Chapter 2: Chapter 2: I Bought It Because It Was Cheap (2)

The lodging I returned to with Carla was a reasonably high-end inn.

Since I wasn’t short on money, why not stay somewhere nice?

Indeed, it offered a good service worth the price.

After ordering various things from the inn’s attached restaurant to be brought to our room, I took the restless Carla to my room.

“Sit down.”

“Y-yes!”

She did as told, sitting on a nearby chair, but she kept her head lowered, unable to look my way.

And there I was, blankly staring at Carla.

To break this awkward atmosphere, I decided to speak first,

“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Yandel.”

“Ah…I am Carla Lindelheit. I am your slave.”

Carla, trembling as if she were a rabbit in front of a wolf, referred to herself as a slave.

Yet, being a Lindelheit meant she must have been high-ranking nobility at some point.

Ah, was that it?

I vaguely heard that slaves received various kinds of training before being sold, so this must be part of it.

Rather than trying to curry favor with me, it felt like she was just doing as she was trained.

“Okay, Carla. It’s too bothersome to be formal. Let’s keep it casual.”

“O-of course! Do as you wish! Yes!”

I’ve been in this world for almost 3 years now, yet I still use that kind of speech.

At the auction house, I had to conceal my identity and couldn’t afford to be underestimated, so I deliberately used a stiffer tone.

But now, what should I say?

…No, do I even need to worry about what to say? I’m the master, after all.

I snapped my fingers and gave Carla a command.

“Until the food arrives, it’s boring. Tell me something interesting.”

“An interesting story…?”

“Yes, just to pass time.”

“Um… Okay…”

After pondering for a moment, Carla cautiously spoke,

“Do you know what a cat says when you meow at it?”

“No?”

“It says, ‘Why-meow.’”

“……”

“……”

Was this… a joke?

Noticing my hardened expression, Carla started to plead hastily,

“I’m… I’m sorry! Just give me one more chance! It will really be interesting this time!”

“Why are you begging like that? Fine, try one more time.”

“Thank you!”

Her expression brightened instantly, and Carla began pondering again, even longer than before.

Finally, she came up with,

“Do you know why a vampire always smiles during a meal?”

“Don’t tell me it’s because he’s ‘pleased to eat’?” ^{TL/N: Wordplay on ‘pleased to meet’]

“……”

“Seems like I’m right.”

Even though I asked for it, what was this…?

I let out a deep sigh and waved my hand dismissively,

“Enough, let’s stop here. And don’t try to make a joke anywhere else.”

“That’s strange… I got this from the ‘Empire’s Laugh-Out-Loud Humor Collection’… Ah, never mind, Master. I can do this. Really. I’ll think of something else, so please give me just one more chance!”

“No, really, it’s fine. It’s not a big deal if you’re not good at jokes. It’s not the important thing, anyway.”

In truth, the important thing for Carla was whether or not she properly knew mana breathing techniques. The lack of a sense of humor wasn’t really a problem.

However, how she perceived my reaction—Carla’s complexion turned increasingly pale.

Moisture started to build up in her ruby-colored eyes, nearly reaching the point of bursting into tears.

It was an oddly pitiable appearance.

To be honest, watching this was much more interesting than the bad wordplay from earlier.

How long have I been watching the teary-eyed Carla?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The meal I ordered had arrived.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll go get it.”

“…Yes!”

Leaving a nodding Carla behind, I received the tray brought by the waitress.

Soft starter bread, warm soup, a fragrant steak blended with spices, and a dessert in a small dish.

The overall food culture might lag behind the modern world, but if you had the money, you could eat as much delicious food as you wanted.

Money truly was the best, after all.

Chuckling to myself, I pulled the tray into the room when–

“Hm?”

For some reason, Carla was kneeling on the floor, looking this way.

When I told her to wait, I didn’t mean for her to kneel and wait…

Wondering what it was about, I saw her eyes fixated on the tray.

Slyly, I lifted a piece of bread, and her gaze followed.

Her eyes tracked the bread as I shook it from left to right.

“Swallow…”

Was she hungry?

This was one of the few proactive responses from Carla, who until now has been mostly timid and meek.

I found it amusing, so I shook the bread once or twice more before attempting to hand it over, but–

“Ah.”

I accidentally dropped it.

The bread flew to the left and rolled across the floor.

Was it because of my memories from Earth? No matter how rich you were, it was a waste if perfectly good food fell to the ground.

I was about to call the waitress to bring another piece of bread, but–

“Um, thank you for the meal…!”

Carla hurriedly crawled on all fours to pick up the fallen bread and eat it.

Moreover, she didn’t even use her hands. She just buried her head and started tearing into it.

“Huh?”

The Lindelheit family was a high-ranking noble family, famous as a magical household.

Even just a while ago, her every move radiated noble etiquette.

But what is the meaning of this current behavior?

“Sigh… Yum…”

She lay on her stomach, butt in the air, hurriedly eating the bread off the floor.

