"Why is the chieftain's daughter lumped into a bargain lot like this? Answer me."
"Ugh..."
The young girl, Peiyu, hesitated, but with the magic of absolute obedience already bound to her, she had no choice but to obey my command.
Grimacing as if she had swallowed a bitter pill, she stammered out her response.
"Father... let me escape."
"The chieftain did? But if you're his daughter, you should have been a top-priority prize of war. He couldn't have slipped you away so easily, and even if you did manage to flee, it makes no sense for you to end up being sold off like this."
"Father and Mother... killed another child in my place, and then took their own lives."
"I see."
That made sense.
I glanced over at His Majesty. Having reigned over the summit of the Empire for decades and led military campaigns in person, he gave a quiet nod.
Realizing defeat was inevitable, the chieftain must have staged a family suicide pact.
It was a common enough tragedy.
The fate awaiting the losers of a war was almost always miserable.
Rather than living to endure such agony—and rather than watching their own flesh and blood suffer it—leaders who foresaw their downfall frequently took the lives of their families with their own hands.
The chieftain had likely done just that, and when the imperial investigators checked the site, the headcount matched, closing the case.
"So you were let go, but you couldn't get far enough, got captured, and ended up sold to a slave merchant."
"..."
Peiyu nodded quietly.
"'Cast aside your name, and live in peace somewhere'... he told me."
"Is that so."
I see. That cleared up the whole story.
"Noah, how will you dispose of that girl?" His Majesty asked, making Peiyu shudder in terror.
As the Imperial Prince Minister of Justice, I quickly recalled the Imperial Law etched into my mind.
"The Saei Clan had never sworn fealty to the Empire to begin with, meaning this was not an act of rebellion. Therefore, by law, male descendants of the chieftain's bloodline are to be executed, while females are to be bestowed as slaves to those who have rendered meritorious service."
"Meaning there is no need to take any special measures, is that it?"
"Precisely, Your Majesty."
Peiyu had already been reduced to a slave.
Enchanted with absolute obedience magic, she could never defy my orders, no matter what.
If I ordered her to die right here, her body would move on its own to carry out the command, even as she wept and screamed.
I looked down at Peiyu, and our eyes met.
Frightened, she quickly cast her gaze down and looked away.
She was trembling, anxiously trying to read my expression.
It was the look of someone who understood all too well that the man before her held absolute power over her life and death, terrified to her core.
"Then I shall grant that girl to you, Noah."
"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's benevolence."
I dropped to one knee on the spot and bowed my head.
Formally, it became a bestowal from His Majesty.
Rising to my feet, I looked back at Peiyu.
"So that's how it is. From now on, you're my slave. You'll be working as a maid at my mansion."
"A maid...?"
"Yes, that's right."
"You won't... kill me?"
"There is no need for that."
People are a resource.
Between Jerry's recent exploits and the fact that Peiyu was already bound by absolute obedience magic, I didn't have the slightest intention of putting her to death.
"...U-Um."
After a brief hesitation, Peiyu spoke up, as if gathering every ounce of courage she possessed.
"Could the others... come along too?"
"The others?"
"Yes."
Peiyu nodded timidly and glanced around.
There were still numerous burlap sacks piled up around her.
"They're all... friends I grew up with in the same village..."
"I see."
I nodded and turned to the slave merchant, who had been standing quietly by this whole time.
"I'll buy every single one you have here right now."
"Thank you very much for your patronage!"
"And you heard our conversation, correct?"
Saying so, I pulled out a pouch of money and handed it to the merchant—a thousand Rien in total.
"If there are any other survivors of the Saei Clan, don't put them up for sale. Send them straight to the Thirteenth Imperial Prince Mansion."
"Y-Your Highness?!"
The slave merchant looked exaggeratedly shocked.
"Understood! Please leave everything to this humble servant!"
"Will that suffice?"
"—! Yes! Thank you so very much!"
Peiyu broke into a radiant smile, visibly overcome with emotion.
