A Slave Career Planner Can Be A Successful Profession Volume 1 Chapter 3

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 “Yes! That girl is the best!”

 One such day, Mark suddenly stood up with a brimming smile. It was enough to think that it was awfully unnatural just to conceal one’s happy mood, even if this hot-tempered man could show much joy.

 As I kept working a little far off while thinking so, “Hey!” said the angry voice that was hurled at me.

 To be honest, I was pretty upset because I had already guessed correctly what he was aiming at.

 “This one will definitely sell high. Piling 100 gold coins will not be enough, she’s a goddamn seer…”

 I vaguely heard his monologue of unrestrained words, I confirmed that Mark wasn’t really thinking calmly.

 Seer.

 Anyway, there was great demand for them. Everyone likes the special ability of seers. However, seers with Unique Blessing were rare among seers. Furthermore, slave trade of seers was “Officially” prohibited so their rarity value was, even moreso, higher.

 Considering that cheap slaves were traded for two gold coins, Meena, as a seer, was more than 50 times as valuable.

 “Also the buyer has been determined as well. They will come tonight. This will really be a big job.”

 “Is that so? It seems like they are in a hurry.”

 “The buyer is quite an influential person. If I can close this deal, then I should start discussing about moving the shop to Oasis district.”

 Mark wasn’t able to hide his excitement since he was prattling quickly. “Ah, I heard Meena was a seer by chance. It was a result of a consultation from Miroir’s guy. After that, bingo!” as he gloated.

 My interaction with Meena. It seems it was certain that Mark heard my conversation with Meena regarding the both of us looking for a way to free ourselves from Mark.

 I’m sure now that Mark heard from another conversation and not the one from that night.

 “I’m really looking forward to your punishment. Don’t you know that insubordination against your master is punishable by death?”

 “…”

 “Concealing important information that a slave is a seer. That is insubordination. … There are too many reasons to punish you.”

 “…”

 But Mark suddenly released me as he laughed and said: “I am not a demon.” I immediately took distance from him as soon as I was free and became more cautious.

 “I think I will give you, dipshit, a chance.”

 “A chance?”

 “That’s right. There is no need to apologize if you show sincerity to me about this matter.”

 “Sincerity you say?”

 “In short, it’s money.”

 At that moment, I had the urge to kill this man.

 Perhaps he didn’t know exactly where I hid it.

 Was Mark not a demon for easily snatching that away from me?

 “Listen well, Meena should be worth at least 100 gold coins. In other words, if you can prepare something that can be exchanged for 100 gold coins, I don’t have to think about selling her.”

 “100 gold coins…”

 “Don’t be discouraged, you have this whole day. Because the one who’s buying Meena will come tonight, it’s only a matter of preparing it by then. Do you understand?”

 As he cheerfully laughed, Mark pushed me aside as he said “You’re in the way” as he went back to his tent. I could only do as much as seeing him off.

 There was no way I could earn 100 gold coins in a day. However, I should be able to make enough effort and bring it as close as possible to 100 gold coins.

 The process of asset flipping, buying low and selling high, was more profitable to start with because it allowed for more profit as higher value luxury goods could be handled in line with increasing starting capital.

 The quality of alcohol wasn’t easy to determine with just eyes alone. Furthermore, there were plenty of people who wouldn’t understand the finer points even with taste. In other words, people did not have a discerning tongue to sufficiently determine a “good alcohol”.

 Analyze Skill gave the most suitable solution to the world where almost no one could put a correct value.

 If I bought and sold like this, I could turn in a tidy profit.

 The result was three and a half gold coins in my pocket now.

 I needed 96 and a half more to reach 100 gold coins. This was not enough.

 “Umm, Master.”

 “I told you already I’m not your master, Iris. Your master will be the big guy named Mark for one day only.”

 “Is that so?”

 However, I must pretend that I was doing the best of my effort so as “not to get suspected”. Regarding the one who I had bought, her name was Iris Harpya.

 Of course, that’s how Lamias walked, my eyes stared in wonder as well, as I saw her lower half slithering forward.

 “Ah. You mean this kid? She is Iris, Eris Harpya. This kid is a demon like you, Ms Hetaira. Although she is cute, she was only being sold for two gold coins, so I bought her. … Come on, Iris.”

 “I am Iris.”

 “Well, that’s just how she is.”

 With Hetaira saying “Nice to meet you little Iris”, Iris replied in a terse response, “Same”.

