Chapter 263: Treatment of a Borrowed Slave, and the Whereabouts of the Mother Slave

“With this I can boldly turn to supporting Lord Hiroyuki at tomorrow’s military council.”

Support, what did that mean?

Asking would feel like stirring a bush and getting a snake.

“Now then, the sun has tilted quite a bit, so shall we return soon.”

Freit looked up at the sky, so I looked up too.

The sun had grown faintly red, and was about to hang on the wall of the spectator seats.

Still bright so training could be done, but the crucial Dules were exhausted.

In place of Cathy, who still sat and could not move, Lotte, Laura, and Rine who received Freit’s instructions prepared cups filled with water and cloths for wiping sweat, and began handing them.

“May I let the Dules rest a little more?”

I asked Freit, but Freit looked at Nikolaus.

“Then let us go to the cafeteria inside. I will serve something.”

Nikolaus answered that and turned toward the waiting room door as if guiding us.

“That helps.”

“No, no, thanks for showing an interesting match.”

“Then I will join too.”

I thanked Nikolaus, picked up Ito who had been working hard even though her wounds were not fully healed, gave instructions for Muriel and the others to follow, and followed behind Nikolaus with Freit.

…

“Today was hard work.”

I looked at my Dules seated at the table and praised the training done in the arena.

“It was truly wonderful.”

Freit, sitting on the other side of the corner from me, followed too.

Here was the cafeteria of Freit’s mansion.

After chatting a while in the arena’s cafeteria, because it was dinner time we took our leave.

Having sent one of Freit’s guards back to the mansion first, when we returned we were guided to the cafeteria at once.

Dinner was already ready, and only needed to be arranged on the table, I was told.

But before eating dinner there was something that had to be done.

“Ah, um, m-may I sit here too?”

Regina, sitting at the end seat of the Ji-Dule side, raised her hand timidly and asked.

Not knowing whether she should ask me, the place she was lent to, or Freit, the master of the mansion, Regina looked alternately at me and Freit.

I tried to say from my side, but since Regina asked from her side, just right.

But Freit opened his mouth first.

“Is that whether you may sit at this table?”

“Y-yes.”

“Lord Hiroyuki is my guest. I treat Lord Hiroyuki’s Dules as guests too. So I am entertaining Lord Hiroyuki and Lord Hiroyuki’s Dules like this. But depending on what position you have as Lord Hiroyuki’s Dule, the need may arise to have you leave. Now then, Lord Hiroyuki. What position is she in?”

Freit talked the explanation as master of the mansion to Regina, then turned it to me.

This, actually, I had talked with Muriel when chatting in the arena’s cafeteria.

I had talked to Freit too, so he had probably made it easy for me to talk.

“Right… Regina is an A-Dule, no mistake.”

“Y-yes.”

I had guessed she was an A-Dule from the clothing with only the chest part exposed and bearing a weapon, but when I confirmed just in case Regina nodded.

“Then treating Regina as an A-Dule is normal, but Regina is not a guest. She is only lent to me as a prize of the bet. I want to prioritize my own Dules too, so I decided to lower Regina’s treatment one step.”

In this sort of lending and borrowing of Dules, the borrowing side decided the treatment of the Dule taking the intent of the lending side.

Of course treating the same as the original was safe, and that was normal, I was told.

But in Regina’s case we took it that I had not requested to have her lent, and Ivana had half-forcibly lent Regina.

And Ivana had not put in any word about Regina’s treatment.

Therefore we decided Regina’s treatment on our own.

Also, treating a Ji-Dule like an A-Dule conflicted with the city’s law, but treating an A-Dule like a Ji-Dule had no problem, I was told.

So we made Regina’s treatment equal to a Ji-Dule.

This was my proposal considering so Sara and Regina, who were acquaintances, could talk easily, but according to Muriel and Freit it was sweet.

Probably the reason Regina called to Sara was because she thought Sara was an A-Dule, and when she found out Sara was a Ji-Dule she would look down as if turning her palm, it was.

In fact, when Sara and Regina were fighting, Regina had shouted at Sara and mocked her.

Those who had spent many years as slaves like Regina were especially sensitive to the rank of Dules, I was told.

“Not only Dules, most people look down on those below. We are the abnormal ones,” when Freit said, Muriel nodded too.

“Muriel.”

“Yes, Master. Regina, we treat you here as a Ji-Dule. A newcomer, so the lowest among the Ji-Dules.”

