Just as I handed the girl her bread, a familiar voice called out from the crowd.
"Nana… what happened here?"
A middle-aged woman hurried over, placing a protective hand on the girl's shoulder.
The blonde girl perked up immediately. "Nothing, Aunt! There was this ugly monster, but this super strong lady took care of it in no time!" She pointed straight at me, eyes wide with excitement.
The woman looked up and blinked in surprise. "Roxanne?"
"Hello, Aunty Brisa," I greeted with a small smile. "So she is your family member?"
"Yes," she said with a nod, visibly relieved. But then her expression turned stern as she turned to the girl. "And you—where did you run off to? I told you not to leave the shop while I'm with customers!"
"Sorry, Aunty! I was just hungry and went to buy some bread, that's all," the girl replied sheepishly, holding up the slightly flattened loaf.
"That may be, but you can't just go running off alone in a city like this! This is Quratar, not your little village—monsters can appear at any moment here in the Labyrinth City!" Brisa was clearly gearing up for a full lecture. The girl looked down in guilt, clutching the bread.
Lillia leaned in, keeping her sword back and whispered, "Um, Roxanne-san… who is she?"
"Oh, this is the Aunty who showed us the house we are living in. She is a kind lady—she even gave me some hoes and seeds for free," I whispered back.
Lillia nodded in understanding.
Brisa turned her attention back to me with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry she caused you trouble, and thank you for protecting her. Just like I told your Master—he is very lucky to have you as his slave."
Her eyes—rather blatantly—flicked down to my chest. I resisted the urge to sigh.
"It was just a kobold, Aunty," I replied with a wry smile.
"Still. Thank you." Then she turned to Lillia, eyeing her up and down. "And I suppose this must be your Master's new slave?"
Lillia stepped forward politely. "Yes, Aunty. I am Lillia. It's nice to meet you."
Brisa rubbed her chin, her eyes now lingering on Lillia's chest. "Mhm. He's really a lucky man."
"I wanted to thank you too," the girl said, stepping closer and looking up at me with bright, curious eyes.
"She's my niece, Nana," Aunty Brisa added with a sigh. "She's from a small village out west, so she gets a little too excited seeing the big city."
"Mou, that's not true, Aunty! I told you—I just went to buy bread, that's all," Nana replied, pouting as she looked up at her.
"Sure, sure. Well, I'm not letting you out of my sight again. If my brother finds out what happened today, he will skin me alive. He worries about you far too much," Aunty muttered, rubbing her forehead.
"Roxanne-san," Nana said, suddenly turning her attention back to me. "Were you serious? Could your Master really defeat that kobold in a single strike?"
"Yes!" I replied without hesitation. "Master would just swing his amazing sword—swoosh!—and the kobold would go poof! before he even finishes the swing!" I added with confidence.
"I've seen it happen many times in the labyrinth," I said, puffing my chest out a little.
"That man's really that strong?" Aunty asked, clearly surprised.
"Wow! He must be super powerful then!" Nana added excitedly, her green eyes sparkling.
"Yes. Master is far stronger than me," I nodded with a proud smile.
"Alright then, let me take you both back to the shop. And please, let me treat you to some tea and snacks," Aunty said warmly, smiling at us.
"Ah, no need, Aunty. We were just out for a bit of shopping, that's all," I replied, waving my hands in polite refusal.
"Nonsense. You saved my niece—at least let me show a little gratitude," she said, grabbing both my hand and Lillia's. "If your Master gets upset, just tell him I forced you to come," she added with a playful wink.
I opened my mouth to protest that she really… was forcing us. But in the end I could only smile wryly and follow along.
"Today is our day off, so Master wouldn't get upset," Lillia said, gently correcting her.
"Oh? A day off? Tell me more," Aunty asked with curiosity.
By now, the crowd had already dispersed. It seemed like monster encounters were a fairly common thing here in Quratar.
The four of us began walking toward her hardware shop, located in the city square near the labyrinth.
Nana didn't seem shaken at all from the incident and she seemed to be quite the chatterbox—something she definitely shared with her aunt. She kept talking animatedly, telling us how her father had left her here for a few days while he traveled to the Imperial Capital for some work.
"Wait—your father is a Noble? Doesn't that make you, and even Aunty a Noble too?" I asked, surprised by how casually she mentioned it.
"Ah, no need to fuss over that," Aunty Brisa said, cutting into the conversation with a wave of her hand. "My late father—Nana's grandfather—was just a minor noble from a tiny village. And I gave up our family title when I married my husband. My father wasn't exactly thrilled that I chose to marry a commoner you see," she added with a wry smile.
"But Dad's told me many times that, as the current head of the family, he can reinstate you anytime, Aunty," Nana chimed in, looking up at her.
"Haha, your father has enough on his plate already. And besides, there are far too many restrictions that come with being a Noble. Life as a free merchant suits me much better," Aunty said with an easy laugh.
"So Nana is a noble?" Lillia asked, looking over at the girl with curiosity.
"Not yet! But I will officially inherit the family name next year when I come of age," Nana replied proudly with a wide grin.
I found it all quite surprising—so this is how nobility worked really? Sherry would probably know more about this kind of thing.
"You can all sit down inside," Aunty said as we reached the hardware shop. "I'll have someone bring you tea and snacks."
Just as she was about to head inside, I stepped up and caught her by the arm, speaking in a whisper out of the others' earshot.
