Buying a Sister

Azu had killed six sheep, more than expected, and was waiting for me.

But there'd been some trouble, apparently.

The officials in this town were, frankly, unmotivated. Ever since the lord took ill, nothing good had come from that direction.

Still, having your kills stolen. Being alone was clearly why she'd been targeted.

These were things you only understood through experience.

I brought the sheep to the butcher and had them broken down into meat and pelts. The pelts would be processed into goods. I set some meat aside and wholesaled the rest to the butcher as-is.

The pelts would make fine bedding.

All six sheep together came to roughly one gold coin.

Azu's abilities had clearly outgrown the beginner stage.

I started giving her slightly higher-ranked quests.

Combat quests were no problem. Injuries stayed minimal. I'd told her not to skimp on potions, after all.

Quests that required thinking or adaptability were less impressive. She wasn't stupid, from what I could tell. Just uneducated.

I dispatched Azu on a longer assignment.

The monster population had skewed in a sandy area not too far away, and the job was to cull a specific species to rebalance it. Not as extreme as the Black Snake situation, and I judged the danger manageable.

I also gave her strict orders to retreat if things got dangerous. If another centipede-level crisis happened, Azu would die for certain this time.

While she was away, I paid the slave merchant another visit.

He'd sent word a few days ago. I was here to see the merchandise in person.

The slave merchant wore his trademark smile, same as always.

He led me into a room where a woman sat tied to a chair.

She was bound tightly with rope, the bindings emphasizing her figure.

But what caught my eye more than the provocative sight was…

"A habit…? A sister slave?"

"Indeed. Rare, isn't it?"

"Rare? Selling a cleric into slavery is illegal."

The slave merchant snickered, a genuine laugh this time.

First real one I'd ever seen from him.

"That would be the Church of the Sun God's rule. 'The enslavement of those who serve the Sun God and its affiliated deities is forbidden.' It was formalized into continental law at the Sun God Church's urging, so clerics are virtually never enslaved. Even if it were to happen, it would only be after expulsion or excommunication from the church."

I'd learned this when I'd first researched slave-buying.

And indeed, selling a servant of the gods as a slave would be a bad look, even if technically legal.

"However, this sister is in service as a cleric. She can use healing miracles, blessings, and acceleration boons."

This was a government-licensed, legal operation.

Meaning the sister here was a legal slave.

"Are you familiar with the Church of the Creator King?"

"No, can't say I am."

When I said that, the bound sister looked at me for the first time. Purple eyes, different from Azu's. Eyes that radiated a fierce will.

"It's an old faith, apparently. I don't know the details myself, but… essentially, it predated the Church of the Sun God. Only a handful of believers remain, and they're on extremely bad terms with the Sun God Church…"

So Sun God clerics were protected, but Creator King clerics could be bought and sold freely. No, that was ridiculous. Just convenient suppression by the Sun God Church.

Ah, religious politics. That explained it.

That said, the Creator King faith had withered to near-extinction. Its clerics were so rare that the law was practically meaningless, but one happened to wind up here.

"But why bring this to me? No offense, but there must be plenty of buyers."

"Oh, several nobles have already reached out. Told them she's sold. I want to sell her to you."

"Why?"

"You know as well as I do what happens to most female slaves. I won't sugarcoat it. I've sold many into exactly that, through proper channels. I don't consider it wrong."

The slave merchant stroked his chin.

"I'm a believer in the Sun God. I donate regularly. Call it hedging my bets with the divine, but I'd rather not jeopardize my good fortune."

Merchants placed great stock in luck. I understood that mindset.

"Honestly, selling a sister for… those purposes sits poorly with me. Of course, if you don't buy her, I'll sell to the next in line. Whatever happens to her happens. But you'd be the least objectionable option."

True enough. I wasn't buying slaves for my bed.

Sure, it'd save the cost of visiting a brothel, but it wouldn't earn me anything.

I studied the sister.

Long, well-maintained golden hair. Refined features. Strong-willed purple eyes. Beautiful figure. The ropes only accentuated it further.

Around her neck hung a rosary with a cross distinct from the Sun God's.

"That makes sense, but why is she tied up?"

The slave merchant flashed his second real smile of the day.

"That's your sort of thing, isn't it?"

I didn't dignify that with a response. I paid a considerable sum for the sister.

A hundred forty gold coins. An expensive purchase. I could only hope the return on investment would be worth it.

Her name was Elza, apparently.

I bought her essentials and brought her back to the shop.

I left the store to my employee for the time being.

The employee shot me a look that said this person is at it again, but I ignored it.

I put Elza in my room for now.

I took the chair; Elza sat on the carpeted floor.

She obeyed without a single complaint.

Her posture was strikingly proper compared to Azu's. The cleric training, no doubt.

Having a woman in a habit in my room was a peculiar feeling.

Well then. Time to get to know her a bit.