episode_0034

As I left the slave market, I put my coat on Iris.

I couldn’t just drag someone wearing revealing clothes around on a cold winter night.

At first, I went straight into the hotel and tried to order room service, but the delicious smell wafted from the restaurant in the building next door, so I couldn’t just pass by.

I took Laura and Iris into the restaurant and sat down in appropriate seats.

Laura naturally sat down next to me and linked arms with me.

However, Iris did not sit down across from the empty cage, but instead stood there.

“Iris, why are you doing this?”

“Rebecca, do I dare to sit with you?”

“Then. Only then can we eat together.”

“But I am a slave.”

Iris had a very different attitude from Laura when we first met.

Laura sat and ate with me without hesitation even though she was a slave, but Iris was very conscious of her status.

Iris’s attitude is usually the norm, and Laura’s is probably unusual.

“If you are a slave, you must listen carefully to your master, even if it is temporary. Sit down quickly.”

“Sorry, Rebecca.”

After receiving my order, Iris sat across from me, feeling extremely awkward.

Perhaps because she wasn’t used to this type of situation, she was very aware of those around her, but no one, including the waitress who brought us the menu, paid any attention.

“Guys, what should we eat?”

“It’s a cold day, so I think a warm soup dish would be good. So, how about hotpot?”

“Good. I was just thinking that too. Iris, how are you?”

When Iris heard my question, her eyes widened as if she had encountered something unexpected.

When she hesitated and couldn’t answer easily, Laura, who couldn’t answer, came forward.

“Rebecca, may I say a few words to Iris?”

“Okay. Let them say what they want to say.”

“Iris, if Rebecca makes a suggestion, please answer sincerely. How uncomfortable would Rebecca be if you continued to be uncooperative like that? He is willing to show kindness to lowly slaves like us, so make sure you respond to his kindness properly. Got it?”

“Yes, Laura. I will correct my wrong attitude.”

After listening to Laura’s words, Iris took a deep breath and relaxed.

Although it seemed quite cute, Laura’s serious expression as she looked at her made her look like a strict teacher.

And in order to confirm the results of Laura’s education, I once again asked Iris what she wanted.

“Now, Iris. What do you want to eat?”

“I want to eat kalguksu.”

“Then, let’s order this kimchi stew and eat it with noodles. Are you both okay?”

Laura and Iris actively voted in favor of my proposal.

I am proud of Iris, who gained courage and changed her attitude after just a few words from Laura.

‘It’s kind of funny that kimchi hotpot is served here too.’

According to my setting, Arcadia has all kinds of food from the old world.

I added that setting because I wanted to enjoy food in virtual reality that I don’t have the opportunity to buy in real life.

I love that I can enjoy food close to the level of modern civilization even in this cold winter thanks to the variety of ingredients provided by the rich land and various preservation magics.

It felt familiar yet unfamiliar to see spicy kimchi stew with noodles, steamed egg, and other side dishes served on a table in an unfamiliar world.

If you had set the world to a world with a completely different food culture, or if you had not created a related setting at all, you would be experiencing quite a difficult eating life by now.

‘I don’t think it’s wrong to say that familiar food is best.’

I observed the cuties while tasting the spicy soup from the hot pot that Laura put on a plate.

As always, Laura ate so well that she could make a lot of money by filming mukbangs.

On the other hand, Iris put only small amounts of food into her mouth and chewed it quietly to avoid spilling it on the table, and kept her mouth clean by frequently wiping it.

As I look at Iris, I suddenly remember Veronica eating food.

Some of Veronica’s noble manners were felt in Iris as well.

I couldn’t control my boiling curiosity and asked her a question.

“Iris, are you of noble birth?”

“No. My family was a commoner for generations.”

“I asked about table manners because they seemed noble. Where did you learn it?”

“When I was young, my family lived in a nobleman’s mansion. My father worked as a forest keeper and my mother worked as a maid. So I was forced to learn it.”

“I see. What does a forest keeper do?”

“I work to manage forests owned by nobles. We crack down on trespassers, control the population of game, and chase away wild animals. My father was originally a famous hunter in the village, but by chance he caught the eye of a nobleman and was hired.”

“So you must have been a good shooter?”

