Chapter 4 ─ First Harem Member

Five years have passed since then.

The territory of the Redblade Duchy has improved a lot.

The commoners' houses that were once made of wood and thatch were now made of brick.

The officials and knights who had their families living here also improved their houses.

The difference between the house of a commoner and a Redblade vassal was the size of the dwelling.

The streets were paved so to speak.

In the center of the city, which was now a large shopping plaza, a huge fountain was the most touristy place in the whole territory for now.

Because of the beautiful design of a wailing mermaid, couples gathered around to eat or rest.

The air was also pleasant as rot or waste no longer smelled in the streets.

There was sewerage.

There was clean water.

There was even a schedule for picking up garbage and destroying it so as not to pollute.

But that's not all, also the farms and crops in the territory gradually improved.

A farmer was knitting while watching her husband riding on a tractor picking carrots.

The tractor was moved by a yellow stone, it worked like this, only the farmers had access to this to make their lives easier.

The farmer stood up as her son arrived.

"Mom, I'm hungry!"

"Ok, let's go inside."

Entering the house, they went straight to the kitchen, she pulled out a plate of pasta with ground beef from a cooler, put it in the microwave and in a few seconds it was warmed up.

"Here."

"Huh? This is it?"

The farmer noticed something strange about her son, his hand had some purple spots on it.

"Good heavens, is this smallpox? How did you get it?"

"I don't know."

"Gosh, this child."

Again the mother went to the cooler, the top opened and there were some vials with purple liquid in them.

She gave one to her son and he was cured within seconds.

"Don't go around fishing for diseases. Just because medicine now costs 5 copper coins and no longer 50 silver coins, doesn't mean you should get sick."

"I'm sorry."

"Truly, kids these days are one thing. Everything we have we have young master Reidel to thank for, it's thanks to him that we can enjoy all these luxuries and amenities we could never dream of."

The mother looked out the window wistfully.

"It is pleasing to have a future virtuous lord."

◇◇◇

"Aaah!"

In the backyard of the Redblade mansion, a group of knights were attacking a person.

It was Reidel, who was ten years old.

He had left his shorts behind and was now wearing long pants, he had grown up and was now more experienced and more aware of his actions.

He had also become more arrogant to the point that he was very proud and narcissistic.

"That's it? How weak~."

The knights were attacking Rei from all sides, it was impossible for him to defend himself without help. But he was superior to them.

The knights attacking him for their practice of what to do during a possible kidnapping. They were sweating since they were just Rei's toy.

One hit his neck, it didn't work as Rei quickly turned around and with his foot pushed him away.

Another one jumped to attack him, they were using wooden swords, but still using a lot of force they could kill him.

It didn't turn out well for the knight either, Rei kicked him without moving his body.

Then two of them approached, among them was the chief of the knights, a man with brown hair and eyes.

Rei threw his sword into the air and with a pirouette.

"Puah!"

He kicked a knight's face, then with the sword that was going to fall to the ground, he picked it up and with it hit the knight hard on the shoulder.

"It's the end of you."

"Yes..."

A dozen trained knights were defeated in a simple game, Rei did not have a single drop of sweat.

"I got bored, I'll go to the city for a walk for a while."

"Let me accompany you young master."

Said a new butler hired by his father, it seems he will be the replacement for the chief butler in a few years.

"Umm... who were you?"

"Walter I am."

A young man with blue hair and brown eyes showed his respects.

"Ok. Let's go quickly."

Rei said as he tossed his sword back into the barrel he pulled it from.

The knights were as tired as if they had been fighting for hours.

*Gasp*

*Gulp*

"... What the hell was that?"

"Is he even human?"

"In just five years he's improved so much, he's surpassed us higher level knights."

"He's quite the monster, I didn't imagine that kid would become so strong."

Rei was gradually becoming a very cheating existence.

◇◇◇

From the estate to the city took fifteen minutes, that's because Rei built─ he created something that shouldn't exist.

"Young master, is this thing safe?"

"Of course it is, I tested it many times and despite several accidents I had, I was finally able to learn how to drive it."

"Accidents you said!!?"

A red Hummer-type all-terrain vehicle.

There was no gasoline or propane gas in this world, so its operation was thanks to yellow stones.

After arriving in town, Rei parked near the bridge.

They got off and then went for a walk around the city.

The city was in a good mood, you could tell by the people laughing and shopping happily.

The butler asked Rei.

"Young master, is there a reason you came here?"

"Today is an important event, isn't it?"

"That's right."

Kurono replied.

"Today is the day where we will meet our first harem member. There would be more girls we could have met if we had allowed the pandemic two years ago."

According to the game's story, when Rei turned eight, an unexplained pandemic occurred in half of the Brune Kingdom.

The reason for this was kept secret until a couple of years when the game was almost over.

The responsible were two groups, one of them were soldiers from the Norden Kingdom who wanted to invade the Kingdom. And another group was merchants who declared a Farmer's War on their competitors.

