EP.5 The Greedy Noble Lady
It was the time when ordinary people would be going to bed.
Selene quietly came to find me and led me into the underground of the city.
This was exactly the time when the black market would come alive.
"This way."
Even though it was clearly her first visit, Selene took the lead and guided me.
She must have gathered quite detailed information beforehand.
"You seem to know your way around for a first-timer."
"I looked into it thoroughly since I wanted to come if I got the chance."
She really seemed interested in this sort of information.
To be able to guide someone on her first visit-
That must be why she came as soon as she had someone to escort her.
Selene's face and body were hidden by a long robe.
But it didn't perfectly conceal her gender.
Her figure-her curvy lines-made it obvious she was a woman.
If she had come alone, she would have run into all sorts of trouble.
"If you go right at this passage… ah, there it is."
Selene pointed with her hand.
There stood a small two-story wooden house.
It looked a bit cramped due to being underground, but the exterior was fairly presentable.
"Is that where they sell the tools?"
"I heard they sell all sorts of things there."
"Well, let's go inside."
We opened the door and entered the shop together.
The interior looked much like any ordinary shop.
But there was a crucial difference.
'I expected there would be decadent tools, but…'
The shelves were filled with all sorts of obscene items.
But what surprised me wasn't just the items.
There was a naked woman standing as if on display.
Judging by her pointed ears, she seemed to be an elf.
A closer look revealed a sign saying she was available for trade.
"Welcome! Are you customers?"
"Ah… yes."
It was I, not Selene, who answered.
She, like me, seemed a bit surprised.
"But… this person here…?"
The man's gaze turned to Selene, as if asking about our relationship.
'What should I say…'
I hadn't thought this far ahead.
I'd only planned to focus on escorting her.
But since this was the underground, I figured I could just play it off.
While I hesitated, Selene answered first.
And what she said startled me.
"I'm this master's slave…"
"…?"
That was not something we'd discussed at all.
I shot her a questioning look.
"Hehe…♥"
She smiled slyly, out of the shopkeeper's sight.
It wasn't hard to figure out her intention-her face was so mischievous.
"Ah…! So you're a slave. You look like a high-quality one… Would you consider selling her? We could offer a high price."
"No. I have no intention of selling."
If he knew Selene's true identity, he'd be horrified.
But the shopkeeper, knowing nothing, kept pushing.
Even with her face and body hidden, he acted as if he could see through it.
"I could pay you a lot…"
"Well… she's a treasured slave."
"I see… It must have been hard to get a slave like this. Even with her covered, you can tell she's a beauty."
While I talked with the shopkeeper, Selene kept smiling, clearly amused.
She seemed to enjoy my discomfort, even though I could have sold her off if I wanted.
(Of course, that would cause huge problems.)
Eventually, the shopkeeper gave up.
Instead, he decided to try selling us his goods.
"So you're here to buy tools for your slave?"
"Well… something like that."
"Then you've come to the right place. Let me show you."
The shopkeeper enthusiastically explained the items in the display case-
not to Selene, but to me.
Since he thought she was a slave, he had no choice.
'It feels like I'm supposed to be the one buying, but I have no idea what she actually wants…'
I glanced at Selene again.
She seemed to read my mind and spoke in a coquettish voice.
"Master…♥ I want that one…♥"
It was a voice you'd never expect from a noble lady.
Her acting was so perfect that I couldn't help but be impressed.
Even the shopkeeper was fooled.
"Hm… She must be a slave who's already been trained?"
Of course not.
She wasn't trained, nor was she a slave at all.
The woman acting so coy was the noble daughter of the prestigious Elysis family.
But here, I had no choice but to play along.
It wasn't planned, but pretending to be master and slave was the easiest.
"Yes. I thought it might be good to let her pick her own tools…"
"As expected! You really know what you're doing!"
The shopkeeper gushed with admiration.
He then passionately explained more items to Selene.
"This dildo here moves automatically with charged mana.
A chastity belt that can't be removed without the master's permission.
A drug that makes the body more sensitive.
All tools born of human lust."
"There are even more items on the second floor-like clothes that appear naked only to the master. Please take a look."
The scale was nothing like street vendors.
There were so many items, they'd built a whole building underground for them.
The shopkeeper even gave an enthusiastic tour of the second floor.
"Hm… Master, I like everything… Can I buy them all with the money you gave me…?"
"Eh…?"
The shopkeeper and I both made the same sound at once.
I hadn't expected her to say she wanted to buy everything.
Though, considering her wealth, it wasn't really a problem.
"Even so… buying everything would be quite expensive, even if you're not buying the slave over there…"
The shopkeeper looked to me for confirmation.
But the real decision was Selene's.
She'd already made up her mind.
"She's a treasured slave… so why not?"
The shopkeeper's face lit up with joy.
It was probably the happiest a merchant could look.
He didn't even think to question my relationship with Selene.
"To spend so much… Are you perhaps a noble from another region…?"
The shopkeeper jumped to conclusions.
But that was probably for the best.
"Hrm… I just thought it would cause bad rumors to bring a slave around."
I tried to act like a noble, but it was awkward.
Still, it was enough for a shopkeeper blinded by money.
"Thank you! I won't tell a soul about this!"
"That's fine, then."
"But… you're buying quite a lot. Even with a slave, it'll be hard to carry everything…"
There were items on both floors.
There was no way we could carry it all at once, even with four arms between us.
"Kasar, come back for the rest later…♥"
Selene whispered to me out of the shopkeeper's earshot.
She meant for me to come back and get everything later.
"If you give me your address, I can deliver it discreetly…"
"I'd rather not give out my address… I'll just come pick it up myself later."
"Hm… In that case, I'll prepare as much as your slave can carry."
"Ah, no… Coming back multiple times is a hassle, so I'll help carry some too."
"Understood! I'll prepare everything so it's as easy as possible to carry!"
"No need to rush…"
The shopkeeper ran around the store like a madman.
His determination not to lose a customer was impressive.
He packed up a huge number of items and even wrote out detailed instructions for everything.
"Huff… huff… It's a lot, but with a slave, you should manage…"
Once the items were set out, Selene handed over the money.
"Here's the master's money."
"Thank you, sir!"
He probably never imagined the money was originally hers.
"…We'll come back for the rest later."
We left the shop, finishing our noble act.
The thought that I'd have to come back again was a bit of a headache.
Of course, as soon as we left, I ended up carrying most of the load myself.
"Hehe… That was pretty fun."
Selene had been laughing the whole time.
She must have really enjoyed playing the slave.
Or maybe she just liked seeing me flustered.
"It would have been nice if you'd told me in advance."
"It just popped into my head at the last moment."
"We should hurry back since we have so much stuff."
"Hmm… I was going to look around the black market more, but with all this, it's impossible."
There was so much stuff, I couldn't carry it all by myself.
Weight wasn't the issue; it was the volume.
She was carrying the lighter things herself.
"So… where are you planning to store all this? It's a huge amount."
"Why ask when you already know? Hehe…♥"
"Sigh… You mean I should hide it in my house myself."
One more headache to deal with.
But Selene still didn't seem satisfied.
"Hm… Maybe because we bought everything at once, we have more time left than I thought."
"Are you planning to go somewhere else after dropping off the stuff?"
"No, that's not it…"
With me carrying all the bags, Selene approached.
She brought her lips close to my ear and whispered in a sultry voice.
"Since we bought so much… shouldn't we try some out…?"
"…Where?"
"Why, at your house, of course…♥"
Her mischievousness was now mixed with seduction.
Thanks to the bold words of the noble lady, my steps felt lighter.