Evil God Average Jashin Average – 9

Chapter 9 – First Purchase

This marks the final chapter that I’ve promised you guys. So expect no more chapters. I mean, it doesn’t mean I won’t do them, but don’t expect any! Because they won’t come! Although I might post some. But they won’t come! So you’d better not expect any!

This is a teaser! And I’m doing more teasers which might turn out to be even more amazing to some of you, so yeah! Holdest thy tongue!

A kantoui（貫頭衣） is a Japanese type of clothing that’s basically a simple cloth with a hole for putting the head through, worn like a poncho. According to a certain Chinese text, Japanese people were wearing these at the end of the third century.

Former adventurer, Dungeon Master Anri here.

I fell asleep while still in the bath so I thought I would catch a cold, but I turned out as healthy as ever.

I can’t change, so I’m stuck with being soaking wet like this…

Well, if I walk outside for a while it’ll probably dry off, but because I’m soaked down to my underwear it feels gross.

Pulling myself together, I took out food from my item box and after having a simple breakfast, I teleported to the entrance.

Leaving the dungeon, I headed towards town.

Because of the curse I can’t change, and I can only worry about the problem of “clothing” without being able to do anything.

Even if I could harvest them, I’m not a vegetarian so it’d be tough for me to live only eating vegetables.

With the events with the church and the Adventurers Guild, a group of people probably already have suspicions towards me, and once the transformation of the dungeon is known, it wouldn’t be strange even if there were people who linked the timing together.

Considering that I’ll be unable to enter and exit the town, I want somebody I can entrust the shopping to, but unfortunately I have nobody to rely on.

Even if I were to hire someone, there’s nobody I can trust and leave everything to, so there’s only one choice left that comes to mind.

Showing my Adventurers Card and entering the town, I headed towards the slave dealer.

I first found out that this world had slavery right after I reached town.

Based on the information I heard from other peoples’ conversations, as well as some guesses of my own, the slaves of this world are apparently separated into four types; people whose statuses had been dropped to slavery as punishment, the crime slaves; people from a defeated country who were taken as war prisoners, the war slaves; people who had fallen to slavery as security for a loan, the debt slaves; and finally people who were born to two slave parents, the birth slaves.
There are various reasons why they separate the origins of the slaves, but they’re all unrecognised as humans all the same, and bought and sold for money.

The slaves are forced by a contract to their master to absolute obedience.

Even if you ordered “kill yourself”, no matter how much they tried to refuse, their body would move on its own and they would suicide.

Because they’re fundamentally expensive, I dont think people would kill them on a whim too often, but that’s not an absolute.
The most expensive slaves are young females, followed by men with good builds.

As someone born in Japan, I’m opposed to the slavery system, but a person who won’t betray me no matter what could be said to be the most suitable.

“Welcome. Will you be purchasing a slave today?”

When I entered the shop a neatly dressed, tidy-looking man asked me that at the very beginning.

When I nodded, he guided me to one of the tables set in the shop.
The shopkeeper sat down right opposite me, and our business talk began.

“Our shop has all sorts of slaves prepared. What kind of slave could it be that you are looking for?”

“In the first half of their teens, and a female… ah, and on the verge of death.”

The moment I stated my request, the shopkeeper froze, and looked my way.

There’s no doubt that it was the third condition that he reacted to, but of course I have proper reasons for saying it.

If it’s somebody who doesn’t have long because of illness or injury, then even if they’re a girl in their early teens, I thought that the price would be lowered greatly.

The second reason is that even if I bought a slave here and left the shopping and my daily life to them, there’s the problem of that slave being afraid of me.

Even though with the absolute obedience to their master, a slave can’t go against them, in the end they’re only bound in their actions.

I’ve come up with one countermeasure, but for that to work I need them to accept me at least once.
If they’re not somebody grasping at straws on the verge of death, they won’t meet the prerequisites.

“Of course, there aren’t many slaves like that, but we do have some. I must trouble you to come downstairs with me. Would that be all right, miss?”

Nodding in reply, I followed him into the back of the shop.

After descending some narrow stairs, a jail came into view, the illuminating torchlight interrupted by the cell bars.

All of them were completely naked, but while some were lying on plain futons, others were sitting with their backs against the stone wall.

“According to your requirements miss, it should be those in this area. If any catch your eye, I will give a detailed explanation but…”

I interrupted the shopkeeper who was turned to me and speaking by lining up beside him, and at an angle where he wouldn’t see my face, I removed my hood and looked over the women in the cage.

Those who trembled and averted their eyes, those who didn’t react and just unmovingly stared into space, and just one who, though frail, was looking in my direction without budging.
I stepped forwards towards the only one that showed a different response, and stared beyond the bars.

That girl was sitting just by the bars, sitting powerlessly against the wall.

Even her face that would have surely been pretty if she was healthy had sunken cheeks, and was just a shadow of what it probably had been.
But even on the verge of death, she registered my presence, and had her blue eyes turned to me.

“This girl is?”

“Her name is Tena, and she’s 14 years old. She was born in a village a little distance from Riemel, and is a debt slave, but on the way here she was attacked by a fatal disease and she probably only has a month left to live.”

They’re cruel words to say before the person in question, and Tena trembled when she heard them.

Despite knowing that her life was about to end soon, without giving up, she was still clinging to the desire to live.