 “But isn’t two gold coins quite cheap?”

 “ーー Yes, that’s right. With her arms, she can’t work.”

 A new voice interrupted from behind Hetaira, curious at the unusual discussion.

 The owner of the voice who exuded intellect, but somehow sly, was a silver-haired elf.

 According to her statement, those arms couldn't do work. As Eris was a harpy, her arms were actually wings. In other words, she couldn't do delicate manual work, and it was quite hard for her to carry things. Therefore, since there was limited work that Eris could do, as a slave they (the Harpies) were tend to be cheap.

 Nellyn Serina. Nell for short.

 She was always nervous and she jumped from topic to topic that was not connected.

 Instead of forcing the argument, she changed it by turning to me saying “Enough of that, let’s talk about that personal attendant over there”.

 “You, buying a slave carelessly, how are you going to make 100 gold coins?”

 That was a good question. Or more precisely, how did she know that I was trying to earn 100 gold coins for Mark? Perhaps it’s her nature to be concerned?

 I didn’t purposely gave a proper answer and evaded by saying “Come on. I have no other choice by showing my sincerity equivalent to 100 gold coins”.

 Or it was a sense of disgust towards my declaration that substituting Iris was a grand show of sincerity.

 Even so, I was slightly worried at Iris being so thoroughly unresponsive all this time. This kid might have already gone beyond being expressionless and might not even be thinking about it, I suddenly thought something trivial like that.

 I heard Yuffy say “You came all the way here to the high-class slave tent and for what…” behind me, but I ignored her.

 I thought that she was clearly in the high-class slave tent in preparation to be sold soon.

 Before selling a high-class slave, a little preparation was required.

 The work was very troublesome, so I was expecting that I would be ordered to do it. It was quite time-consuming as the hair was all over her body, and the quality of hair was, unlike those of humans, so hard it was taxing to cut it.

 Most of this kind of work was pushed to me, the personal attendant. So I thought it would be me this time as well.

 As soon as I entered, Mark said while grinning “Why were you late?”, I was able to vaguely guessed at the situation.

 “… Forgive me for being late.”

 “Don’t worry about it. Because I was enjoying myself with that beastkin seer while you were gone. Right?”

 Behind Mark, I witnessed the naked Meena coming out in shame, and I felt a surge of unpleasantness.

 Or so I thought.

 “Since it would be impossible for you to earn 100 gold coins, I just set the value lower.”

 “… My goodness.”

 “Ha? Are you at a loss for words? This brat is a coward. I thought this would make you angry.”

 I was agitated but I ignored it. It’s unpleasant to in in vain, were the word I kept to myself.

 On the other hand, if I got enraged and jumped on Mark, that would just be handing him a reason to lambast me. He’d attack me and yell something like “What’re you trying to pull, you piece of shit?! As punishment, I’m revoking the ‘goodwill’ I’ve shown you!”

 If Mark was an idiot, it might be possible to trick him that everything was 100 gold coins, but… Again this brute would not be unprepared.

 “Too bad you hoarded it. I’m going to… confiscate them.”

 “… Eh, um.”

 Maybe because I was thinking such things that I didn’t immediately understand what Mark meant, so I regrettably asked again.

 “I’m saying I’m confiscating them, idiot.”

 “But.”

 “But there is nothing!”

 A single blow. From the fist that was delivered from the gigantic body, my foot left the ground momentarily and my body bent into a shape of a bow. I was unable to breath for a moment.

 Yes, that was me. I informed the Merchant Guild and they became suspicious about Mark’s tax evasion. And now the Merchant Guild was starting to discover Mark’s tax evasion.

 “Therefore, if that someone uses that unaccounted money, there won’t be any problem. … Do you understand? Not only did that personal attendant of mine harbored insubordination against me, he was also involved in embezzlement.”

 “!?”

 “The purchase of 20 gold coins this time is the irrefutable proof of embezzlement. … It's ironic, you produced yourself the evidence of your crime. Thank you.”

 That meant Mark was trying to escape by pushing the crime onto me. It was not that Mark was trying to evade taxes, but the unclear flow of funds written in his accounting book was due to the embezzlement of his personal attendant. That seemed to be what he was portraying.

 In other words, I would be tried by the worst law and might die.

 Meena looked back momentarily, and I understood that face that seemed like she’s going to do something with painful reluctance.

 That was what those eyes were eloquently saying while the face showed anxiety.

 “… Uhm.”

