"Neri... Brewfinger is it? Starting today, I will be the one tasked with you, you can call me head maid. Let me tell you about..." A middle-aged lady tells me while examining the paper in her hand.

To think one day I would have someone looking down like this. I really have been reduced to nothing but a slave, haven't I?

I know she's trying to explain to me various things I will need to know while I live here and I am trying my best to listen but I just can't...

Even though I'm trying so hard to distract my thoughts from thinking back to what happened back then...

I can't wait until bedtime, I just want to be asleep and forget about everything.

---

Apparently I will be sold today.

The other slaves were all so focused on training while all the caretakers look at me with disdain and treat me like an object so I should be happy to be able to leave this place but instead, I'm only feeling more fearful than ever.

I fear how my life will be like with my new master, will it be same as right now where I have to fight in the dungeons during the day and do chores at night? I've overheard some bad rumors about what some masters will do to their slaves, I hope they are only rumors.

Don't be afraid Neri! It can't get much worse anyway... I think.

Mom, Dad, what should I do?

"It's your turn, follow me."

A strange person with a mask orders me so I can only obediently follow. Before long, I can hear the sounds of many people and by the time I realized what is happening, I'm already on a stage where a sea of people are looking at me where some fat man is talking about me. Is my new master going to be one of these people from the crowd?

It wasn't long before I am escorted into a room with nothing in it except a single chair in the middle, I can still hear the sound of the crowd too. I am told to sit in the chair while the masked men disappear, they are only a few people standing to the side now in uniform.

A group of well-dressed humans then entered the room and approaches me and starts to talk to me but remembering dad's words and with what happened but then still fresh in my mind, I stay silent and try to ignore them. Look straight and think about things that you can do to improve your situation Neri.

"Hello Neri, I'm an Aster, an adventurer and this is my companion, Faris. Would you be against fighting with us in the dungeons, we are aiming to conquer them of course."

Before I knew it, a young man and woman stood right in front of me and started talking to me, it feels strange with everyone knowing my name so I'm glad they at least introduced themselves to me.

I glance over at them briefly seeing an average looking guy with black hair and a girl with beautiful silver-colored hair, so she's a slave too. I wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the collar, she is so well dressed after all, and she looks so happy, I'm sure her master treats her well.

I almost wanted to reply but kept it to just shaking my head as I remembered what dad taught me, can't judge a book by their cover, stay vigilant Neri!

I get taken onto the stage again by the masked people and realize I'm going to get sold soon.

Please don't let it be a bad master like in the rumors, please don't. I swear I'll do my best to serve my master, so please let it be a good master.

The image of me being abused and used as a human shield keep haunting my mind as I start to feel myself shake.

Am I going to see you soon mom, dad? No, keep it together Neri, you still have to clear your parent's names, think happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

Before I knew it, I'm sitting in a room with some man, I'm told we are waiting for my new master. Don't be scared Neri, don't be scared...

"Knock knock, I have brought the esteemed guest to finish his transaction."

A man enters the room followed by the head maid. It's him! The one with that pretty silver-haired slave.

My new master finishes the procedures to become my master as the head maid pours something onto my collar. I guess I now officially belong to him.

"Happy to have you, Neri, I'm Aster Estrea, I'll be your master starting today, I'll try my best to take care of you so feel free to let me know about anything you need." My new master, Aster, extends his hand out toward me.

With etiquette being trained into me since young, I reflexively shake his hand. I still have to be vigilant, he still may be a bad guy putting up a facade in public but for now, I will play along.

"Master."

Master starts petting my head, it's nice and warm, his hands feel so kind, just like dads. Wait, don't be so easily fooled Neri, don't let your guard down!

"Let's go."

I still have to wait and see how my new master is but I sure hope he is as it seems. I wonder how my life is going to be like from now on.

---

Having completed the slave contract, Neri is now officially my slave. Hana the middle-aged maid starts to lead us out of the room and back to the stairs we came from. I follow after the maid, with Neri following after me, forming a line of three.

I suddenly remember something and quicken my pace to whisper something to Hana.

"Excuse me but can I purchase the fertility ring, the one Allen gives as whenever a female slave is bought."

Hana stops moving and looks back to me and subtly nods.

"Of course but since this transaction isn't done on behalf of the Allen company, there will be a charge of 10 gold coins for the ring of cursed fertility."

Damn profiteering merchants, I'll still buy it though, not a fan of wearing multiple rings so I'll have all my slaves wear one instead. And from my research, you can have kids with different races but the odds are much lower. The kid will only be of the same race as one of their parents too, no half-bloods apparently.

I hand Hana the coins where she then walks back to where we came from and almost instantly reappears with my item carried on a tray.

"Please." As Hana holds the tray up to me.

I take the ring and immediately store into my space ring, careful to not let Neri see it. It'd be a pretty weird first impression if the first thing I did was to put that ring on Neri after all. As she is something akin to a former noble, she would easily recognize the ring.

