The next morning, I brought food to Lavender's room and checked in on her.
"Here, eat something. How are you feeling today?"
She didn't answer, but she moved closer to take the meal from the small table. I reminded her that I might not be home until late because of my training in the forest, so I was leaving extra food for her.
A moment later, I heard a shout from outside. It was one of the hunters coming to deliver the proceeds from our previous haul. I met him in the living room, where he handed over two bags of money totaling one hundred thousand.
I was stunned. I had never seen that much money in my life. Remembering the Goblin King's loot, I pulled out the crown and showed it to him.
"Wait... is this really from a Goblin King?" he gasped. "This is pure gold and diamonds. It's worth a fortune!"
I told him to sell it and, as before, we would split the profit. He had become my reliable link to the town's market. While we were talking, I asked him if he knew anything about the slaves in Hayem City.
"Slaves? There are plenty in town. Why, are you looking to buy one?"
I quickly shook my head and told him about Lavender, explaining that I had rescued her from a goblin ambush. I mentioned my concern about the shackles on her wrists—a "sealing item" used on slaves that could be fatal if removed incorrectly.
"I want to get those off her. Do you know a way?"
He explained that only the slave's master or a priest at the chapel could remove them. He warned me, however, that the merchants in town were predators. If they saw I was emotionally invested in a slave, they would skyrocket the price.
"I see. Could you accompany me there? I want to try and buy her from her master," I said.
We agreed to meet at the trade house. I went back to Lavender and told her we were heading into town.
"You're... taking me back to the city?"
A shadow of deep sadness crossed her face.
"For now, yes," I said gently. "I want to get those shackles off you, and I can only do that by buying you from your former master."
"Wait... you're going to buy me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
I scratched my head, unsure if I could actually pull it off, but I promised her I would do everything in my power to make her free.
We arrived at the trade house a few minutes later. The hunter spoke to the merchant who owned Lavender's contract to negotiate a price. He came back to me with a grim expression.
"They're asking for fifty thousand. Those vultures know how to squeeze a deal. That's an absurd price for an ordinary slave."
I winced. That was nearly a year's worth of my old salary. In my past life, I wouldn't have dreamed of spending that much on anything. I looked at Lavender, who was watching me with a hollow, hopeful gaze.
"It's fine," I told the hunter. "Please, help me buy her."
"Are you sure? That's double the market rate. You could get two others for that price."
I shook my head. "I only want Lavender. No one else."
The deal was struck. We were led into a room where they began the process of transferring ownership. It involved a magic spell and a contract—a process I wasn't familiar with, but I went along with it for her sake.
After I signed the papers, Lavender's old shackles finally snapped open. However, they were replaced by a new collar around her neck. To finalize the process, I had to recite a magic oath accepting her as my slave.
As we left the trade house, the merchant tried to chase me down to offer more "merchandise," but I ignored him. The hunter bid me farewell to go find a buyer for the Goblin King's crown.
As Lavender and I walked through the streets, she seemed lost in thought, her eyes downcast. I took her to a clothing shop to get her something new. Since I knew nothing about women's fashion, I told her to pick whatever she liked.
"You want me to choose? But why?" she asked, bewildered.
"You need new clothes. Those old ones have seen better days," I replied.
She stood there, frozen, so I called over a sales lady to take her measurements. I ordered five outfits and various necessities for her. While they attended to her, I picked out some new gear for myself as well.
An hour later, we stepped back onto the street with our shopping bags. I saw a nearby restaurant and realized I was starving. I invited Lavender in, but she hesitated, so I practically had to pull her inside. I ordered enough food for five people.
"Eat up. We need to finish all of this."
Lavender sat stiffly, not touching her plate. I asked if she wanted something else.
"No, Master... I'm just wondering... why are you eating with me?"
I looked at her, confused. "Because it's lunchtime? We haven't eaten all day." I smiled. "And besides, we should celebrate. You're free from that merchant now."
Her eyes went wide. "Free?"
I pulled out the ownership contract I had just signed and tore it to pieces right in front of her. I admitted that I never had any intention of keeping her as a slave; I only bought her to set her free so she would never have to suffer abuse again.
"You don't have to follow anyone's orders anymore. From now on, your life is your own," I said. I leaned over and unlatched the metal collar from her neck. "Lavender, you are free."
She sat there in stunned silence. Tears began to stream down her face as she thanked me over and over. I was happy to see her smile, though I had to tell her to stop crying because we were starting to draw a crowd.
As we walked back toward the forest, I started to feel the weight of my decisions. I whispered to Ora, asking for her take on the situation.
"Ora, what now? Should we head back to the forest? Isn't our mission technically over?"
"Don't ask me," Ora huffed. "You've completely derailed my plan. You never listen to me anyway."
She reminded me that we were supposed to kill Lavender. Instead, I had spent a fortune to liberate her. Lavender overheard Ora's voice and shrunk back in fear.
"Please... don't kill me."
"I'm not going to kill you!" I hissed at Ora, then turned to Lavender. "She's just joking. I wouldn't spend all that money just to kill you right after."
Ora eventually admitted that I might have a point—if we could prevent the tragedy that turned Lavender into a villain, the war might never happen. But she warned me that we didn't know what would trigger her hatred for the kingdom in the future. As long as Lavender held a Celestial Item, she remained a threat.
I noticed Lavender was still clutching the metal collar I had removed from her.
"You can throw that away, you know. You don't need it anymore."
She just held it tighter and looked at the ground. I told her she didn't have to stay with me; she could go wherever she wanted. I pulled out my wallet and handed it to her, telling her to use the money to start a new life in Hayem.
She didn't move. She just stood there, looking conflicted. I gave her a final smile and told her to be kind to others, then turned and started walking back toward the woods.
I figured my conscience was clear. If she lived a free, happy life, she would never become the destroyer Ora feared. I left her there in the town, thinking it was safer for her than a cabin in a monster-infested forest.
As I entered the treeline, I looked back. She was still standing there, watching me.
"Are you sure about this?" Ora asked. "Leaving her in town alone?"
"Of course," I replied. "What is she going to do in the forest? I can't leave her alone at the shack while I'm out training. No decent man leaves a girl in the middle of a monster woods. She's better off in the city."
Ora conceded the point but suggested that Lavender could have been an asset in our fight against the other six members of the Black Scorpion, especially since she possessed a Celestial Item.
"Why doesn't she use it then?" I asked. "If she's that powerful, why did she let herself be enslaved?"
"She probably has no idea what it is," Ora mused. "She's terrified of everything. She likely doesn't even know how to trigger it."
Ora lamented the missed opportunity, noting that Lavender's help would have made the mission to kill the others much easier.
"Wait, you're still on that?" I asked. "Why do you always jump straight to killing them?"
"Because," Ora answered coldly, "it's the simplest way."