"Well, we're here. Do come in." Saintess Caroline Moonkist replied as she motioned for Aldred to come into the house.

"Um...Mistress...um...what will I do as a slave?" Aldred asked as he stood outside nervously. He rubbed his neck where the neck collar used to be but it was taken off by Saintess Caroline. Aldred didn't know what to make of it...was he still a slave?...Or was he something else?

"Oh, don't worry about that. You'll do nothing of that sort. And call me Big Sis Caroline." Saintess Caroline smiled.

Aldred nodded slowly and tentatively walked in and looked around. The place looked...well...big. The walls were made with a combination of furnished wood and brick and dyed in a deep mahogany color. What laid before him was a short but wide hallway with numerous openings from both sides. In the middle of the hallway, a stairway protruded from the right side that led to the second floor. The ceiling of the house was incredibly high and a chandelier hung above that illuminated the house. The floors felt wooden but was entirely covered with a flowery-patterned, red and pink carpet. While Aldred was still looking around, the Saintess quickly walked towards the stairs.

"Kids! Come downstairs! I have someone to introduce to you guys." The Saintess called.

Soon, rumbling footsteps could be heard as they all converge to the top of the stairs. Children of all ages ranging from 3 years old to 11 years old all clambered down the stairs. They formed around Aldred and examined him with curious eyes.

"Um...who's that, Big Sis Caroline?" A four year old girl asked while she was sucking on her thumb and holding a toy doll.

"This here is your new brother. Come, introduce yourself to everyone." Saintess Caroline replied.

"My name is Aldred. It's nice to meet you." Aldred greeted.

"Nice to meet you too Aldred. My name is Jake and this is Vicky, Tristan, Kally, Yela, Pammy, Will, and Tommy. There's two more but they're shopping with Uncle Ralph. They're siblings Robbie and Shelly." The 11 year old introduced as he named the other kids.

"Uncle Ralph?"

"Ah, he's the housekeeper but we call him Uncle Ralph."

"I see."

"Alright, I have some business to take care of so I'll head out first. Jake, go show him around the house please." Saintess Caroline asked as headed towards the door.

"Yes Big Sis Caroline." Jake replied. Saintess Caroline flashed them a charming smile before exiting the house and closing the door behind her.

"So, how old are you?" Jake asked as he turned his gaze back at the newcomer.

"I'm almost 6 years old." Aldred replied.

"Really? You talk like an adult."

"Haha, I get that a lot. What about you guys? How old are you?"

"Robbie and Shelly are 10 and 11 respectively. Vicky is 4, Tristan is 3, Kally is 7, Yela is 10, Pammy is 9, Will and Tommy are both 8. Lastly, I'm 11. I'll be 12 next month."

"So, have you been here the longest? Is it nice here? How does Saintess Caroline treat you guys?"

"Don't worry so much. We were all slaves who were meant to be sold to perverted or evil creeps, but it was thanks to Big Sis Caroline that we are able to live in peace. Big Sis Caroline treats us like family. Oh, as for your first question, I've stayed here the longest compared to the other kids however, there were many children before me."

"Oh? What happened to them?"

"Once they reach the age of 12, Big Sis Caroline comes and takes them away. She says that once we reach that age, we need to learn some skills in order for us to survive in the harsh world. So, she would find us apprenticeships. I heard that Dave - he left last year - is working as a blacksmith apprentice these days."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"From Uncle Ralph of course."

"How's is the housekeeper by the way? Is he nice?"

"You can call him Uncle Ralph...we all do. He is one of the nicest people I know. He always gives us candy to eat and he cooks the best meals. Well, enough of that...how about we show you around the house?"

"Ok."

So, Jake began showing Aldred around the house while the other children followed. There were general rooms and furniture like the kitchen room, dining room, couches, cushioned chairs, tables, play room, and storage room as well as a few closets. All the rooms downstairs, except for the closets and the storage room, did not have doors so everything was revealed for all to see. After Aldred had a general tour of the first floor, they ventured upstairs where all the bedrooms were. The bedrooms are shared between the children - Jake and Robbie took one room, Shelly and Yela shared another room, Will and Tommy in another, Pammy and Kally in another, and finally Vicky and Tristan in the last room.

"Hmm, is it alright if you share a room with Vicky and Tristan?" Jake asked.

"Sure."

"Great, anyways, there's the bedrooms and the bathing rooms are here and here. They're separated so boys on the left side and girls on the right side. And, toilets are located on the outside obviously."

"I see...do we just do our business outside and bury it or what?"

"Uncle Ralph is an Earth Mage and has created a pit where you can do your business. Once a week, Uncle Ralph would fill the hole. He says our poop makes good fertilizer for the surrounding plants and the garden in the backyard." Jake explained. At the sound of poop, the other children all giggled and was soon hushed by the older boy. "Anyways, the room at the end of the hall is the library or study room. Big Sis Caroline has a lot of books from stories of heroes to Novice Stage magic books. Big Sis Caroline let's us read whatever we want from the study room."

"Oh, that's good."

"Oh, by the way, don't go down to the basement. Big Sis Caroline said she's preserving some meat and vegetables in preparation for the winter and doesn't want anyone to open the doors and ruining them."

"That's true...winter is coming soon and food usually gets harder to save up."

"Yea...so a few rules. Although we can go to the forest to the east and swim in the river nearby, don't venture towards the cave that's located half a kilometer away."

"Why not?"

"Big Sis Caroline said she and Uncle Ralph severely weakened and sealed a demonic beast in the caves. Don't worry about it running loose, the seals on the monster is super strong. Big Sis Caroline says that as long as we don't go disturb the monster, it won't escape. So...now that you know the general details of this place, do you have any questions?"

"Yea...when's supper?" Aldred replied bashfully as he rubbed his stomach. He hadn't eaten anything all day.

"Hahaha!" The kids all chuckled at Aldred's question.