Chapter 6: The Nameless Slave

The blonde woman said, “Hey, what’s your name?”

A weak yet gentle question caught me off guard.

But less than half a second later, I resumed my work.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to answer her—I genuinely couldn’t remember my name.

“Huh? Who am I? Right! What’s my name!”

“Number 99?”

That was what they called me in the dungeon.

That was the only name I could recall.

I felt a mess.

“Why can’t I remember my name… My homeroom teacher is Zhao Zhongsheng, class committee member Zhang Jimeng, class monitor Hao Pengtian…”

I kept racking my brain for names of people, things, and places around me.

I remembered my school name, my parents’ names, even their birthdays.

“Tch…” This was bad. Really bad.

“Why can’t I remember my own name!”

I was losing it. I started doubting again—was I a clone from some experiment? Why couldn’t I remember my own name?

But then again, what clone doesn’t know its own name?

“Could it be that Black Mist? Because he… he, he, he touched me?”

I really didn’t want to think about that Black Mist…

Anyway, in my confusion, I didn’t answer the blonde woman.

Maybe because I didn’t respond, she said, “My name is Xu Yi.” “So it’s Xu Yi. Nice, a normal name.”

I kept my head down, continuing to wipe the stairs.

“Yeah, it’s like that Spirited Away story… Oh no! If it were really like Spirited Away, you’d forget everything! How can you remember so clearly!”

“So it’s not a clone, not that old witch’s magic. Then…”

I listened intently to the debate among the many personalities in my head, hoping for a conclusion.

In the end, I heard them speak in unison: “Meh, forget it. A name is just a label anyway. Forget it.”

For the first time ever, I wanted to punch my own personalities!

Suddenly! A scream rang out from above.

“Aaaaah!” It was that girl.

I looked up warily and saw the butler goblin.

The blonde woman was already on the ground, a small scorch mark on her maid uniform.

“You piece of trash, daring to chat during work!” the Tall Goblin growled.

Then he pulled out his magic wand, muttering something I couldn’t make out.

Instantly! A bolt of lightning formed in the air and struck the fallen blonde woman.

“Aaaaah!” The same scream.

Seeing this, I couldn’t take it anymore. Even though I was so hungry I could barely think straight, even though I might collapse from starvation at any moment, as a man, I absolutely wouldn’t tolerate this.

I wanted to step up, but my legs were trembling.

‘What are you going up there for? To die?’

‘This isn’t a game, where you can reload after failing.’

One of my personalities warned me.

They were right. Going up now would be suicide.

‘Do you think you’re the type who revives after death or turns back time?’

‘Or do you think going up will trigger a plot event?’

My ‘other personalities’ continued.

I bit my lips and did nothing.

“But… I’m really… hungry…” the blonde woman said.

‘Was she talking to me because she wanted something to eat?’

“Hungry? How dare a s*ave make demands?! Hmph!” *Thud* — obviously the Tall Goblin was kicking her.

But at the same time, that sound struck my chest like a heavy hammer.

I had to endure.

“Get up and work!” The Tall Goblin turned to look at me, his face full of rage.

I only glanced at the corner of his mouth with my peripheral vision, and my spine went cold with fear.

‘Damn… work, work…’

That mouth, looking like it could tear me apart, made me tremble all over.

Maybe because he saw I hadn’t stopped working, the goblin said nothing to me.

I kept wiping the stairs, shaking all over.

I never imagined that a 21st-century person like me could be such a coward!

“Kusō!” I expressed my disappointment in Japanese in my mind.

When I looked up again, the woman and the goblin had vanished.

The cleaning tools were gone too.

‘Probably moved to the other side already.’

I silently prayed for strength, for magic.

Soon, I finished cleaning this side of the stairs.

After struggling to carry the bucket down the last step, I looked at the long staircase. A feeling of tears welled up in my eyes.

My nose was sore, my stomach was empty, my hands were swollen, and my whole body was cold.

Tears swirled in my eyes, but I dared not cry.

Based on what that Tall Goblin had done, the world I’d stumbled into probably had no place for humans.

In such a world, if I were to cry without permission, I’d surely lose my life.

In many movies, there’s a scene where a maid cries and gets her eyes gouged out or is executed on the spot.

I didn’t want to die, so I couldn’t cry.

“Ahh, so tired…” I covered my eyes with my forearm and tilted my head back.

‘Teleported to another world for no reason, no superpowers, no girls, no friends… Huh, what a joke…’

Maybe I was too despairing, but I actually laughed.

I clearly felt the corners of my mouth lift.

“Hmph, how funny. I can still laugh…”

‘So, what should I do next?’

Based on what I’d learned from anime, after servants or maids finish cleaning, they should put away the tools and return to their rooms.

But I had no room.

‘Let me sit on the stairs.’

‘But sitting on the stairs is obviously not something a s*ave should do… I don’t want to be electrocuted!’

In the end, I hid in the shadows under the stairs.

I dragged the bucket over too.

I curled up in the corner, hugging my knees.

‘My clothes are wet. So cold…’

I wanted to take them off and wring them out over the bucket, but I was afraid that if the goblin with the golden earring showed up and said, “Since you don’t want to wear them, don’t,” and then with a poof burned my clothes, I’d be truly screwed.

So I kept them on.

‘At least it’s not windy here.’

I was glad I’d chosen a spot out of the wind.

I was very sleepy, but I couldn’t sleep. If I fell asleep, I might never see tomorrow.

At least I had to wait until that Tall Goblin came back…

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