“Yes! His shooting skills were much better than those of the knights! So, I learned how to shoot a gun from my father, and we went hunting together a lot. I am still confident in hunting.”

When the story about her father came up, Iris’s expression brightened with excitement and she showed a bright smile and a positive attitude.

After all, a person must smile to be beautiful.

“Looking at it, it doesn’t seem like it’s a coincidence that you have the devil’s eye.”

“I inherited my eyes from my mother. But my mother couldn’t control herself like me, so she wore an eye patch.”

“I wish you could control your magical eyes. We need a sniper in our party.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”

“No. There’s no need to apologize because it’s not your fault. But how did you become a slave? It would have been a stable life if both my parents worked at a nobleman’s mansion.”

In response to my question, Iris suddenly showed a gloomy expression that I had never seen before.

Fuck, anyway, I have a problem with this guy’s snout.

I should have asked about this later when we were alone, but I made a big mistake.

Nevertheless, Iris began to tell me the truth about what she had experienced.

“Last year, my father was falsely accused and executed, and my mother and I became slaves. But my mother also suddenly passed away the next day.”

I was momentarily speechless.

Even if it wasn’t to the extent of Laura, I didn’t expect that she would have lost her parents so tragically and in vain.

Before expressing regret, I first listened to Iris’s continued words.

“I couldn’t use my magic eyes properly from then on, so it didn’t sell. After my current owner bought me, I just kept cleaning and doing laundry at that store. Then today I got to meet Rebecca.”

Slaves that no one buys are eventually sold to gladiatorial arenas and killed.

Considering that, the dark elf woman was a lifesaver who saved Iris.

Maybe he’s a nicer person than he looks.

“Ah! sorry. I ruined the mood for no reason.”

“No. Thank you for being honest even though it’s hard to talk about.”

I reached out my hand and stroked Iris’ head.

My heart aches so much when I see Iris smiling sadly.

Laura, who had gone through a similar experience, was wiping away tears out of sympathy, and I wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

It’s confusing to think that the women I’m interested in both lost their parents right before their eyes.

I need to change my mood quickly before I feel even more depressed.

“Then, let’s finish eating and go up to the room. Of course you guys are going to eat fried rice too, right?”

“Yes, Rebecca.”

I listened to both people’s answers at the same time and continued eating with a satisfied smile. Then, I stopped a male waiter passing by and asked him to make fried rice with the remaining hot pot.

He must have been mesmerized by my smile, so he looked at me from time to time and couldn’t easily calm his excited heart.

‘I’m sorry, but this is a love that cannot come true.’

I finished the meal with the delicious fried rice he made, secretly enjoying the gaze of the waiter, who had a rather cute behavior.

After eating until our stomachs literally exploded, we got up and left the restaurant and entered the hotel.

Iris laughed, saying it was the first time she had ever eaten so much at once, and Laura said there would be more times like that in the future.

Laura seems confident that I will eventually purchase Iris.

I can’t completely deny her views.

Iris’s appearance and body have long since passed the passing line I set, and I also like the friendly attitude she shows towards me.

It is also true that I feel sympathy for the situation because it is so pitiful.

But I don’t think we should jump to conclusions just yet.

You can’t buy a slave just because he or she is pretty, kind, or pitiful.

The purpose of buying slaves is to increase the number of combatants in the party and to obtain special skills through bondage quests, not to simply collect members of the harem.

First of all, since Iris was educated by her father, who is an excellent hunter, has experience working as a hunter herself, and is confident in her own skills, I will have to check her skills in person to decide whether or not to purchase it.

‘I have to go to the adventurer’s guild tomorrow anyway and report, so I can stop by the shooting range then. Anyway, it’s inconvenient that you can’t see the detailed personal information window even if you rent a slave.’

I expected that if I rented, I would be able to see the detailed personal information window, or at least have limited access to it.

But it was an unthinkable thought.

I was never allowed to look into it unless it was clearly in my possession.

I don’t know why these meaningless restrictions exist.

“Rebecca.”

“Huh?”

“Where will you let Iris sleep?”

“Ah, that’s right. There may not be enough beds in the room. Wait here for a moment.”

I went to the reception desk in the hotel lobby and asked to add an extra bed to my room.