Her smile was stunning enough to make my heart skip a beat—however.
Something else drew my focus far more.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Imperial Prince Minister of Justice Gender: Male Level: 15 / ∞
HP: C+D Fire: E+A MP: E+D Water: C+S Strength: C+A Wind: E+F Stamina: D+D Earth: E+D Intelligence: E+D Light: E+C Spirit: E+D Darkness: E+C Speed: E+E Dexterity: E+D Luck: E+D ――――――――――――
The fact that the "+" modifier on my Stamina had increased by an entire tier caught my attention much more.
☆
A few days later, at my estate in Nisir, the provincial capital of Almeria.
Having arrived just after midday, I summoned Zoe to the parlor.
Head Maid Zoe. Her loyalty to me was beyond reproach, and placing full trust in her, I had put her in charge of overseeing all the maids.
Once she arrived, I gave my instructions.
"I'm leaving all the slaves I brought back from the capital in your hands."
"Understood. Shall I have all of them serve as maids?"
"Yes. They are bound by absolute obedience magic, and I've ordered them to obey your commands unless I explicitly overwrite them myself. I leave the details to you."
"As you command, my lord."
"And another thing—"
Just as I was about to add a few more precautions, the door opened and Audrey walked into the room.
"Welcome home, Lord Noah."
"I'm back. Has anything unusual happened at the mansion while I was away?"
"Nothing concerning the estate. Everything has proceeded as usual."
"I see."
"However, I do have a report of my own for you, Lord Noah."
"What is it?"
"I have conceived a child."
"...Oho."
That caught me a bit off guard.
I stood up and walked over to Audrey.
Though nothing showed yet, I sank onto one knee before her, gazed at her stomach, and gently placed a hand over it.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"I see. Well done. I'm truly glad."
It was a strange sensation.
Hearing Audrey's words stirred an emotion that welled up from deep within my chest.
A profound sense of fulfillment.
I found the subtle change taking root in my own feelings quite fascinating.
"Thank you very much, my lord."
"We must decide on a name."
"Please do."
I stood back up and pondered for a moment.
Several names came to mind, and after weighing the options, I narrowed them down to two.
"If it's a boy, Shem."
"I think that is a wonderful name."
"If it's a girl, Avis—"
The moment those words left my lips.
For the very first time, a change occurred in a sight I had long grown accustomed to seeing.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Imperial Prince Minister of Justice Gender: Male Level: 15+1 / ∞
HP: C+D Fire: E+A MP: E+D Water: C+S Strength: C+A Wind: E+F Stamina: D+D Earth: E+D Intelligence: D+D Light: E+C Spirit: E+D Darkness: E+C Speed: E+E Dexterity: E+D Luck: E+D ――――――――――――
To my sheer amazement, it wasn't just my standard stats that were modified.
A "+" bonus had attached itself directly to my Level.
"Is something the matter, my lord?"
"Zoe, display my status."
Without answering Audrey directly, I gave an order mid-conversation to Zoe, who had been waiting attentively a short distance away.
Without needing to ask twice, Zoe cast the appraisal spell on me with practiced ease.
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Imperial Prince Minister of Justice Gender: Male Level: 16 / ∞
HP: A Fire: S MP: C Water: SSS Strength: SSS Wind: E Stamina: B Earth: C Intelligence: B Light: B Spirit: C Darkness: B Speed: D Dexterity: C Luck: C ――――――――――――
My public status window materialized.
Seeing it, Audrey spoke up.
"Your level has increased. When did this happen?"
"Just now."
"Pardon?"
"Just now, the moment I gave a name to the child in your womb, it went up."
"—!"
Audrey and Zoe both wore looks of utter disbelief.
Both of them knew full well that my stats grew whenever I gained more subordinates or expanded my fief.
Even knowing that, however...
"Your level goes up too...? Amazing..."
Confronted with an unprecedented phenomenon, the two of them were left completely speechless.