At a certain trading company.

At a certain trading company in the Gidlarga Empire.

An oni woman in a maid outfit was serving tea to her human master, a merchant, and his guest.

She set the cups down with a soft clink as the two rotund men conducted business.

Around her neck hung a slave collar, worn as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The horn on her forehead had been filed down nearly to the root, leaving only a flat stump.

"… It's about time to procure a new one, I suppose."

The merchant muttered this while eyeing the oni woman's flattened horn.

Oni. Classified as humanoids, yet beings perilously close to monsters.

Their horns possessed various medicinal properties: fatigue recovery, stamina enhancement, appetite stimulation, improved circulation. But the horns of oni women in particular were prized for boosting virility.

In short, they were high-quality aphrodisiacs that fetched a premium price.

Only a minuscule amount could be harvested from any single individual, making horn powder so precious it could be exchanged for platinum coins of equal weight.

And so, within the Empire, oni women whose horns could be harvested were also a resource, secretly traded behind closed doors.

"Oh my. Does that mean this one is being retired? She's still young. Will you sell her off to a brothel?"

"Hahaha, you'd be surprised how many eccentrics pay good money to bed a monster-like creature. Once the horn's shaved down completely, she looks hardly different from a human anyway. She'll serve well enough."

The oni woman grimaced at the guest's question and the merchant's answer.

"Oh? What's with that face? Do you have some complaint against the man who saved you from being eaten by a dragon? Come now, express your gratitude."

"… Yes. Thank you very much, Master."

"Bwahaha! That's more like it. Monster-like creatures had best learn to curry favor if they don't want to be exterminated."

The oni woman bowed her head. Not a shred of sincerity in the gesture.

At first, she truly had believed she'd been rescued from being a sacrifice. She'd even felt a bitter satisfaction, thinking the village would be in trouble now that she, the one meant to be the sacrifice, was gone. Served them right.

Then this merchant had tricked her into signing a slave contract by calling it an "employment contract." She learned she'd been deceived immediately after.

No dragon had ever demanded an oni sacrifice. It was all a farce by these merchants. A fraud designed to "procure" oni women.

And this merchant had smugly explained it all while filing down her horn with a metal rasp. The horn that could be called an oni's very life.

"Killing them and taking the horns? That's the lowest of the low. With Healing Magic, you can harvest the same horn multiple times. That's why you keep them alive and enslaved… A product profitable enough even after paying tithes to the church. Bwahahaha!"

But even healing had its limits. Gradually, the oni woman's horn failed to fully recover, growing smaller each time. The result was the flat horn she bore now.

"My, my. What a fine product indeed. I'd love to get in on this myself."

"Oh? Then how about buying this one? There's still a bit of horn left… What do you think of this?"

He scrawled the woman's price on a slip of paper. The pricing was razor-thin, factoring in remaining horn and potential brothel resale. A bit too harsh to call a "fair price."

The guest merchant glanced at the number and smiled.

"Done. I'll take her at that price."

"Certain? No returns."

"Quite certain. Rather, you're the one who shouldn't be backing out now, understand?"

"Then let's settle it right here."

They tapped their Guild Cards together, and just like that, the transaction was complete.

After all, while she was bound by a slave contract, oni weren't considered people in the Empire. As pharmaceutical ingredients, they were goods, tradeable by anyone with a medicine license. No slave trader required.

"Still, even if you sell all the remaining horn, surely it won't turn a profit?"

"Nonsense. If you dig in, there's still plenty to be had. More than enough to turn a profit."

"Ah! Digging in… I hadn't thought of that. I'll do the same from now on."

"Just be careful not to scrape out the contents of their skulls by accident, hahaha!"

At those words, words that made it absolutely clear they didn't consider the oni human, the oni woman felt her consciousness fade.

Nothing remained but despair. The slave contract meant she couldn't even flee.

"Well then, I'll be off to the 'farm' to procure some fresh 'ingredients.'"

"Ooh. More medicine in circulation, then. Excellent news."

"Oh! Would you like to come along?"

The merchant invited the guest with a smile.

"Oh? Is that alright? I thought the 'farm' was kept secret."

"Well, I'm thinking it's about time to harvest everything. Could use the extra hands. Lately, it seems some of them have gotten wise and started talking about grabbing 'sacrifices' from somewhere else."

"Hmm, I see, I see. If mere monster-like creatures dare lay hands on humans, extermination would be warranted… I assume helping out earns me a share?"

"But of course."

The merchants exchanged grins and shook hands.

The deal was struck.