By the time the final practical skills assessment concluded, my mind was already made up.
"I’ll be in your care from now on, Mr. Road."
"I shall serve you with all my heart and soul. Also, Master, I would prefer if you simply called me Ox."
The man I selected was Ox Road. His combat prowess was in a league of its own compared to the other candidates. While he seemed to have a stubborn streak, he possessed an air of earnestness and reliability that put me at ease. I sought the opinions of Reinhardt and the others, but the decision to hire him was unanimous.
Since he was a debt slave, his only personal belongings were the two swords hanging at his hip and a few spare clothes. By the time he returned from receiving healing magic to restore his mana after the match, he had already finished packing.
The Moulton Company representative told me I could take him immediately upon payment, so I settled the fee on the spot with a document similar to a check. Honestly, there was no urgent need to whisk him away; as I was currently a guest at the Duke’s estate, I had intended to pay for a few extra days of lodging for him and have him join us when we eventually returned to Gimul.
"He can just stay at our place as a servant for now," Reinhardt said. "Let’s get going."
And so, with that single remark, it was decided that he would come with us immediately.
Once we returned to the carriage stop, everyone except me hurried inside the vehicle. It seemed Fei and Ox would also be riding in the cabin today.
"As for me, now that the day’s work is done, I was thinking we might enjoy a leisurely cup of tea together," Oresto suggested.
"Drink it by yourself," Pioro shot back.
"My, how cold. I suppose it can't be helped... Master Takebayashi, if you ever find yourself in need of more slaves, please feel free to visit the Moulton Company. You are always welcome to stop by just to chat and kill time as well."
"Hahaha... If the opportunity arises, I’ll look forward to working with you again, Mr. Moulton."
"Oh! That’s right. Please, feel free to address me simply as Oresto, without the titles. I intend to call you Ryoma from now on as well. Don't you think a simple change in address can bridge the distance between people?"
Ever since he’d dropped his facade, the man had become remarkably assertive. I didn't particularly mind, though.
"Understood, Oresto. If the mood strikes me, I'll stop by."
"Excellent. I’ll be sure to give you a discount then. I’d love to explain the specifics, but the gentlemen behind you look rather frightening, so please take this."
Oresto handed me something that looked like a pamphlet. His movements were so fluid that I found myself accepting it before I’d even processed the action. Had he prepared this from the very beginning?
I offered a quick word of thanks and boarded the carriage, taking the empty seat between Fei and Ox. Once everyone was settled, the coachman set off as if he had been waiting for that exact signal. Through the window, I watched Oresto seeing us off with a smile as his figure receded into the distance.
"Phew..."
The moment the carriage cleared the villa's grounds, the three men sitting opposite me let out a synchronized sigh.
"Thank you all for coming with me today," I said.
"I didn't have much else to do," Reinhardt replied.
"Besides, we couldn't exactly leave you alone with that man," Serge added.
"I believe you’ve come to understand why, Ryoma..."
I certainly did. It had been a massive help having them along. If I had faced Oresto alone without any prior warning, he likely would have led me around by the nose even more than he already had.
"Just as Serge said, he may not be a bad person, but he’s certainly a handful."
Reinhardt had mentioned it earlier, but Oresto’s ability to manipulate social distance was uncanny. During our conversation, I’d found my own rhythm constantly disrupted, and there were moments of distinct discomfort. However, he always kept his provocations to minor things—nothing worth shouting or getting truly angry about. As the talk progressed, he would either offer a subtle follow-up or cloud the issue entirely. Eventually, I just found myself stopped caring about the details.
He likely employed the same strategy with everyone, tailoring his approach to their specific temperaments. It was exhausting, and I understood why the others were so wary, but personally, I couldn't bring myself to truly hate the man. Then again, he seemed like the type who might enjoy being hated just as much.
"That’s exactly how he is," Pioro remarked. "You managed to figure that out after just one meeting?"
"I'm sure I wouldn't have had the composure if I were by myself, but with everyone acting as a shield for me, I could speak calmly. More than that... while we were talking, I felt like I saw a part of myself in him."
