Lancer initially thought he had just conveniently caught a thief, but he didn't expect to get a 'surprise', or rather a 'shock', after taking the person to the guardhouse.
"Lieutenant Colonel, that thief has confessed to everything, and she's a repeat offender here. She had never been caught before..."
Lancer didn't hear what the guard said at all; his eyes were completely focused on the 'file' in his hand.
It had been over a year since he came to this world, but in reality, he hadn't met many 'plot characters'. Besides General Budo at the very beginning, there was Liver from the western border army. Later, he thought about it carefully. Although he didn't know 'which period' he was in, he was sure that it was a period of time before the plot began. At this time, the protagonist, Tatsumi, was probably still playing in the mud in his village, so he had long given up hope of finding the so-called 'plot characters'.
But he didn't expect that 'flowers you tend may not bloom, while willows you plant unintentionally may grow into a shade'. Today, he actually ran into one.
The name of this 'girl' in front of him was Leone?
But it was obvious that at this time, she had not yet obtained her Teigu and was just an 'ordinary person' who lived by swindling and cheating in the Imperial Capital's slums.
"Get to the point. What's the plan for this thief?"
"Yes, according to Imperial law, a thief must pay back twice the amount of what was stolen to the victim, and at the same time, must serve 5 years of hard labor. The other party is a repeat offender; we have a record of over 10 cases. But looking at her, she probably can't afford the compensation. Without a doubt, she'll probably be sold to a slave merchant..."
"I'll buy her."
Lancer interrupted the other party before he could finish speaking.
"?"
The member of the guardhouse was obviously stunned, but in the end, he nodded.
The guardhouse selling criminals to slave merchants was just a part of their job, and the other party privately selling Leone to Lancer was already an abuse of power. But in reality, there was a lot of room for manipulation in this kind of thing. They could just find a slave merchant they had a good relationship with and go through the 'process'.
Of course, this was also because Lancer identity as a 'Lieutenant Colonel' played a role. No one at this age who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Imperial Guards was simple.
On the other side, Leone, who was sitting in the holding cell, also had a gloomy expression.
She had tried everything on the way, from seduction to sneak attacks, but unfortunately, she couldn't escape. As a 'repeat offender', she knew better than anyone what the consequences of her actions were.
But she was helpless.
Born in the slums, if she didn't rely on swindling and cheating, her only fate was to sell her body. After all, there was no way out for a poor girl with no family.
However, she knew that even if she said something, no one would pity her, so she didn't yell like the others. She just silently recovered her strength. After all, her only chance was when she would be escorted to the slave merchant's place later. After all, she had no chance before or after that.
The guardhouse was heavily guarded, and if she tried to escape, she might even be shot and killed. If she was sent to a slave merchant, she would probably be directly injected with drugs, and there would be no way back.
She wasn't stupid; she knew that her only chance was later!
She just had to act a little more obedient now so that no one would pay attention to her later...
"Creak~!"
As the door of the holding cell was opened, Leone couldn't help but shiver. She knew that success or failure was at...
"I don't think I need to say too much. To compensate the people you stole from, you have already been sold as a slave to this gentleman..."
Listening to the guard's words, Leone face was full of confusion. What was going on?
Leone, following behind Lancer, unconsciously shrank her neck, trying to hide the 'steel collar' on her neck.
The way she was acting now was completely different from before. On the way to the guardhouse, even when Lancer had her hands cuffed, she would still unconsciously resist, but now, she was acting timidly.
As for the reason?
It was simple, it was naturally the 'steel collar' on her neck.
This thing was used to prove a person's status as a slave, and it was also the most crucial reason why Leone didn't dare to escape.
Slaves did not have human rights; they were the private property of their master. And once a slave escaped, they were considered 'ownerless goods left on the side of the road'.
If the Imperial Capital at this time was considered normal because of the guardhouse, it was obvious that slaves were not within the scope of protection. It could be said that no matter what happened to her, it would at most result in 'monetary compensation'.
Especially since she was born in the slums, she had seen the final fate of some slaves who had escaped to the slums. Walking on the street now, she felt that the gazes of the passersby were very 'dangerous'.
But Lancer was thinking about another thing: how should he handle the other party?
There was no doubt that after a year, Lancer was no longer as out of place in this world as before, but there was one thing he was still extremely resistant to, and that was the existence of 'slaves'. This was also why he had earned the title of 'Executioner'.
He didn't have any desires for 'Leone' herself. Although it might be a bit rude to say, Leone, who was at most sixteen or seventeen at this time, had short hair, her body hadn't fully developed, and she had never taken care of herself while living in the slums. In terms of her appearance, she could barely be considered average.
As for her identity as a member of the 'protagonist group'? Lancer had almost killed Ken Kaneki before. He judged a person based on what was happening in front of him, not their identity. The other party hadn't joined Night Raid yet, and she didn't even have a Teigu. She was just a common thief in the Imperial Capital.
"You can be my maid for now."
Lancer abrupt words made Leone, who was following behind him, stunned for a moment, but what else could she do besides nod?
She kept trembling as she walked into a hotel with Lancer.
Although she looked like a tomboy, she couldn't hide her identity as a woman. When she had finished bathing and was wearing a nightgown, lying on the bed with Lancer holding her, her entire body became as stiff as wood. She knew that if Lancer made a move on her, she didn't even have the right to resist. It wasn't just because she was his slave, but also because her physical strength was not as good as his.
Having resigned herself to her fate at this point, her only hope was that after the other party was done with her, he wouldn't just give her away. After all, she had heard of the tragic experiences of some slaves being treated like objects and being sent back and forth.
But what she didn't know was that Lancer, who was holding her, was also incredibly nervous.
Should he be a beast or worse than a beast?
Lancer, who was in a state of excitement, looked at Leone originally stubborn expression turning incredibly panicked. He involuntarily recalled the Imperial women he had 'killed' and the foreign race people who had chosen to commit suicide during the campaign against the foreign races, and he suddenly lost all interest.
Although what he did to Leone in this world was within the scope of the law, he, who was destined to travel through countless worlds, also knew that what he needed to follow was not the local law, but his own 'heart'. His intuition told him that if he really chose to indulge his desires, he would step into a bottomless abyss.
'Never mind. So what if I'm worse than a beast...'
While thinking this, he rubbed his head against the warm cleavage. Although he was worse than a beast, it wouldn't hurt to take some interest, right?