Chapter 5: Episode 5

“Aren’t you hungry? Shall we go grab a meal?”

It was just as they were about to return home.

That’s what Hans said.

‘A meal…’

I had been planning to return straight to the family estate, so I was about to decline Hans’s offer.

However.

*Grrrrowl.*

Was it because she was in my arms? I could hear a subtle sound from Seraphie’s body.

I met Seraphie’s eyes.

“…Ugh.”

For the first time, words came out of Seraphie’s mouth. Judging by her bright red ears, she seemed embarrassed.

“…Shall we? I was getting hungry too, coincidentally.”

Yes, a meal it is.

After all, people naturally feel psychologically at ease with those who feed them.

****

Immediately after Seraphie’s auction ended, Count Pigmaigne went to find the s*ave merchant Carlton.

“You understand the terms of the deal, don’t you…?”

“Yes. My life is precious to me too, so I only plan to take a reasonable commission.”

The two had made a prior agreement.

Seraphie would be made a s*ave, and Count Pigmaigne would buy her.

A truly simple transaction.

Pigmaigne never for a moment thought there would be no irregularities in this simple deal.

Irregular situations are bound to happen.

It would be fortunate if there weren’t any, but it was impossible for there not to be.

That was the case now.

Count Pigmaigne lost the auction.

That meant Seraphie had fallen into someone else’s hands.

Count Pigmaigne would never tolerate this.

But.

Because there was a backroom deal, Count Pigmaigne could tolerate it, if only for a moment.

The content of that deal was that Count Pigmaigne would receive most of the profit if someone other than him bought Seraphie.

It felt almost unfair to Carlton, but since he and Count Pigmaigne would be dealing with each other for a long time, he decided to concede this time.

“By the way, this young man has the ability to readily pay such a large sum. Why not just wash your hands of this?”

It was a cautious suggestion from Carlton.

“Wash my hands of it…?”

“Yes. Just think about it for a moment.”

Count Pigmaigne.

His goal was not to buy Seraphie at a high price if he couldn’t have her himself.

It was one step further.

He chose to gain both the money and Seraphie simultaneously.

Carlton checked the people lined up behind Count Pigmaigne.

Familiar faces.

B-rank mercenary group, Cretan.

They were a group connected to Count Pigmaigne, who would not hesitate to commit even inhumane tasks if paid enough.

Count Pigmaigne intended to use them to snatch Seraphie back from the young man who bought her.

And Carlton was trying to dissuade him from this plan.

“If he can readily pay this much, he must be from a noble family… wouldn’t things get complicated?”

“Listen, Carlton. Do you know something? I really hate losing out.”

“…You sold that girl for a higher price than expected, so it’s not a loss, is it?”

“No. That’s not it. You have to listen to a person until the end. I hate losing out. But what I hate even more is someone snatching an item I’ve set my eyes on.”

Carlton frowned imperceptibly at Count Pigmaigne.

‘…If he hated losing her so much, why didn’t we just conduct the transaction comfortably in Pigmaigne’s territory? Why come all the way to a neighboring territory for a troublesome deal?’

Hiding these true feelings, Carlton spoke.

“So, you’ll proceed with the plan?”

“I must.”

“Even if that young man is Yuren Garcia?”

He had tried to dissuade Count Pigmaigne because he had already identified the young man’s identity.

He thought Count Pigmaigne would surely order the operation to stop upon hearing this.

However.

“It’s fine.”

Contrary to Carlton’s expectation, Count Pigmaigne remained relaxed and did not withdraw the plan.

“Pardon?”

“Count Garcia. He seems to be crossing the line lately too. It wouldn’t be bad to teach him a lesson this time.”

Carlton was flustered by Count Pigmaigne’s attitude, but soon responded with a sly smile.

“Understood. Then, we shall proceed as your Lordship wishes.”

The fact that he could be so relaxed even knowing the young man’s identity implied that Count Pigmaigne also had a hidden card up his sleeve.

Carlton decided to trust Count Pigmaigne’s choice.

At the same time.

“Hahahaha! To think the day would finally come when I would embrace that woman’s daughter in my life. Truly, it’s a new feeling.”

Count Pigmaigne began to laugh, his body trembling.

As if everything had already gone according to his plan.

****

“Your food has arrived.”

“Brother, the food… it’s here….”

Hans, who had first suggested eating, sounded dispirited.

I knew why he was reacting this way.

The waiter placed the food on the table. But it was all the same dish.

A soup similar to rice gruel.

Although it was bland and unseasoned, it was a gruel-like food known to be good for the stomach.

Hans was dispirited at the thought of eating tasteless food.

“Haa… I’ve lost my appetite today of all days.”

“…Just eat it.”

I didn’t particularly like rice gruel either.

I had the typical picky eater’s palate, preferring salty and sweet things.

However, this couldn’t be helped.

All for Seraphie.

It was unlikely that Seraphie, a s*ave, had eaten proper food.

Therefore.

If she suddenly ate heavily seasoned and rich food, she might get an upset stomach.

Thinking of this, it was rice gruel.

Of course, we could have ordered rice gruel only for Seraphie and eaten stimulating food that suited our tastes.

But.

‘…Giving Seraphie rice gruel and only we eat delicious things feels a bit off.’

So, we just unified the menu to rice gruel for everyone.

I handed Seraphie a spoon.

Seraphie quietly accepted the spoon. And she alternated her gaze between me and the rice gruel several times.

It was as if she was asking if she could really eat it.