"You and Oresto, Ryoma? I don't see the resemblance at all," Reinhardt said skeptically.
"I agree," Serge chimed in.
"Perhaps it’s not about our personalities, but rather our mindset toward the things that interest us?"
When I find a new species of slime, I test its reactions with all sorts of objects to determine its strengths and weaknesses; I’ll even expose it to poison if I think it’s necessary for my research. Even if a slime bit my hand during an experiment, I wouldn't feel like getting angry. Instead, I’d be fascinated by how it managed to bite me and what kind of power it was demonstrating.
To be honest, I don't harbor that same level of interest in humans, so I can't fully empathize with someone who enjoys doing that to people... but as a general policy of action, I thought we might be somewhat similar.
"I just felt our basic approach was alike, more or less."
"Ah..."
"I see what you mean..."
"Put that way, it makes sense..."
Everyone seemed convinced. Even Fei, sitting next to me, seemed to agree in silence. Ox, however, looked a bit lost, likely because he didn't know about my obsession with slimes. I realized I shouldn't leave him out of the conversation.
"I’m sorry, Ox. I didn't mean to ignore you."
"It is no trouble," he replied.
I was grateful for his patience, but since we had already finished the introductions, I decided it was time to talk about the future.
Since I would be staying at the Duke’s estate for three more days, I wanted Ox to spend that time learning about the shop from Fei, specifically the security protocols. Furthermore, if he was willing, I wanted to ask for his help in setting up the wedding venue. His incredible strength, which allowed him to wield those heavy blades with only one arm, would be a massive asset for the construction work.
"And one more thing. This depends on whether you're willing, Ox, but I’d like you to participate in a medicinal experiment."
"Medicine?"
I reiterated my cover story: that I had learned medicine and its preparation from my grandmother and possessed a fair degree of skill.
The medicine I wanted to test was a mana recovery potion. Not the fast-acting variety sold in most shops, but a persistent type that restored mana gradually over a long period.
Ox had refused to give up even after losing his left hand, mastering a technique to manipulate swords through mana. While it was common for beast-kin to have lower mana capacities, I felt it would be a terrible waste to let his skills go to waste.
His low mana meant he couldn't fight for extended periods. Furthermore, the physical strain of mana depletion caused his movements to grow increasingly sluggish. As a result, if he couldn't end a fight quickly, he would effectively defeat himself.
If the root cause was a simple lack of mana, I believed a persistent mana recovery potion was the answer. Such a formula existed within the knowledge I had inherited.
"Mana depletion usually heals on its own with rest, so potions are typically used for emergencies that require immediate results, such as in the heat of battle or when a healer needs to treat the severely injured. However, I’ve heard of a condition called Mana Leakage Syndrome, where mana slowly seeps from the body even at rest. During the research into a treatment for that condition, a medicine was developed to provide continuous, low-level mana recovery over a long duration."
A regular fast-acting potion would require him to stop and drink every time he felt faint. A persistent potion, however, could be taken in advance to prevent that state from occurring in the first place.
"I have the theoretical knowledge, though I’ve never actually brewed this specific recipe myself. I’m told it’s possible to adjust the duration and the recovery rate by tweaking the proportions. I’m wondering if we can use this to balance your mana consumption with a constant recovery rate, making it possible for you to use your technique for much longer."
"Is such a thing truly possible?" Ox asked, his voice tinged with wonder.
"It’s an educated guess, but I believe it will be more than useful for your training. Based on your performance today, it seemed you were relying entirely on the muscle memory you built before losing your hand. I suspected you haven't been able to properly train that specific technique since then..."
He nodded before I could even finish.
"It is as you suspected. A few minutes before sleep is my absolute limit. As a slave burdened with debt, I could not justify spending money on medicine that wasn't strictly necessary just for the sake of training. Being able to train properly would be a blessing. But will this not be a burden on you, Master? Brewing such medicine surely requires significant funds."
"Oh, don't worry about that."
For ingredients, I could use the Running Mush I’d been cultivating in small batches to preserve the fungi. Since they were rare materials, there was a limit to how many I could sell through the Guild Master without drawing too much attention. They were slowly piling up in my storage, and I was actually having trouble figuring out what to do with them.