"Aunty, could you keep Lillia busy here for a while? I want to get her a gift—but I would like it to be a surprise."
"Got it—leave it to me," Aunty said with a wink.
"Thank you," I replied gratefully. I turned to Lillia and Nana and told them I had forgotten something at a shop and needed to go retrieve it.
I felt a little guilty for lying to Lillia, but I didn't want her to know I was out buying gifts for everyone. She might feel obligated to buy something for me in return—and since Master hadn't given her extra money, that would only leave her with less to spend on herself.
"It's for her own sake," I whispered to myself, trying to justify it.
Fortunately, I had already decided what to buy for everyone.
"I will take these five hairbrushes," I told the shopkeeper, pointing at the selection I had set aside earlier—just before Nana was attacked.
Each brush had a slightly different design, so we could all have one suited to us. I knew the others needed them—especially Sherry with her voluminous hair and Lillia with her thick, woolly curls.
I had considered buying Miria a fishing knife, but that felt like something she should pick out herself. Knowing her, she would definitely have her own preferences, and it would be better to shop for it together.
"Now, for Master's gift," I murmured with a smile, tucking the hairbrushes into Master's magic bag.
Choosing something for Master was the hardest. I had thought about buying clothes, but he already had so many—and all of better quality than anything I could buy.
Then I remembered how his hair was getting a little long. So in the end, I decided on a pair of scissors. That way, I could offer to cut his hair for him… which, of course, should absolutely fall under the duties of his number one slave.
Since it was getting late, I hurried back, picking up a few fresh loaves of bread on the way. It would help as a cover story for why I had taken so long—and naturally, I didn't forget to pack one for Master.
—
"Oh, it's almost noon, Roxanne-san," Lillia said, glancing up at the sky.
"We spent quite a bit of time at Aunty's shop," I replied with a wry smile as we stood together, browsing through scarves at a roadside stall.
"Yes, but the tea was so sweet. Do you think they used honey?" Lillia asked curiously.
"Hmm, there was a hint of honey, but I think Aunty's slaves must also be quite skilled at making tea," I answered thoughtfully. "She seems like a good Master too—though of course, no one could ever compare to our Master," I added with a grin.
"That's true," Lillia chuckled, nodding. "Nana was really sweet too. I always thought Nobles were intimidating, but she didn't fit that image at all."
"Yes, she is a kind girl," I said, remembering how she kept offering us snacks before even eating any herself.
"So, where should we go now?" Lillia asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as we walked away from the stall without buying anything.
"…We should head back home," I said after a brief pause.
"Alright," she replied, her mood dipping just a little.
"We've already bought a lot, and I have a feeling Master might be getting home soon," I added, trusting my gut.
"Oh, if that's the case, then we should hurry back," Lillia said, her tone instantly more serious.
"And there is no need to feel down, Lilla. Master won't be taking back the leftover money, so we can just come back next week with our new allowance and get anything you missed today," I said, trying to cheer her up as we made our way home.
"No, no, it's not that—I don't even know what more I could buy," Lillia said with a bright smile. "I just enjoyed spending time looking around and browsing. That's all."
"Yes, the market is quite fun to wander through," I replied with a smile.
'Roxanne, can you hear me?'
I froze mid-step, realizing that Master's voice was echoing directly in my mind.
'Yes, Master. I'm here,' I replied promptly, feeling a flutter of delight just from hearing his voice.
"Roxanne-san?" Lillia asked, puzzled, but I motioned for her to wait and stepped to the side of the road.
'Roxanne, the auction here is almost over. I wanted to check—are you back at the house, or still outside?'
'Lillia and I are just on our way back home, Master,' I replied. I wanted to ask how the auction had gone, but I held back.
'Good. There's apparently another auction at noon, hosted by the Merchant's guild. There might even be some items from the labyrinth included.'
I couldn't help but smile, hearing Master's voice so filled with excitement.
'Is Master planning to attend that auction too, then?' I asked.
'Yes. Anastasia will be attending with me as well.'
'Understood, Master,' I replied. Anastasia must have proven herself if Master was taking her to the next Auction too.
'So, I hate to ask this on your day off, but I'm planning to drop off our new family members at the house. Until this next auction is over, can I count on you to look after them?'
'Of course, Master. That is not a problem at all,' I answered happily, pleased that he needed me. Though… I did notice he said members—as in plural.
'Excellent. And if it's not too much trouble, could you and Lillia take them out to buy some basic necessities too? I will give you the money, of course.'
'Understood,' I nodded to myself, knowing full well that this sort of task was exactly what Master's Number One slave should be handling.
'Now, there are a few things about them you should know beforehand…'
'Yes, Master. I am listening,' I said, bracing myself.
'First of all… their number. The auction was a bit too successful, you could say. Their total number is… thirteen.'
"EHHHH!!"
My eyes went wide as I instinctively clutched at my ears, checking if they were working properly.
'Roxanne? Are you there? Is the skill working? Shit… did I break Roxanne?'
***
I give a heartfelt thanks to my new Patreon Supporters! :)
Max Miron
You are Gamma level on Patreon and Tier 0 on Discord now!!
Empereur3
Kieron Haydon
You both are Alpha level on Patreon and Tier 1 on Discord now!!
Sherbert
Rainbow666666
You both are Omega level on Patreon and Tier 5 on Discord now!!