 As if worrying about me, Iris, who was left together with me, looked into me. What’s the current situation, what should we do, I talk about those things but she looked like she didn’t pay any attention, she looked restless, she timidly stared at me as if thinking 'This person probably got hit because of me'.

 After that, I could only believe in Meena’s words.

 “Welcome, venerable Aurelius. Please, let’s talk about it in the conference tent.”

 “Hmm, I’m counting on you then, Mark.”

 In front of Mark, who was smiling so that he would let you think he was behaving cordially, stood an old man.

 His small body could be seen as the remnant of what probably used to be tall and slender when he had been young that had gradually declined. Nowhere carelessness could be seen in his sharp eyes. Everyone knew that the venerable Aurelius was still in good health.

 Perhaps this man was the aforementioned customer.

 “Hmm. That girl is the one we talked about, Meena Serianslope.”

 Aurelius was trying to confirm while rubbing his beard.

 “Hmm, based on the information I got from a sly informant, she is a beastkin seer.”

 Calling out Meena to stand in front of Aurelius to explain her strengths, Mark triumphantly mentioned that “She is good at dancing”.

 I, on the other hand, was watching, hiding from the shadows. It was still not the time.

 Before Hetaria, who was standing beside Mark, could react, he ordered her “Please wait a moment. ーOi, Hetaira. Bring Toshiki and choose a random slave. And bring some slave contracts afterwards.

 “This seer, Meena, apparently seems to possess the ability to bypass the constraints of the slave contract to an extent. Although she seems to unable to invalidate her own slave crest.”

 “Oh? She can make the slave crest lose effectiveness?”

 Mark continued with “Yes, it is as you said”.

 I also have heard that the pain induced by the slave crest was unimaginable.

 With this, one of the pitiable slaves would be chosen as a sacrifice to suffer the pain.

 As I hesitatingly showed myself, I looked at Mark who was looking at me in contempt on the way I stealthily sneaked and eavesdropped on them.

 As I saw it, Aurelius looked at me and was sarcastically smiling.

 “Here they are, Master. I had brought a slave named Kane and Toshiki. I had also had here in my hands both of their contracts.”

 “Good, you’ve done well Hetaira. We can now start the demonstration. ー Kane, Toshiki, leave your upper body bare and sit side by side here.”

 Both of us were calledー Me and the other guy, the sacrificial slave who was made to be compared to me. Both of us were half-naked sitting side-by-side between Aurelius and Mark.

 Especially the lizardman slave next to me, Kane should absolutely prepare for what was about to come. Because it was decided that he will suffer pain from the slave crest.

 Aurelius composedly nod at the information he heard from his escort, “I have the confirmation now” he said while he smiled broadly.

 “Well then, please hand them down the punishment magic. Only one of them should have a reaction.”

 “… Um, Mark.”

 “What is it?”

 “In the event that it does what it’s supposed to, what will you do?”

 “What do you mean by if it does what it’s supposed to? ーOh, don’t you worry about that. These slaves were already needing to be punished for their bad attitude, so there is no need for sympathy.”

 “… Oh well. Both of you. Kane and Toshiki was it? Both of you just suffer for a moment. [Torture].”

 Instantly, the lizardman next to me called Kane, his slave crest glowed and he writhed on the ground. He made a sound, as if the air had been squeezed out of his lungs, and bent backwards, desperately clawing at his chest

 Kane was scratching at his chest so much that it broke his skin, it was when he was bleeding that he stopped scratching himself. He was gasping as if the sounds were coming from the back of his throat, he seemed to be in real pain if he was breathing with such noise.

 Meanwhile, I didn’t feel anything.

 As it was right now, Meena would be sold away to Aurelius. And in return, Mark would gain the right to open a shop in Oasis district, and I would be guilty of the crime of embezzling the money of the shop.

 In other words, Mark would be the sole winner.

 “I thank you for your consideration.”

 Beaming with a smile of joy, Mark respectfully bowed his head.

 “ーー Seize him!”

 The venerable Aurelius suddenly bellowed. At the same time, his two escorts pinned Mark to the ground.

 “What!?”

 It was too sudden for Mark to resist. He was thrown to the ground and his arms were restrained in an instant.

 But on the other hand, I 'understood' everything.

 “Sorry to make you wait, our honorable visitor from afar. No, it should be Toshiki.”

 While untying the rope tied to my body, the venerable Aurelius looked at me with a smile.

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Chapter end