I had Muriel explain, and looked around the table again.

At the short side of the table farthest from the kitchen Freit sat.

On Freit’s left, across the corner, Rine and Lotte sat.

Rine had become more and more a member of Freit’s family.

On the opposite right side, across the corner, I sat, and from beside me in order Muriel, Sophia, Rosina, Gejia, Birga, Lilli, Ito, and Sheena were seated.

Opposite those A-Dules, one seat empty from Lotte, Cathy, Sara, Hexa, and Regina sat.

As Muriel said, Regina sat at the end seat of the Ji-Dules.

By the way, the To-Dules Tiria, Rina, and Yanica knelt under the table in front of me.

The Te-Dules Ilma, Helma, and Yuki should be in the kitchen helping serve.

…Eh, I felt one short.

“Then clothing will be equal to a Ji-Dule too. Fine.”

“! Y-yes…”

Regina looked up at Muriel continuing the explanation in surprise, then soon bowed her head and nodded reluctantly.

Was wearing clothes for a Ji-Dule embarrassing or humiliating.

Either way, she seemed to have given up opposing Muriel who managed the Dules.

“Master, I think to repair the clothes Regina is wearing now, is that fine?”

The clothes Regina wore were ones received from Nikolaus at the arena.

Regina, who had been literally stripped of everything by Ivano after the battle with me, had wrapped a large cloth for wiping sweat that Sara brought around her body, but returning in that getup was pitiful after all, so I asked Nikolaus if there was something to wear.

Well, To-Dules were fully naked, and Te-Dules wore getups more embarrassing than naked.

For form a borrowed one.

Then Nikolaus gladly gave clothes.

Apparently the arena had dozens of unused clothes, and disposed of them once a year, I was told.

When I looked at what Nikolaus’s subordinate brought, from underwear for the lowest gladiator slaves to luxurious dresses that seemed nobles’, there were various things.

Because the arena held various events, clothes that originally should not be taken off in such a place were often delivered as lost items or forgotten items, I was told.

Of course there were also belongings of those who died in the arena.

From among them Regina chose safe clothes, a light red blouse and crimson waist skirt.

So Regina, who had only that one set of clothes on hand, wore it here too.

Underwear had not been received so she should not be wearing it.

Not Ivano’s, mine received from Nikolaus, so repairing was fine.

“Ah, that is fine.”

“Thank you, Master. Cathy, please.”

“Yes, Lady Muriel.”

Muriel thanked my consent, and asked Cathy to repair the clothes.

Cathy’s sewing skill had nothing to the right of it among my Dules.

With this Regina’s treatment was decided.

No, it had been decided originally, and we conveyed it to Regina, that place.

“Then let us have dinner.”

When Freit declared at a good stopping place of the talk, the kitchen door opened and Freit’s maids and my Te-Dules carried the dishes.

Meals for To-Dules were set at my feet too.

And at Freit’s feet too… ah, the one short was.

“Freit, what happened to Laura?”

…

When Freit opened the door, there were stairs descending underground.

“This way.”

Freit activated the “Illumination” enchanted item held in his right hand, lit light in front, and descended the stairs.

I followed behind Freit down the stairs too.

From behind me Lotte followed.

“Why in the basement?”

“She is being punished.”

Had she done something to be punished?

I looked behind suddenly, and Lotte, still with the swaying weights hanging from her nipples, followed holding a basket in her right hand.

The contents of the basket seemed dinner to give Laura.

“Both of the Dules on hand being punished, embarrassing.”

Maybe having noticed I looked behind, Freit looked at me once, smiled wryly and muttered.

I could return nothing, and smiled wryly drawn by Freit and glossed over it.

Descend the stairs, and there was an iron door.

“Here was originally a noble’s house, and without exception there is a basement.”

Freit said that, took out the key hung from his neck, and opened the lock.

“Nn… nn… nn…”

Open the door, and a strong female smell drifted, and from inside a woman’s panting voice was faintly heard.

“Please wait a little.”

Freit inserted the “Illumination” enchanted item held in his hand into the hollow at the wall, and light lit in the room.

I blinked my eyes from suddenly becoming bright and let my eyes get used.

“Nn! Nnn! Nnn! Nnn!”

During that the faint voice changed to a voice desperately appealing something.

But what she was saying could not be understood.

Eventually my eyes got used to the light, and the state of the room became visible.

In the center of the spacious room a woman stood alone.