So much for the dignity of a noble young lady; she was just like a simple pet at this point.

Perhaps this, too, was a behavior injected into her by her status as a slave.

If I had to be honest, it felt good in a creepy way—both sides got some form of twisted satisfaction.

However, it would be problematic if Carla truly became a slave in this sense.

She still had much to learn.

I naturally ordered her, aiming at her round, wiggling behind.

“Carla. [Drop that bread and sit at the table to eat.]”

“Ah… Yes, sir…!”

Only the sound of clinking utensils filled the spacious room.

Once seated, Carla displayed impeccable dining etiquette, a far cry from her behavior moments ago.

However, her eating speed hadn’t changed much.

“You eat really well.”

“Huh? I’m… I’m sorry….”

“No need to apologize. I bought the food for you to eat, after all.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what her behavior a few moments ago was all about.

“This is a high-end inn, but it’s not exactly comparable to the Lindelheit family estate. Is it really that delicious?”

“Well, I haven’t been able to eat properly recently…”

“Huh?”

Wondering what she meant by that, I blinked. Carla hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

“There’s this thing called ‘slave training’…”

Carla’s ensuing words confirmed my suspicions.

As could be inferred from the fact that some managed to break free of their own accord, the slave seal was useful but not perfect.

A command wasn’t enforced, but rather, it induced a strong compulsion.

So, it was necessary to break the spirit of the slave in advance. Once their morale was weakened, even simple compulsions would feel like absolute commands.

This preparatory work was what is generally called ‘training.’

Training methods varied depending on the slave’s rank. Most slaves were trained using a combination of violence and conditioning.

In the case of good-looking young women, they usually weren’t violated, but there were many other ways to condition them.

If they were deemed not worth the price, they wouldn’t even carve the slave seal. They would just train them more harshly instead.

“But I’m a… top-tier slave… right?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Carla, who seemed embarrassed to call herself a top-tier slave; her face flushed red.

Her beauty seemed divinely crafted. She had refined her dignity and knowledge as an excellent magician. In addition, she was from a high-ranking noble family—a person who would normally be untouchable.

Even having just one of those qualities would substantially increase a slave’s value, and Carla possessed all three.

“It’s more expensive than an average mansion to own a slave like you. I assume they didn’t treat you the same way they treat ordinary slaves.”

“Th-that’s correct. I received special training.”

Training that didn’t involve physical beating or sexual torment.

No, to begin with, keeping her unaccustomed to such treatments would likely increase her value even more.

Slave traders were still traders, after all. They wouldn’t foolishly damage the value of their product.

“And what does this special training entail?”

“They gave me pills instead of meals.”

“Pills?”

Could it be some kind of drug? That would be a problem.

Seeing my frown, Carla hurriedly clarified,

“N-No, it’s not some weird drug! It’s a pill made in Matop, and it’s a meal replacement.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of that. It’s the pill adventurers use when exploring uncharted lands or knights and magicians take during intense training, right?”

“Correct, but there’s one key difference.”

“Which is?”

“Hunger.”

“Hunger?”

According to Carla, the pill was originally designed as an emergency food, so it was rich in essential nutrients and also gave a feeling of fullness.

However, the pills that Carla had been given lacked the magic for satiety.

So, while it wouldn’t harm her health, she’d be plagued by endless hunger.

Anyone who has been hungry knows this: hunger can drive people mad.

Moreover, all of this happened while they were showing the disciplinary process of ordinary slaves.

It was just whipping or beating, but for Carla, who was already in a weakened mental state, there couldn’t have been a worse threat.

To the eyes of ordinary slaves, it would appear as though Carla was resting comfortably, so she must also have endured their resentment.

As they slowly wore down her spirit to its limit, they gave Carla moderately humiliating commands. If she complied, she was rewarded with a proper meal.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If she refused? Then, she would continue to eat only pills for a while longer.

She was trained to make declarations as a slave and even to eat on all fours during that time.

She was once a courageous lady of the once-mighty Lindelheit family, but her numerous fears make sense now…

If someone went through that over and over, it was no surprise they’d be broken to some extent.

Seeing Carla tremble as she put down the utensils she had been using, memories from that time must have flooded back to her.

Looking at her, resembling a rabbit before a predator, inexplicably awakened a dark impulse deep within me.

I shouldn’t do this. There was no need to go this far.

And yet, I couldn’t stop myself.

Something about Carla incited a man’s darker impulse.

Finally, with a slight grin, I took some of my portion and gave it to Carla.

“Eat up.”

“Th-thank you…!”

“You won’t get to eat much for a while.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s meal control. Interesting method, isn’t it?”

“……”

Carla froze as if someone had pressed a pause button, looking like prey, that had just met its predator.

“Uh-huh.”

Seeing Carla’s forlorn expression, an unexplainable satisfaction spread from the depths of my heart.

So, this is why the original Carla ended up like that.

The thrill of tormenting her was too enticing.