I nodded lightly.

Then.

Seraphie began to quietly eat the rice gruel, without being stubborn or showing pride.

One spoonful, two spoonfuls.

Her eating speed gradually increased, but her posture showed dignity, as if she hadn’t forgotten she was a noble.

“…Why are you staring at me while I eat?”

Compared to Hans, who was eating sloppily and without dignity next to her, her elegance felt even more pronounced.

Facing the rice gruel, I fell into thought for a moment.

‘Seraphie Esnor….’

She looked distinctly different from the illustration in the mobile game.

In the illustration, the word ‘voluptuous’ suited her, and her appearance seemed to exude some kind of aura, but now she was like a child.

‘…Is it because she’s still a child?’

Come to think of it.

I hadn’t heard Seraphie’s age. By her appearance, she looked around ten years old.

Is that right? It seems right.

“…Huh? Wow, you’re a fast eater, aren’t you?”

“….”

Before I knew it, Seraphie had finished a whole bowl of rice gruel.

I naturally pushed the bowl of rice gruel in front of me over to her.

“Eat this too.”

It felt a bit guilty, like taming a human with food, but if it meant getting closer to Seraphie, what couldn’t I do?

Seraphie hesitated for a moment, then, perhaps because she was very hungry, immediately began to eat the rice gruel I gave her.

It diminished quickly even though she wasn’t eating sloppily at all.

Her appetite seemed enormous for such a small body.

‘Perhaps feeding her all sorts of delicacies wouldn’t be a bad way to prevent her corruption?’

I genuinely felt that might be the case.

Or not? If she eats this rice gruel so well, is her sense of taste just broken?

Not long after.

Seraphie finished the rice gruel I had given her.

At that moment, Hans also put down his spoon.

“…Haa. It’s so bland; I really can’t eat any more than this.”

Hans looked at Seraphie with an expression of wonder.

“Do you have no sense of taste? How can you eat two bowls of this?”

“….”

“…I’m talking to myself.”

After finishing the meal, just as they were about to leave the restaurant.

I sensed an ominous presence.

Three tables, paying no attention to us at all, but with all their senses focused solely on this spot.

At first, I thought it was a misunderstanding, but seeing their reaction when Hans said he was done eating, it seemed they had business with us after all.

The number of people was fifteen.

‘Ah, so that’s how it is.’

I immediately understood the situation.

Count Pigmaigne, he clearly wanted Seraphie.

But I had taken her from him.

Even though Seraphie had been taken from him, Count Pigmaigne had seemed strangely relaxed, so I had expected him to try some trick.

But to act so immediately.

“Alright, let’s head out soon! Hans, you go home first.”

“Yes? Yes! Then, I’ll go first.”

I sent Hans out first.

They didn’t seem to have much interest in Hans, so they just let him go.

Immediately after Hans left the restaurant, they moved without hesitation.

“…Hey, young master.”

“….”

“We need to have a little chat with you. Will you come quietly?”

“…What if I don’t follow?”

“That would be… troublesome.”

Haa….

The waiter’s expression, dimly visible, was terrified.

‘…No choice then.’

Making a ruckus here would be problematic. The waiter and the owner of this establishment were our vassals.

The son of the lord causing a scene in a shop.

A noble shouldn’t do that.

Here, I decided to quietly follow behind them.

****

Seraphie clearly saw it with her own eyes, but she couldn’t comprehend the reality unfolding before her.

Her master, who introduced himself as Yuren.

He was led into an alleyway by thugs.

And received an offer.

“How about you quietly hand over the s*ave girl next to you to us?”

At those words, Seraphie concluded that the people surrounding her and Yuren were definitely connected to Count Pigmaigne.

It was a crisis situation where the answer was obvious at a glance.

She thought Yuren would accept their offer.

However.

“I don’t want to.”

Yuren flatly refused the offer.

Saying he had bought her with proper money.

Seraphie couldn’t understand such behavior from Yuren.

To her, money was a terrifying thing.

Because it had made her a s*ave.

But more than that.

Life was more precious.

Therefore, she couldn’t understand Yuren, who seemed to have made a choice to throw away his life.

‘Perhaps… he’s a fool?’

Could he not understand the current situation?

If he didn’t accept their offer, it seemed like a situation where he could truly die.

Especially if they were truly connected to Count Pigmaigne.

If they were Count Pigmaigne’s subordinates, they would surely be just as cruel as him.

The moment Yuren’s words ended, the thugs in front of them all pulled out weapons they had hidden on their bodies.

“Still?”

Even though the thugs had pulled out their weapons, Yuren remained relaxed.

At this, Seraphie thought.

‘Could he… have a separate contingency plan?’

That look in Yuren’s eyes.

His narrow eyes and faint smile combined to make it feel as if he had prepared some method.

It was just as Seraphie was watching Yuren intently.

In an instant, Yuren disappeared.

More precisely, Seraphie had missed Yuren’s incredibly swift movement.

In that brief moment.

It was only for a moment, but the scene before her had changed drastically.

“…Ugh.”

“What in the world is happening…!”

“It hurts s-so much.”

Ten out of fifteen were sprawled on the ground.

At this situation, the thugs’ expressions instantly hardened, and Yuren, with his consistently relaxed expression, questioned the thugs again.

“Do you still want me to hand her over?”

Seraphie finally understood.

The reason Yuren could be so relaxed.

‘He was a strong person….’

From the very beginning, they were no match for Yuren.