TBAGM Vol. 1 Chapter 2 Part 3

The morning after the “Adventurer’s Association Wall Destruction Incident.”

“…Mm. Morning already?”

Sunlight streamed in through the window, nudging me toward consciousness.

It was supposed to be the sun’s warmth that woke me. Instead, it was the strange sensation of touching something unfamiliar that roused me from sleep.

“Huh? What is this…”

Still groggy, I reached out and grabbed the mystery object.

Softer than a blanket. Like marshmallows.

I rubbed my eyes and looked to see what it was—only to find Ellis in front of me, her face flushed bright red.

And my hand… was resting firmly on her chest.

“…Lord Lloyd, you pervert.”

Despite her blushing cheeks, she smiled softly as she said it.

That smile—was she… happy about this?

“You’re bolder than I expected, Lord Lloyd… I never thought you’d do something like this.”

Ellis lowered her gaze to her chest with an amused smile, clearly teasing me.

And yes—my hand was indeed there. No doubt about it.

My mind finally processed what was happening, and I—

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

I bolted upright from the bed, only to see Ellis—still in her nightgown—frozen nearby.

Wait, wasn’t she just in my bed? And didn’t she look different before?

It took me a moment to realize… everything I remembered had just been a dream.

And I promptly collapsed back into bed.

—

After quickly freshening up, I sat down at the dining table.

Across from me sat Ellis, still in her nightgown.

It was a long-sleeved dress with pink and white lace. Her hair, usually tied up at the back, now flowed down in shimmering golden waves.

According to Serina, Ellis lived a life befitting a noble daughter, but she was apparently hopelessly lazy at home. I understood her reasoning, but still, wearing a nightgown in front of me?

“I’m really sorry about this morning.”

“No, I should be the one apologizing. I screamed so loud…”

Since yesterday, both Ellis and I had been living at the guild. She’d come to wake me up.

Apparently, I hadn’t responded even after she called out and knocked, so she’d tried shaking me awake—right when I screamed and sprang out of bed.

I bowed my head deeply to her.

“I truly apologize for everything.”

“Wh-What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?! Why are you being so formal!?”

“No… I just realized how pathetic I must be. What am I even doing with myself?”

“Are you… having an awakening or something?!”

I couldn’t even explain the dream where I touched Ellis’s chest, but regardless, I had to apologize with all my heart.

To me, Ellis felt like the first true partner I’d ever had.

I was probably so happy about that, it seeped into my dreams.

But still… that dream made it seem like I saw her in that way.

“Hmmm~ hmmm~ hmmmmm~”

Ellis hummed cheerfully as she ate breakfast.

Honestly, she had the kind of looks that would put her in the ‘gorgeous’ category by most standards.

If she hadn’t spent her time shooting off 【Water Ball】 spells at home and had instead been out adventuring, she’d probably have been swarmed by thugs trying to hit on her.

And yes, I was a man too. It wasn’t like I never thought of her that way.

I was currently resisting the urge to grind my teeth from how distracting her nightgown look was. I appreciated her trust in me, but the way she accepted this cohabitation arrangement without a second thought… that was a problem too.

Even now, just sitting across from her, my gaze kept drifting…

“Mr. Lloyd? Is something on me?”

“I AM SO SORRY!!!”

Ellis tilted her head, looking down at her chest.

I shot up from my chair and slammed my forehead against the floor.

Then, a soft mewling echoed through the guild hall.

“Nyaa~”

“Huh?”

“Hm?”

We both turned toward the sound at the same time.

There, crouched down and playing with something, was Serina.

We stood quietly and approached her.

“W-What is that creature?”

A small, fluffy animal—somewhere between a wolf and a cat—was gently lapping up water from a dish Serina had offered.

“I-It’s adorable…!”

Ellis’s eyes sparkled as she immediately fell in love with the creature.

Seeing our confusion, Serina gave a calm explanation.

“It seems to have wandered into the guild at some point and made itself at home. I wasn’t sure if I should chase it out…”

Ellis giggled and smiled, gently petting the animal.

The creature relaxed against her, clearly enjoying the attention.

“Does it have a name?”

“I was thinking of calling it ‘Nyantarou.’”

“Rejected.”

“W-Why!? Isn’t that cute!?”

I shut her idea down immediately. What part of that name was good?

Serina, uncharacteristically earnest, tried to plead her case.

Honestly, I never would’ve expected the all-purpose maid who even designed our guild’s crest to have such terrible naming sense.

Leaving the sulking Serina behind, I turned to Ellis.

“Got a better name in mind, Ellis?”

“Well, it has this noble aura to it… so how about ‘Char’?”

“Char, huh… I like it. That’s a hundred times better than Nyantarou.”

“Whyyyy!?”

Serina wasn’t joking. She had been dead serious.

Looking like her world had just collapsed, she slumped in defeat.