“If it’s me, then I might be able to save her.”

After dropping those words, I could see that her blue eyes that were looking at me were shaken.

It’s probably that because she spent each day attacked by a fear of death stronger than the fear given by my eyes, her sense of danger was numbed.

“I don’t have any proof, but if you’ll believe and accept me, then take this hand.”

In front of the bars, I held out my hand.
For a while, Tena looked at my face, and the hand I was holding out, but in the end she timidly held out her hand and met mine.

“How much?”

“The cost is 5 silver coins.”

While lightly grasping this thin hand that seemed breakable even with my feeble strength, I asked the shopkeeper behind me for the price, and got that kind of reply.

The shopkeeper probably felt a lot of doubts about my words and actions, but perhaps because of his awareness as a professional, he didn’t ask me about it.

“Got it. Then I’d like you to dress her in any random clothes; I’ll pay for the extra.”

“No, if it’s just simple clothing for slaves, then it’s complimentary.”

He summoned a tough-looking assistant man who opened the cage and carried Tena out.

“We’ll hand her over once we’ve washed the body and given her clothes. We’ll need you to finish the paperwork in the meanwhile, so please come back to the seat from earlier.”

I followed the shopkeeper at his prompt, and left behind the underground jail.

Sitting down when I returned to the shopfront, I entered the necessary details into the contract sheet, and paid 5 silver coins.

“We have certainly received it. Finally, there’s the registration of the slave, and the paperwork will be done.”

When he said that, with good timing came the man with Tena in his arms.

It wasn’t tied up with a belt, so her naked young body could be seen from the sides.

Laid on the floor, there was a collar that hadn’t been there before around her neck.

“Please touch her collar with your hand.”

Following the shopkeeper’s words, I stood up from my chair and reached my hand out to the collar on Tena’s neck.

After touching it for a while, the collar shone with light.
Is this the same make-up as the Adventurers Card?

『Tena has been enslaved.』

Just like the times I enchanted something, or the time I became a dungeon master, I heard a voice from somewhere.

“With this, she’s become your slave, and has absolute obedience to you. Because she can’t walk, would you like us to call you a carriage?”

“I don’t need it; I’ll carry her.”

Saying that, I ignored the shaken shopkeeper and assistant, as well as Tena’s voice, and grabbing her arms, I placed her on my back.

I’m not sure what kind of expression the shopkeeper was giving me when I left the store.

She was light.

To add to that, she was thin enough that her ribs were showing, and she had so little weight that even the powerless me could easily carry her. Somehow that lightness made me sad.

After leaving the shop, I entered an alleyway and walked a little, and after finding a place where nobody was around, I let her down to the ground.
Tena who was sitting on the ground looked up imploringly at me as I stood next to her, and in reply I took a step back from her and removed my hood.

“You swore to believe in me.”

“…Yes.”

For the first time, words came out of her mouth.
Hearing her answer, I thrust a finger at her forehead.

“If those words of yours are true, then accept this.”

Saying that, I used my skill consciously for the first time.

“Divine Enchantment.”

『Divine protection has been granted to Tena.』
『Divine protection has been granted to Slave Clothing.』

Together with those words, Tena was engulfed in gathering darkness.
When the darkness cleared, Tena’s appearance had completely changed.

The blonde hair that was dull even after being cleaned was now radiantly sparkling, and her sunken cheeks and fleshless limbs were now full, and the softness characteristic to a girl had returned.

Her clothing resembled the kantoui as well, but it had morphed into something resembling a blackened version of an ancient miko outfit, decorated with ornaments.
More than anything, her atmosphere of near death had disappeared, and the brilliance of a bishoujo returned to her.

Mn, seems that it went well.

I expected that even a fatal illness could be cured in an instant with it.
That even her clothing would change was a little beyond expectations, but if it’s cursed… sorry.

“Eh-…. Ah-…”

Dumbfounded at the transformation to herself and her outfit, Tena stared wordlessly at her hands and clothing.

To Tena who thanked me again and again as she clung to the hand I had thrust out earlier, I swallowed down the guilt of distorting her life and future for my own convenience, so that it wouldn’t show on my face.

Tena whose tears had stopped after continually crying for a while had paled upon thinking back at what she had just done.

I wonder if she’s gained resistance to my magic eyes and aura because of her divine protction.

“Stand.””

“Y-, Yes-!”

I didn’t intend on saying it so strongly, but Tena bolted up, and stood at attention waiting formy next words.
It seems that there’s no terror from the skill, but I got the impression that she was nervous to the extreme.

“I want you to live at my home and do the housework and shopping.”

“…Eh?”

? I wonder why did she react to me like she was doubting me?

“Dissatisfied?”

“T-, That would be absurd! Only, umm… is just that much fine?”

Ahh, I see.

Slaves exist to be forced to do things that servants can’t, or won’t do.

If the master was a man then he would probably add serving him at night to that, but I’m a woman so that has nothing to do with me.

“Just that is fine. But, I live quite far from town, so shopping is quite a task.”

“Understood.”

Tena tilted her head in wonder about where I lived, but she probably hasn’t even imagined that I live in a dungeon, huh.
Explaining would be difficult, so I’ll just have her see it for herself.

After buying shoes and underwear for her, I had Tena register at the Adventurers Guild before leaving town.

Chapter end