“Can you even use one?”
“He’s going to use it.”
Rowy pointed at Van. The blacksmith finally nodded.
“So you’re really looking for a sword. We don’t have swords for knight lords here.”
It seemed to be because it was a forge in the middle of a vacation spot. Rowy was visibly disappointed. Van, who noticed that sign, spoke up instead.
“As long as the length is right, it’s fine. Even ceremonial ones don’t matter.”
“One for a knight lord to use? Those don’t have proper edges.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Van answered nonchalantly. It really didn’t matter. At his level. Van fought well even if given just a tree branch. Of course, it would be better if he had a famous sword, but precisely because of that, unless it was a fairly good sword, he didn’t feel much difference. Moreover….
‘If I’m catching rabbits, I don’t actually need a sword.’
However, Rowy’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation. Just how should he catch rabbits to satisfy his master’s expectations? Van fell into thought. In the meantime, the blacksmith, who had been gauging Van’s height, went inside and brought out several swords.
“It’s dull.”
“It’s a good sword.”
Rowy and Van spoke simultaneously. Rowy, whose lips pouted slightly, obediently stepped back. Rowy, whose entire experience with swords was wearing a ceremonial sword for the first and last time at his coming-of-age ceremony, could only say pretty or not pretty when looking at swords.
When Rowy stepped back, Van and the blacksmith fell into deep conversation. Something about center of gravity and something about the blade. The two talked a lot, unlike their appearances. Rowy, who became bored, looked around at the nearby display items. Gold cutlery set 9 million cen, jewel-encrusted pasta tongs 15 million cen.
‘Mm, we definitely came to the wrong shop.’
When even looking around became boring, their conversation ended. It seemed Van had chosen a sword.
“Um, Master. But the price for this is….”
Van, who had realized the terror of money so thoroughly that he had even fallen to slavery, couldn’t finish his words hesitantly. It didn’t seem necessary to buy it at such an expensive price. Van was truly strong even with just a tree branch. Just a bit shabby-looking.
However, contrary to Van’s worries, to Rowy, who was of Imperial ducal bloodline, money had no meaning whatsoever. It was just overflowing so he spent it. Rowy took out his wallet.
“How much is it? I’ll pay.”
“1.5 million cen.”
“Huh?”
A sword cheaper than cutlery, is it good?
