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"Sure... Don't expect me to believe that... But let's move on to another topic for now. How do you follow me through my illusory doors?" I ask with some irritation.
"I... I've never really thought about it before. I don't know how I do it..." she says with apparent sincerity, which somewhat disarms my irritation.
"... I know it should have been impossible for me, considering that I wasn't in a party with you or in physical contact with you when I was going through them... but I thought maybe it was something because of how special you are. However, now I see that's not the case, since you're asking me about it."
'Hmm...
I hadn't thought of that possibility...
Maybe she's right and it's a feature that Space Travel gained when leveling up that I didn't know about...
Or it could be due to a stealth-oriented class ability, since she still has the Shadow class...
But it's also possible that she's lying to me...
Of course, I have no reason to trust her words...
Haa...
Unfortunately, her appearance puts me in a difficult situation again...
I should kill her to avoid any risks, but...
The annoying thing is that she doesn't seem to have any hostile intentions.'
"What the hell am I going to do with her? I don't want to kill her, but..." I mutter, thinking aloud in a discouraged tone.
"You could make me your slave..." she says, interrupting my thoughts as she looks at me with a glint of madness in her eyes.
"... That way you could be sure that I won't betray you."
'What? What is this woman playing at? Ever since I caught her, nothing she says or does makes any sense.'
"Why would you be willing to go to such extremes to follow me? I don't understand you," I say with renewed irritation, running a hand through my hair and turning my back on her for a moment.
"I don't expect you to understand me. I just want you to... let me follow you and watch you as I have done until now," she says with a slightly desperate air.
' - And I expect many more things from you, but there will be time for that... For now, I have to try to offer you a way out that suits us both... Step by step... During this time, I have begun to get to know you a little better, and now I know that you are not a man who should be pressured too much.'
"Well, I don't really understand, but... it doesn't seem like a bad offer to me. In fact, that would solve my current dilemma a little. You see, I don't like the idea of murdering a beautiful woman in cold blood..." I say, weighing the idea aloud, still with my back to her.
' - He thinks I'm beautiful! Damn... I should have taken much better care of my appearance... From now on, I won't make that mistake again.'
"... Especially when the woman in question doesn't seem to have any hostile intentions towards me or my family..."
'I don't entirely like the idea of someone becoming a slave because of me...
But if it's that or killing her...
There don't seem to be many other options, considering that I can't set her free...
Haa...
Does it take a long time for someone to acquire the Slave altered state?...
I hope not...
But, once again, I don't see many other options.'
"... All right. I accept your offer, but I don't know how to make you my slave. So, shortly, we're going to go see someone to help us with the process..."
'I suppose Leo will be able to help me and won't ask me too many questions about it...
After all, this is Beatrice's proposal...
I don't know what the necessary conditions are to turn someone into a slave...
But I suppose the fact that the person to be enslaved agrees to the process will make everything a little easier...'
"... But first, wouldn't you rather put on something a little cleaner? I have in my inventory everything you left behind when you ran away from me, including your clothes."
'... I wonder how often this kind of thing happens...
It seems crazy to me that a person could voluntarily give up their freedom like this...
But it's also true that Beatrice's only alternative is death...
Hmm, it's a complicated issue.'
"I don't want anything from my old life. I'm a different person now," she says with disgust at the offer.
' - You opened my eyes that day... You made me realize and recover parts of myself that I didn't know were still so alive... And the skill I discovered thanks to you gave me the freedom I've always longed for... I'm not going back to being the stupid, unhappy person who did everything she was told to survive just because there was nothing better… now you are the only light that guides my steps.'
...
"Well, I think we have a few hours of waiting ahead of us, considering you don't want to come back later to pick up the girl..." says Leo, in a calm voice, as he and I sit in one of the many waiting rooms at the Heavenly Water House.
Logically, this tall, handsome man with a slim build and brown hair is my best option for enslaving someone without having to give too many explanations.
Although it's also true that he's my only current option, considering that I don't know of any other slave trade houses.
In any case, I was right to decide to come here.
When I explained the reason for my visit, Leo told me that the process of enslaving someone usually takes many days, as it's normally necessary to impart slaves many fundamental commands to ensure the safety of both the master and the slaves.
But in this particular case, we could shorten the process considerably, taking into account my wishes and needs.
This will greatly reduce the number of commands that will be applied to the person to be enslaved, but there should be no problem.
Only two commands will be applied to Beatrice:
Do not consciously do anything that harms the master and obey the master's orders.
Even so, Leo told me that the process could take several hours.
That's why he suggested that I go home and come back later, but I refused his offer, as I think it would be stupid, considering who Beatrice is and what she could do to the people here.
I don't know Leo very well, but Erick has been a good friend since I arrived in the capital, and I feel it would be an insult to his friendship to leave his grandfather unprotected after I brought a dangerous criminal to his premises.
Leo told me he would keep me company while we waited for the process to finish, but we've been waiting for several minutes now, and despite the controlled tone of his voice, he seems a little uncomfortable.
This may be due to the fact that this 'express' method of enslaving someone is quite irregular and borders on illegality, as he told me.
But he was the one who told me this option existed, so he was the one who got himself into this situation.
"... Haa... Right! Now that I remember, I should thank you for that commission you gave my grandson. It's been years since I've seen him so focused on something."
'I guess that means Erick still hasn't managed to create a shield with three free slots...
Haa...
I didn't think it would be so difficult for him to forge it, considering he had already made some weapons with three free slots before...
Now that I think about it...
The sword with three free slots that I left here as part of the deal to buy Alessia...
Could it still be here?...
If so, it would be a good weapon for her.'
"You're welcome, but... when I asked for it, I didn't think it would be so difficult to manufacture..." I say with a smile.
'Will Leo be willing to sell me that sword?...
I suppose I have nothing to lose by trying.'
"... And speaking of Erick... Do you still have the sword I left here as part of the deal for Alessia?"
My first girlfriend is a Sword Saint, so she can cut through anything she sets her mind to, regardless of the quality of the weapon she wields.
Even so, I think it's time to get her a better weapon than the humble Edge+ sword she currently uses.
"Yes... I have it in my office, because every now and then I like to show it off to my friends. That weapon is an example of how talented my grandson is," he says with a smile full of familial affection.
'Shit... I figure he's not going to want to sell it then.'
"Haa... I asked because I intended to buy it, if you still had it, but I guess you're not willing to sell it," I say as the smile fades from my face.
"That's not entirely correct..." he says as his smile changes and widens slightly.
"...it's true that this weapon has emotional value for me, but that doesn't change the fact that it's merely an object... If my grandson found out that I refused to sell one of his creations, I'm sure he would laugh at me. Swords are made to be used, not to decorate or show off... With that in mind... I would be willing to sell that sword for 299 gold coins."
'Wow!...
That's really expensive...
Even I can tell that with my ruined sense of money.'