We resume walking and make it back to the bottom of the stairs that lead to the inspection room where Hana bids us farewell and part from us. Knowing the way, I lead Neri up the stairs and all the way back to the VIP room where Faris and Norton's group is waiting.

"Master, you're back!" Faris's elated voice reaches my ear the moment I open the door.

Before reaching my seat, Faris rushes over to me. Behind her, I see Norton casually raising his hand at me before turning back towards the auction.

"Yeah, I officially received Neri as my slave." I step to the side to give Faris full view of the little dwarf behind me.

Neri remains expressionless and returns the gaze Faris gives her.

"I'll leave it to you to help her with anything she needs and teach her about how we do things, so take good care of her okay?"

"Of course master. Hi there, Neri, my name is Faris, I'm also one of master's slave, just like you. I will be taking care of you so you can think of me as like a new big sister from now on, feel free to ask me for help or if you have any questions okay?" Faris closes the gap with Neri and starts petting her like I once did.

"Faris, age?" Neri thinks for a moment before uttering out two simple words, not much of a talker, is she?

"Hmm? I'm 18." Although confused at the question, Faris still replies truthfully.

"I'm 19, older, big sister," Neri says while pointing to herself.

"...you see Neri... I am master's first slave, I have been with master for much longer so you can treat me like your big sister from now on, okay?" A flurry of different emotions passes by Faris's face before returning back to a gentle smile.

"But---"

"You can treat me like your big sister, okay?" Faris repeats the same line with the same tone, unfazed by any objection Neri may have.

"..."

Neri stays silent and looks over to me, almost as if she is asking me for help though I can't really tell for sure as she is expressionless as usual. Meanwhile, Faris continues to stare at Neri and patiently wait for her response, I think I've seen a new side to Faris, it's kind of cute.

Anyway, I shouldn't get involved here. I walk myself back to my seat and bring my attention back to the auction to enjoy the rest of the show.

---

"Thank you for every guest in attendance today for coming to the city of Unatis's semi-annual slave auction. The auction is now officially over and I hope to see you all in six months, guests in the lower gallery please leave in an orderly fashion, thank you!" Allen, the auctioneer manages to finish the last of his duties while wiping the sweat from his face.

Honestly, I'm surprised that Allen had the stamina to remain standing and talk for so long, I've seriously underestimated him.

"I think a celebration is in order to welcome our new party members so how 'bout it? Care to celebrate together tonight?" Norton asks with clear joy still in his voice from attaining Aluria.

"Sure, I have to thank you too for bringing me to the auction."

"Haha, very good, I'll make the reservations then, meet me at this place tonight."

We exit the building to find Norton's knight already there waiting with the carriage. I accept Norton's offer to bring me back to my place as I left my transportation, Blacky there. Before long, we manage to arrive safely.

"Then I'll see you guys later, I'm sure we both have many things to prepare for our new companions."

"See you." I nod to Norton.

With that, Norton closes the carriage door and their carriage rides off into the distance.

"Well, let's go shopping, we have many things to buy," I say as I look over Neri.

Her only belongings are only the simple clothes she is wearing now.

We bring out Blacky and first head toward the old man Bosgrem's blacksmith shop we frequent. Man, with three people, it is starting to be a bit too crowded riding on Blacky, maybe it's about time to buy another horse or a small carriage, it'd help with carrying our extra gear and supplies too but that would depend on my wallet.

I need the money to finish assembling my party too...

After having bought Neri, my determination has only grown to finish my party with potential slaves who are both pretty and talented. The combat-ready slaves aren't in my considerations anymore.

This is because the most expensive slave at the auction was not Norton's high elf but the combat-ready slave. I went to the inspection room to use identify on them too, with their levels being really high, at mid-seventies. The slave was sold for a sky-high price of 130 platinum coins but the most startling thing to me was that the slave wasn't even of the best quality, he had no unique magic and his overall combat evaluation was considered around B-tier but was still considered a rare find.

Who knows how much people would pay for A-tier combat skills and unique magic. Well, I doubt people with A-tier abilities in the first place would fall to slavery that easily.

Seeing my current slaves, Faris and Neri, I've decided to add the criteria of useful unique magic to the list when buying slaves. I believe it will be worth taking my time searching for the best members for the best foundation rather than rushing it, not that my wallet is allowing me to rush it anyway.

While I was distracted in my thoughts, we arrived at the blacksmith shop before I knew it.

"Welco--- Oh Faris! I'm so glad to see you! How may I help you today?" Upon entering, a short dwarf with pink hair tied up into a ponytail greets us, or rather, Faris.

"Hi Clarice, we've come again, we're looking for equipment for my master's new slave. Look, her name's Neri."

Clarice finally notices Neri who was standing slightly behind us and inspects her with her eyes before settling on the leather collar.

"Welcome, I'm Clarice, feel free to rely on me, I'm sure I can help you look for gear suitable for you. Tell me, what are you looking for?" Clarice may be talking to Neri but for some reason, she glares at me the entire time of her speech.

What the fuck, what did I do wrong? You little rascal really is short even for a dwarf, my Neri seems to be a full head taller than you pipsqueak, stop glaring.