"Conducting these experiments will be a great learning experience for me. Besides, looking at it objectively, I have quite a bit of financial breathing room. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to hire you in the first place."
"Indeed. My concern was misplaced."
"I’ll have to be a bit more careful with my spending for a while, but it won't affect our daily lives. More importantly, if the medicine allows you to fully utilize your abilities, it gives me greater peace of mind as your employer. If you’re still worried about the cost, I’d be happy to accept lessons in chantless casting in exchange."
"I only learned the skill by chance, but if my knowledge is of use, I would be honored to teach you. Please, I ask this of you as well."
He bowed his head as deeply as the cramped carriage seat would allow.
"Thank you very much!"
I had been practicing chantless casting based on the foundations taught to me by the sword dancers Maiya and Soldio, but I hadn't seen much improvement lately. Having an expert’s advice would be a massive help.
Furthermore, although it wasn't related to my current business, the city expansion project in Gimul was underway, and the centerpiece was meant to be a new arena. I remembered it clearly because I had been the one to provide the Trent lumber for it.
If the medicine adjustments went well and there were no legal issues, I saw no reason why he couldn't eventually return to the arena as a gladiator. Having him as a guard was incredibly reassuring, but I wanted my shop to be the kind of workplace that respected the will of its employees.
During my talk with Oresto, he’d mentioned that some nobles buy slaves specifically to manage them as gladiators. If Ox truly desired to return to that life, I could recoup my investment through that path instead.
As I explained the calculations behind my decision to hire him, Ox looked at me with an unreadable expression.
"I never imagined I would receive such generous treatment after becoming a slave," he murmured.
He seemed to be caught between laughter and tears, simply overwhelmed by gratitude. I accepted his feelings, though I suspected the person he really should be thanking was Oresto.
"That man?"
"I can guess what your relationship was like by your reaction... but he was the one who recommended you to me. Honestly, I suspect he might have known all about the medicine and my circumstances from the start."
Mana Leakage Syndrome and its corresponding potions were rare, but Oresto was a high-ranking slave trader and at least a second-generation head of his house. If he was as obsessed with humans as I was with slimes, he must have interacted with countless people. It wouldn't be surprising if he had encountered the condition or the research before.
Even if that wasn't the case, he clearly knew about Ox's technique. If he’d spent any time thinking about how to make Ox more marketable, he could have easily arrived at the idea of persistent mana recovery.
"I think he pretended not to know so he wouldn't have to sell Ox as a 'defective slave'... and considering he sold him to me, I think he was waiting for the right buyer."
As Ox had pointed out, providing consistent medicine was a burden. If a buyer didn't have the materials or knowledge, they would have to commission it at great expense. Since Ox was already strong enough to serve as a guard with one arm, most buyers wouldn't see the point in the extra cost. If a buyer was satisfied with "one arm is enough," Ox's true potential would have remained locked away forever.
That would have been a tragic waste.
If I imagined a slime in that situation, I wouldn't be able to stand it; I’d want to give the owner a piece of my mind. If I were the one handing over a precious specimen, I would never choose an owner like that.
"Master, you truly do love slimes..."
Ox muttered that being compared to a slime was a first for him, while the others gave me wry smiles. Regardless, I felt Oresto's actions were driven by a desire to find a buyer who would actually invest in Ox's potential.
In that regard, I had medicinal knowledge and hadn't made much effort to hide it. Furthermore, the excellent working conditions at my shop were apparently becoming common knowledge in Gimul.
Some merchants apparently whispered that I was "too soft on my staff" or "wasteful," but that just meant the word was spreading that I treated my employees generously. Oresto, who admitted to researching me, would definitely have known all of this.
"I can't say for certain... but I’ve had this nagging feeling that he was subtly dropping hints and guiding me toward this outcome the whole time..."
Just how much of this was part of his plan? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that while he might not be a "bad" person, he was incredibly circuitous and frustratingly clever.
"...I think I finally understand how you all feel in the truest sense."
At that moment, the eyes of Reinhardt and the others looked back at me as if they were welcoming a new member into a club of fellow victims.