Then, as if remembering something, she slowly rose to her feet…

“Oh, Lord Lloyd. By the way, I have a message from the young lady’s parents. Would you like to hear it?”

“Yes, please.”

“‘We’ll be away on a short journey, so we’re entrusting our daughter to you. We don’t mind if you’re in a relationship, but if you want permission to get engaged, you’ll have to come see us in person. Also, no indecent conduct.’ That was their message.”

Serina smiled cheerfully as she finished relaying the message. You’d never guess she had been sulking just moments ago.

To begin with, it felt strange that Ellis was the one who came to wake me up today. Serina was the one who normally handled that. And yet I was woken by Ellis instead of her? It felt like we’d been dancing in the palm of Serina’s hand the entire time.

Also, just what kind of impression do Ellis’s parents have of me…?

“U-um…”

Even someone as dense as Ellis seemed to understand the implications of those words.

In perfect unison, our faces turned bright red and we shouted at Serina.

“We’re not like that!”

Feeling more than a little awkward, the two of us got ready and left the guild.

Today, we had to finalize partnership contracts with the Alchemist Guild and the Blacksmith Guild. For an adventurer’s guild, forming partnerships like this was essential.

Prices for adventuring supplies could fluctuate wildly depending on the season or the environment, so partnerships ensured a stable supply. This applied regardless of a guild’s size. With fewer members, you could even request custom-made gear.

For the Alchemist and Blacksmith Guilds, it meant a steady source of income. In short, these contracts benefited both sides.

“Hmm? There’s a crowd gathering over there.”

“You’re right. Looks like something’s going on.”

On our way to a blacksmith guild, we noticed a large crowd gathered on the street. Why were so many people gathered in a place like this? From young adults to the elderly, it looked like people of all ages were present.

Ellis stretched up on her tiptoes, trying her best to get a look.

“There’s someone standing on a stage. It’s hard to see from here.”

“A stage…? Oh. It’s a slave auction.”

“A slave auction? That sounds awful—what does that even mean?”

“Just what it sounds like. They’re selling slaves through open bidding.”

In the Kingdom of Fereia, slave auctions were legal. Though irregular, they sometimes held them like this out on the street.

It seemed like this was Ellis’s first time seeing one. Her expression clouded with displeasure.

“This is… unpleasant. It’s making me feel sick.”

“Yeah, well… there’s a reason for it.”

“A reason?”

“There was a time when this country banned slave trading. But it didn’t work. Do you know why?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve always just thought of slave trading as purely evil…”

Many people, like Ellis, detested the very idea of slave trading.

I didn’t like it either. Every time one of these auctions happened, the organizers probably received a mountain of complaints. And yet the kingdom still approved them—because it had no choice.

“Without it,  the death rate goes up.”

This country had its share of slums. Thousands of people lived without homes, without work, battling starvation every day. The kingdom provided aid in the form of food and supplies, but unless the underlying poverty was solved, it was only delaying the inevitable.

“So they keep people alive by allowing them to live as slaves?”

“Exactly. It’s basically forced labor. There are even people from the slums who willingly become slaves because they can’t get jobs otherwise.”

Being from the slums often meant no one would hire you. I knew that pain all too well.

“See that silver-haired girl on the stage over there?”

I pointed toward the young girl standing on the platform. Her skin was tanned, and a pair of long ears peeked out from between her white hair.

Her wrists and ankles were bound in chains, and she wore nothing but a ragged scrap of cloth. It was hard to even look at her.

“Yes… is she… a Dark Elf?”

“Yeah. Do you know they’re considered a symbol of calamity?”

“Yes. My father once told me about it.”

In this world, Dark Elves were regarded as harbingers of disaster. The reasons were complicated, so I’d save that explanation for another time.

Because of this stigma, Dark Elves were born into slavery under regular Elves. Some were even raised as living weapons—that’s what I’d heard, anyway.

“I’m not sure how she escaped from the Elven village, but that girl is essentially a defector. Or perhaps she was abandoned. Either way, to survive, she needs a legal identity.”

“If she has one, the country will protect her… is that the idea?”

“Exactly. As long as she holds the status of a slave, no one else can touch her unless they buy her. For her, that’s the best way to live in this country.”

Suppressing any sense of morality, I spoke those words.

Being a slave is the best way to live? That couldn’t possibly be true. But even so, there was no other path forward.

Ellis still didn’t seem convinced. The smile never returned to her face.

“But to go as far as becoming a slave, just to survive…”

“As long as she’s alive, that’s all that matters. If she’s alive, anything is possible.”

I murmured just loud enough that Ellis wouldn’t hear me.

Even a slave has a future if they live. There’s always a chance they might not remain one forever.

But if you die, nothing remains.

“Lord Lloyd? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s keep moving.”

Shaking off the old memories that had suddenly resurfaced, I started walking again.

—