The cold winds went away and the warm winds arrived.

Today, I came to the imperial capital together with Peris. Over the past few months, I often strolled around the capital with Peris when I had time. It was done for the sake of shopping and memorizing the food. I guided her to the places, where I considered the food to be good and had her remember the taste.

Peris looked human thanks to my barrier, but it didn’t go well at first. After all, she couldn’t say anything except for「gumomo」. I had no problems with that, but others did. I performed as her interpreter until she finally learned the language.

Gon professionally taught her the language, and coupled with her thirst for knowledge, she grasped it in no time. Right now, she is asking the cook behind the counter about the recipes, knife handling, and seasoning, trying to raise her cooking skills. A lot of stall owners think of her of as a glutton, even recently, in one of the street stalls

「Girl, it is all right to be gluttonous, but you should lose some weight」[¹]

she was told that with a bitter smile. According to Gon, Peris is one of a kind beauty, but that doesn’t change the fact that she looks like a small plump dragon. If she is as beautiful as Gon claims, I think about asking him to teach her human transformation.

I finished this round of shopping in the capital and stuffed everything in the infinite storage. We usually buy enough food to feed lots of mouths, so the shop owners often give us discounts. Also, it seems that Gon and Peris established some kind of a deep bond with all of the stall owners. I couldn’t even understand what they were talking about.

The shopping trip was prolonged and the most of the day already passed. Coincidentally, there was a high-class-looking hotel nearby, so we decided to visit the restaurant there. As we closed in on the restaurant, we found out that, regretfully, it was closed today. However, it was noisy inside. Just when I thought that it was some kind of private party, I discovered an unexpected person. The owner of 「Miraya」in the red light district, Akima.

「Ara, Rinos-chan, it’s been a while! What are you doing here? 」

「It’s been a while. I thought of eating here, but it is closed. What brings you here? 」

「Isn’t it obvious? The slave market! 」

The place that usually acts as a restaurant was turned into the slave market. Apparently, she often shows her face in such gatherings to fish for new workers for her establishment. This time, she acquired quite a few gems and went outside to complete the procedures.

「The normal slaves are already sold. It is about time for crime slaves to went on stage」

Crime slaves……people who sinned and fell into slavery. Usually, small crimes do not lead to slavery. They are the people, who committed serious crimes and have no choice but to spend the rest of their lives in slavery. Most of the times, men are bought as miners or fighting force, while women as prostitutes. However, their living environment is harsh and unbearable most of the times, which leads to 90% of them dying in the first 10 years. You can say that their execution is just being extended.

「There are almost no decent people there! But sometimes, there are some girls who were enslaved due to their parent’s crimes. You might as well participate since you are here! You might find an unexpected bargain! 」

Akima grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.

The room was dim, while the stage was bright. After a while, a man appeared on the stage.

「I kept you waiting, everyone. Let’s open the sale of the crime slaves. This is your last chance to purchase a slave」

「Rinos-chan, if you see someone good, do not hesitate to buy! Raise this white token and say the price. Keep in mind your budget when bidding」

Apparently, it was based on the auction system. While I was talking with Akima, a group of strong men lined up on stage.

「Human male, 25 years old; cat beastman, male, 19 years old; human male, 18 years old; same as before, human male, 18 years old! We are starting from 5000G」

The host raised his voice and introduced the goods. The white tokens were raised and voices saying「6000G！」, 「7000G！」resounded in the room. The slaves for sale are sometimes grouped together, or sometimes presented one by one. If no one is interested, the host will gradually lower the price. The lowest possible price seems to be 1000G. If there are no white tokens raised even in this situation, the slaves will be dragged out from the stage. Bad memories surfaced inside my head.

「What will happen to the unsold slaves?」

「Un. Sometimes they try in a different city, but most of the times, the merchants get rid of them」

As I thought. If not for Elsa-sama, I would have been dead by now. It might not be the best time, but I silently expressed my gratitude.

「The last item. Sheep beastman, female, 16 years old! We are starting from 3000G」 [²]

She had two curved horns on her head. Her hair was silver-colored and gave a natural warm feeling. Looking closely, her face was shaped rather nicely, she is definitely a beauty. Only her chest and hips were covered by cloth so I could easily see her body. She had some sheep hair on her legs and arms, but her breasts were relatively big and her body was well proportioned. She was beautiful enough to become a model.

However, no one was willing to bid for her. I thought that she will fare well in Akima’s establishment, but Akima only wrinkled her brows and had no intentions to raise the token. The slave on the stage, couldn’t bear the stares of the audience and lowered her head. However, a man affiliated with the slave traders forcibly lifted her head back.

「Is she not to your liking? She is a genuine pure girl. How is she? What about 2500G? 」

Her price kept falling down. I asked Akima why she didn’t bid for her.

「She is a beauty, but no. My intuition tells me this. You shouldn’t buy her! 」

While I was at it, I decided to appraise the sheep girl.

Merias (Slave Sage, 16 years old) LV36
HP: 91
MP: 145
Alchemy LV 3
Blacksmith LV 3
Pharmacist LV 3
MP Recovery LV2
Liberal Arts LV3
Curse LV3

Self-concealment [³]

Curse LV3……is impossible to get for common people. With this, she will attract the animosity on herself. Self-concealment…….overall skill decrease.

Skills are high! What’s up with this sheep woman?! A sage……Her unexpected skill composition left me speechless for a brief moment.

「By the wish of the seller, we can’t go lower that 500G! How about it? Is there someone? 」

I spontaneously raised my token.

As if waiting for that moment, a group of soldiers appeared from the back.

「Immediately close down this slave market! From now on, it is forbidden to host the slave auctions in the imperial capital! Close down immediately!!」[⁴]

…….What the hell is happening?