Well, I can tell he’s definitely a good guy, so if the two of them are all right with it, I guess I am, too, I thought.
After that, even though I put some serious conditions on their treatment of the slaves, buyers came in every day, and within a few days, the only one left with me was San.
The reason San had been left for last was because she was helping me. It had been too much for me to handle all of those people by myself, and San had been a tremendous help to me.
Of course, with her beauty and shapely figure, there had been many buyers who’d wanted to buy her under conditions no less good than the sisters Anzu and Shiho had received. However, San herself said, “I will stay to help you until all of the others have been bought, Master Ginger.” So I’d indulged in her kind generosity.
We were in the shop before opening. While sitting at the counter, I looked to San who was beside me offering me tea.
“San, you…”
“What is it, Master Ginger?” she asked.
“Um… Well… It’s nothing…”
“Hm?”
San had worked hard for the slaves, and for me. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t felt something when I’d seen her doing that.
Fortunately, everyone had been bought, and thanks to the nobles, I had some financial leeway for the time being. If I were to release San from slavery, we could start a new business together. I had started to wonder about the possibilities.
But… I’m sure someone better will come along for San, I thought. There’s no guarantee that my new business will succeed, and maybe San would be happier that way, too.
While I was thinking about it, the door that I was sure I had a “Closed” sign on it opened. When I looked up, wondering what it could be, there was a single young man there.
“I have a request,” the young man said. “Could I ask you sell that slave to me?”
The young man was dressed like a traveler from another country. He wore a conical straw hat low over his forehead, as well as a traveling cloak. The way he looked… Was he from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, perhaps?
“Um, we aren’t open for business yet…” I said.
“I apologize,” said the young man. “I was charmed when I saw that raccoon girl, and I simply couldn’t help myself. Is there any way you could give me that slave? Of course, I intend to pay well more than she’s worth. Once I’ve bought her, I will also set her free.”
“How much would you be paying, exactly?” San asked.
“San?!” I exclaimed.
While I was still surprised that San was trying to move things forward on her own, she gave me a grin. “You did well for all of the other slaves, Master Ginger. I am the only one left. That being the case, as one last service, I will sell myself for a high price, and give you the extra money. Please, use it to start your new business.”
“What are you saying?!”
Had San been thinking about that all along?
The young, foreign man dropped a small bag of coins on the table. “In this bag there are ten large gold coins and fifty gold coins. Will this price be acceptable?”
Ten large gold coins and fifty gold coin was… 1,000,000G?! The average slave went for 10,000G to 20,000G. Could he just plop down that kind of money?!
This young man… there’s something strange about him…
He was acting like rich men often did, using the power of their money to get their way, but I didn’t get that same unpleasant feeling from the young man in front of me. Unlike Sir Piltory, who had taken the two sisters, it didn’t feel like he was in love with San, either. If anything… I felt as though his attention was focused on me. Like he was watching to see what I would do when presented with a large amount of money…
While I was eyeing him cautiously, San bowed her head to the young man.
“It is enough. Please, take me.”
“I told you, don’t decide that for yourself!” I stood up and placed myself between them, picking up the bag of coins and thrusting it back toward the man. “I’m terribly sorry, but she’s not for sale. When I start my new business, I want her there to work for me.”
“Master Ginger…”
San’s eyes were wide with surprise. This was… my selfishness.
“I’m sorry, San,” I said. “It may be better for you to be bought by this person. He clearly has considerable finances, and I can’t guarantee my business will succeed.”
But, I couldn’t do it. When San was… about to be stolen away from me, I finally realized it. How strongly I felt that I didn’t want to lose her.
“But, out of my own selfishness, I don’t want to let go of you,” I said.
“Master Ginger… I acted presumptuously…” San teared up as she said that. Then she walked over to me and bowed her head. “Please… Let me stay at your side, Master Ginger…”
“Yes. Of course I will.” I gently embraced San.
After doing that for a little while, I recalled that we were completely ignoring the young, foreign customer. When I looked at him, the young man had an awkward, forced smile on his face.
I let go of San and bowed to the young man. “I–I’m sorry!”
“No, uh… I was wrong, too,” he said. “I had just meant to test you, but I didn’t expect you two to suddenly start confessing your love for one another… Uh, congratulations.”
“Th-Thank you… very much,” I stumbled.
H-How embarrassing. Just remembering that whole sequence of events made my face feel like it was on fire.
…Wait, huh? Testing me? Had this guy just said he was testing me?
Out from behind the young man, an adorable girl in a hooded robe who wore her hair in bunches entered the shop. That girl came up beside the young man with a cheery smile on her face.
“See? He’s an interestin’ slave trader, just like Sebastian said, huh?”
“You can say that again,” said the young man. “I doubt there’s another like him anywhere in this world. I guess, as the saying goes, it’s always darkest under the lamppost. Who would have thought there was still a talented person like this hidden in the royal capital. This is why I can never get tired of head-hunting.”
Then the young man removed his hat. That face… I had seen it on the Jewel Voice Broadcast!
“Y-Your Majesty?!” I yelped.
There stood His Majesty, Souma Kazuya.
What was more, the girl standing next to him was Princess Roroa of the former Principality of Amidonia, whose betrothal to King Souma had been announced during the Jewel Voice Broadcast earlier! San and I hastened to bow before them, but His Majesty said, “Ah, I’m here in secret right now, so none of that,” and stopped us.
“Um… Sire… What are you doing here?” I asked, my head still a mess of confusion.
Souma grinned. “I’ve heard good things about you. Like that you taught slaves how to write and do arithmetic, and arranged for them to be bought by places that would treat them well. From now on, slave traders around the capital will start imitating you and educating their slaves. It seems the treatment slaves receive has gotten better, too.”
“I–I see…”
“From the looks of it, you don’t realize your own incredible accomplishment,” he continued. “Well, maybe you were able to pull it off precisely because you’re that humble.”
King Souma nodded to himself, seeming satisfied with that explanation.
“Ginger. You tried to improve the treatment of those in the weakest position in society by giving them jobs. As a result, those slaves are slaves no more. This is something that people at the top, like Madam Maria and I, couldn’t have accomplished so easily, even though we wanted to, you know? Yet you, out here in the field, pulled it off.”