"Hm, strength enhancer..., war hammer..., hammer..., shield..., armor." Neri nods at Clarice's words before spewing out a list of equipment she would like.

"I see, a war hammer as your main weapon, one-handed hammer as a spare weapon that can be used alongside a shield, and plate armor. I got it, follow me." Clarice leads Neri away to start looking for the equipment they listed.

This is probably going to take a while, isn't it...

"Faris, I'll go buy some daily necessities for Neri first so you guys can take your time, no budget, buy the best for her okay? After I come back we can then buy clothes for her." Catching Faris by her shoulder just before she left with the two dwarves, I inform her of my plans before going on my way.

Well Blacky, just you and me, just like old times.

---

I return to the blacksmith store and find the three girls chatting around by the counter, next to them is a pile of weapons and armor neatly placed.

"You guys done already?" I say as I move closer to examine their harvest.

"Yes master, we have everything including maintenance tools for the armor."

"Of course, I was with them after all."

Faris and Clarice talk over each other as Neri just nods at me.

"So how much is it in total?" I turn to ask Clarice.

"The best I can do for you is 75 gold coins."

"...Isn't that a lot more expensive compared to when Faris and I bought it?" My wallet is crying.

"You guys wear leather armor, Neri here is a strength enhancer so she can wear plate armor without a problem. You did say to buy the best right?" Clarice rests her hands on her waist while looking grumpily at me.

I carefully look over the equipment to make sure I'm getting the best bang for my buck.

The most eye-catching is a big dark grey hammer with a really long handle, made entirely of metal. There isn't much decor on it but it gives off a strong heavy look that would crush your toes if you drop it on yourself. I swear that thing is probably taller than me, it must be at least two meters long, can Neri really wield that with her small frame?

Great Darksteel War Hammer Age:1 Condition 100/100

Enchantment:

I guess identify doesn't tell me much besides the enchantment on it, I wonder if I can somehow level up my identify spell?

The next piece of equipment I lay my eyes on looks much more normal. Just a normal looking hammer that can be held with one hand that is a bit shorter than a shortsword. It's entirely made of metal still but looks manageable for me to carry at least.

Below the hammer is a shield, unlike my old shield, this one is made entirely of metal as well and shaped like a rectangle but curved around inwards to better shield its bearer, it's large enough to be able to cover the entire width of one person.

The last thing I inspect is a small set of grey plate armor neatly laid out on the counter. Compared to the hammer, the armor is a lighter shade of grey. It honestly looks pretty cute like a toy seeing the modest-sized plate armor but I can definitely feel the weight and the defense it can provide when running my hand through it.

I can't help but wonder if Neri can really wield all these heavy-looking equipment, it's hard to even imagine her decked out in this while holding that heavy war hammer that is even taller than me by a whole head.

"...Isn't the helmet missing from the set?"

"Open-visor helmets have to be adjusted to order to ensure it fits perfectly unlike the closed-visor ones so you'll have to pick it up tomorrow," Clarice explains with clear annoyance in her voice as she points over to a nearby helmet on display.

The helmet has gaps and holes in various places, designed to let you your ears out to listen and open in the face area to not obstruct vision and smell. It kind of reminds of a clunkier bicycle helmet with how it mostly covers the top and back of the head and around the jaws and chin.

I look over to another helmet on display across from the previous one. Just judging on appearance, I can tell this is the closed-visor one from how the entire face is covered to the point I'd probably won't be able to see clearly out of it.

This was the type Kou was wearing.

"The closed-visor ones are usually meant for the battlefield, meaning only knights use them usually, adventurers like you guys going into dungeons are better off staying away from them as it'll hinder you without years of training wearing them. And even if you can wear those things, they block out most of your senses so they are more of a detriment to the small skirmishes and surprise attacks you guys would encounter in dungeons." Clarice jumps to explain, noticing my gaze.

"So that's why the helmets seem so expensive," I say while looking at the price tags of the helmets.

"Master, maybe...something cheaper?" Neri asks me with a guilty look on her face.

This has been the most I've heard out of her and with that face, I can't bear to squabble about the price any longer. I should never cheap out on gear that can save our lives anyway.

"Well, I was just checking to see if you have everything, don't worry about it, Neri. You're my slave now so I'll try my best to not let you get hurt. Here, a platinum coin." I quickly pay the bill before the powder keg to the side, Clarice, explodes.

Clarice snatches the coin I offer her and head behind the counter,

"Thank you... master." Neri slight bows toward me.

Am I imagining things or is she blushing a little?

"Hm, just pay me back with your hard work." I start petting Neri's head, it's too irresistible.

"Mm," Neri nods.

Soon, Clarice comes storming back at me with my change, seeming to look even more agitated than before.

"Here, your change of 25 gold coins." She shoves it to my face and puts on a look on her face as if telling me to quickly begone.

Old man Bosgrem, where are you? To think there would be a day where I would rather talk with some sweaty old man rather than a cute girl...