Normally, they charge more for additional people, but when I heard that I was a long-term guest and Iris was only staying for three days, they happily provided the service for free.

In some ways, it may be seen as a trivial or natural thing, but it felt really good.

They said it would take some time to prepare the bed, so we didn’t wait and went up to the room first.

I left early today and came back at night, so it felt like I was back after a few days.

“I’ll wash first.”

“Yes, Rebecca. I’ll take the bed.”

“Please do me a favor.”

I took a shower first.

After being outside in the cold all day, I had a great urge to thaw my whole body in warm water.

I hummed with relief from the steamy hot water and had a great time muttering pop songs that people in this world had no idea about.

When I finished washing up and came out, the bed I requested was in the room.

The small single bed was originally placed at a slight distance from the bed in the room, but I just placed the two beds together so Iris wouldn’t feel left out.

But the words that came out of Iris’s mouth were unexpected.

“Rebecca, do you by any chance want me to serve you?”

“Huh? What service? Oh, that? don’t worry. Your original owner had set a condition for you not to have sex. The contract must be kept.”

“Thank you. I’m still a virgin so I’m a bit scared of that.”

“Even if I buy you, I will never force you to have sex without consent. And I have no intention of treating you carelessly as a slave. I hope you remember that about me.”

“Rebecca is a very kind person. He feels just like my father.”

“Isn’t that such an honor? Thank you for the compliment.”

I felt strange receiving excessive praise in an attitude that was normally taken for granted in the world.

And saying that he felt like a father touched my heart.

In the end, even if I don’t buy Iris, I think I should treat her well during the three days we spend together.

“Iris, let’s wash together.”

“Yes, Laura. Wow!”

Iris’s face turned bright red and heated up as she looked at the naked Laura’s gorgeous bondage imprint.

Then, when he looked at me, he gave me a look that seemed to cancel the statement that he felt like a father to me.

Yeah, I’m not a person worthy of that level of praise.

“Don’t misunderstand. This is a sign of love. Right? Rebecca?”

“That’s right. Ahaha.”

Laura defended me while stroking the bondage stamp in a lewd manner.

Looking at Iris’ distorted expression, it doesn’t seem to have much effect.

“Do you think Laura really loves Rebecca?”

“Because you are more precious than my life.”

Laura smiled at me with her eyes overflowing with affection, then took Iris, who had not yet undressed, into the bathroom and closed the door.

A squealing sound was heard from inside the bathroom, and a moment later the door was opened slightly, and the clothes, underwear, and bracelet-shaped magic armor that Iris was wearing were thrown out.

It was my first time seeing a domestic slave, not a combat slave, wearing magic armor.

For some reason, even though I was wearing those clothes inside the store, I didn’t feel cold at all.

Still, on cold winter nights, you can’t rely solely on the ability to maintain body temperature, so giving up your coat to Iris was an excellent choice.

Out of curiosity, I picked up the magic armor on the floor and used my analysis skill.

The name is ‘Cursed Maternal Bloodline Magic Armor’ and the quality is A grade.

Like magic armor, it has the function of deploying a shield and maintaining body temperature, and has the characteristic of being bound to the wearer.

According to the explanation, this magic armor is bound to the wearer until his death, and if the wearer wishes, he can be freed from the binding by inheriting it to a woman in his direct lineage.

The problem is that if it is destroyed, the person it is bound to dies instantly, and even if it is freed from the binding through inheritance, it will die within 24 hours.

And the most notable part is its ability to prevent the wearer from controlling his or her magical eyes.

In other words, Iris has to wear an eye patch because of this strange magic armor.

Well, I didn’t expect to find the cause of Iris’s problem so easily.

But the trouble is that solving the problem is never simple.

I’ll have to go to Carl’s store tomorrow and ask how to safely remove the binding.

“Rebecca, have you seen my bracelet? It’s my mother’s keepsake.”

“Sorry. I was watching for a moment. Now, here.”

I suddenly opened the bathroom door and handed it over to Iris, who was desperately looking for the bracelet.

Then Iris smiled brightly, put the bracelet on her wrist again, closed the bathroom door, and entered.

It already makes me feel sick to tell the truth to someone who treasures his mementos so much.