Chapter 146 – DELFINA’S PAST (PART 3) ~ THE 1 KRE SLAVE (1/2)

CHAPTER 146 – DELFINA’S PAST (PART 3) ~ THE 1 KRE SLAVE

Traditionally in Aegina, most “slaves for the third time” are sold for 1 Kre.

Slaves are considered as luxury fortune, and their Masters would not let them go unless a considerable or grave thing has happened. By repeating that twice, the slaves sold out for the third time are branded as incompetent, and there is almost no one who would buy them even for the low price of 1 Kre.

Delfina was not branded as an incompetent, but she is in a situation where it would have been better if she would have been.

She had two Masters dying, and was seen as a plague which drove their Houses into inexistence.

Because of that, she was unable to be sold even as a 1-Kre-slave.

She was left behind while the others were bought one next to the other.

She continued to be left behind.

☆

「Hey, have you heard? They’re saying that tomorrow, this room will be『cleaned』up」

At the afternoon of that day, one slave suddenly said that.

Delfina who have shrunk into the corner waiting for her new Master raised her head and looked towards that conversation.

Three middle-aged female slaves gathered, and spoke like they are having an idle gossip.

「Cleaned up? Isn’t that a good thing?」

「Well, this room is really bad after all. It would be great if they’d let us wash ourselves while their at it」

「What are you saying? It’s not that kind of cleaning」

The slave who mentioned the rumor whispered to the other two.

「Eh〜, no way!」

「That isn’t cleaning, that’s disposal」

「They’re saying that『cleaning』is correct. Those 1 Kre slaves that won’t get sold, they’re less than trash because money is needed to pay for their food, so they’re regularly『cleaning』them up」

「T-Then, if we were not sold today?」

「We’re going to get……disposed of?」

「Everyone in here……one, two, three……all 31 of us」

It was a narrow room that they were packed in from the start. Their conversation was easily overheard, and other slaves started to join the conversation.

Delfina did not join them. She just listened to their conversation in the corner of the room while embracing her knees.

With just that conversation, she completely understood. It was originally a simple thing.

Cheap slaves that are sold by the lot. Just letting them eat to live would cost a lot of money.

Even if they were bought at a giveaway price, it would be a deficit after making them eat for a week.

And, they are just going to be “disposed of” before that.

「B-But, isn’t that good too? We’re going to be released after all. Though it’s true that finding a new job starting from here is difficult……」

A timid slave in her twenties said. The middle-aged slaves who brought the rumors scoffed at her.

「You, you’re an idiot huh. There’s no way that we’ll be released. If they do that, 1 Kre slaves wouldn’t be sold even more, because people would find those released slaves」

「T-Then, disposed of means?」

「We’re going to get killed」

「Ehhhhh?!」

It was not only the timid slave who screamed. Several others did as well.

It just means that the ones thinking that getting cleaned up is equal to getting released are that many.

From then on, it was a big chorus of screams and prayers.

Delfina only continued to embrace her knees, and did not think of anything.

☆

In the afternoon of that day, the door of the jam-packed room opened.

Two men appeared from that door.

One is the man who manages this place, the one on the side of selling slaves.

The other one, he looks like a hoodlum no matter how you look at him. He was clearly someone who’s running errands for someone else.

「One, two, three……31 of them in total. Hurry up and choose」

「Yeah. For the meantime, here’s 30 Kre. Count them while I’m choosing」

The man handed over a cloth bag and entered inside the room.

「He said 30 Kre」

「30 of us are going to be bought?」

「Then, I might get bought too」

The slaves who were making a commotion of being disposed of started murmuring with some hope.

30 of 31 people being bought means, they would be bought unless something they do something very grave, and they would not be disposed of.

The man who is on the buying side looked at the slaves one by one.

And finally, he stood in front of Delfina, and stared at her face after bending down.

「Have you decided?」

The man who finished counting the money asked from outside the room.

「Yeah. I’ll take everyone other than this brat」

「You don’t like her?」

「Yeah, she looks gloomy. Looks ominous too」

「You got it. That one’s a plague who made two of her Masters die」

「He! Told ya」

「Hey you allーーget out of the room other than that girl」

The slaves scrambled out of the room.

Since the topic about getting『cleaned』was brought up, the slaves felt like that room was a place that releases the smell of『death』.

The probably wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

The 30 of them left, and lastly, the man left as well.

The seller looked inside the room, looked at Delfina, and looked at the buyer.

「Hey, you’d like to get that as well? You bought 30 at once. I’ll give you that as a service」

「Hah, idiot. Why the heck do you think I’m buying 1 Kre slaves. Of course it’s to mess them up with low costs. Who’d pay money to increase the number of the dead」

「You don’t mind even if it increased by one right?」

「I can tell what your aim is. You don’t want to pay money for『cleaning』right?」

「Alright, alright. Hurry up and take those 30 with you」

「He! I’ll come again」

The door closed, and Delfina was left alone.

The room that was narrow and packed earlier suddenly became full of space.

Delfina looked around the room with blank eyes.

☆

As midnight approached, the door opened once again.

This time, there was only one. It was only the seller.