The economy is a monster that attacks everyone in different shapes and sizes.

Money is the most valuable commodity in this world, there is no human being who denies that money will bring happiness to him and his people.

But it is for that reason that Kurono decided to intervene.

The reason for that was...

"Many beautiful girls were affected by the pandemic, whether they or their families!"

"I refuse to accept that they have to suffer because of this! I mean, I refuse to accept this event since I won't be able to flirt with them!"

"Rei, we will create a vaccine using instant healing in different places in the Kingdom!"

And because of that, for two weeks Rei was flying around using instant healing on crops, rivers and the fresh water of private companies.

Kurono sacrificed future members of his harem for the discomfort of not being able to touch them.

Thanks to that selfishness, the pandemic was averted and smallpox is only a disease that can be easily cured.

After a while of walking around, Rei found something that was strange to see.

"Is that it?"

He walked to where a crowd was standing, the adults couldn't let him pass. So he used levitation to get himself stepped on.

There, he could see something he never thought he'd see.

"So those are slaves."

A merchant was displaying merchandise, they were humans.

In this world, thanks to the republic, slavery is a profitable business.

Whether they are slaves for labor works, slaves to fight or most required, sex slaves.

A virgin woman of a noble house can be worth up to 500 gold coins.

Of course, thanks to "democracy", slavery only applies to these options.

Criminals.

Debtors.

Most of all... unwanted.

That group of people did not qualify as humans.

Therefore, there was no problem with buying a slave.

The treatment of the slave varies from trader to trader.

Some are well cared for and others look like beggars.

The slaves Rei saw were bathed, perfumed and dressed in elegant clothes, but with a slave collar around their neck.

Which will explode if they take it off.

Among all those men and women, there was only one who caught his eye.

Kurono noticed it.

"You saw her isn't like that."

"Y-Yes... she's beautiful."

It was the first time she felt his heart beating for the opposite sex, as at the corner of all the slaves, stood a girl her age wearing a beautiful white dress.

Her skin was pale, her long silver hair was shimmering like the moon, almost reaching the tips, the color changing to a cool pinkish cake, even though her eyes were half open, the beautiful yellowish green color was visible.

But the most impressive detail was her ears.

"She's a real elf!"

"That's right."

"She, according to the game, is one of the first members of the protagonist's harem."

(She has a real name, but one that isn't mentioned until much later. Which she hides it because of things in her past.)

(So you give her a fake name that she gets attached to.)

(But this isn't done by Rei, it's done by the protagonist. Rei finds her and buys her. He mistreats her all the time and even makes others abuse her.)

(On her route she is saved after the end of the first school year where she declares body and soul that she loves you.)

(But there is no physical protagonist and no bastard Rei, so there is no better choice than this.)

"I want her. Hey, call the merchant of this store."

"Aye, aye."

The butler went inside the shopkeeper.

After a while of waiting Rei, the butler came out and told him to go inside.

◇◇◇

"It's a very poor place inside, no matter how you look at it."

After entering the shop, Rei was guided by an employee to a special room.

The place was small, there weren't many luxuries to indicate that it was a reputable merchant.

But Rei didn't mind that.

"He sure does take a long time the owner. I'll extort him hahaha."

After muttering that, the door was opened and someone walked in.

"I-I'm so sorry for the delay."

Apologized a short, chubby, semi bald, bespectacled man with a caterpillar mustache.

"I beg your pardon for making you late!"

"I am the owner of this company! I am Harold Bluegarden, the head of the Bluegarden Trading Company."

"Trading company? Aren't you just a trader?"

The head of the company sat down, he was sweating profusely. He was apologizing as he spoke.

"I'm very sorry, we are a small company. Since I'm a viscount with no territory, that makes our reputation not highly regarded among other nobles."

"If I'm not mistaken, territory-less nobles like you are those who achieved their noble title for reasons other than serving the royal family for generations, right?"

"Y-Yes, it is as you say. Thanks to my grandfather we managed to become a family of barons and then when my turn came, we became a family of viscounts. But since we have no territory we are almost nomadic."

"I'm not interested in your personal situation, I just didn't remember what nobles without territory were, let's get down to business."

"How much for the elf?"

"Yes. You're talking about the silver-haired one, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Good. I like my merchandise to be in the best condition, I've also been told by my employees that I'm very kind and allow the slaves time to bathe and even buy medicine. But even though they're merchandise they're still people! Right?"

"Don't you feel a little sorry for the way they are treated?"

Some territories have a ban on the sale of slaves, others have by law that the slave be treated in a dignified manner depending on the reason they became slaves. And others simply don't care about the slave, the Redblade Duchy applies the second.

"I don't care, but..."

Rei stood still for a moment and then moved his hand to the merchant's head.

"Open Status."

Above the merchant's head, a status window appeared.

(Name, Harold Bluegarden.)

(Profession, merchant... is this guy really a worker?)

"Is there a problem, Mr. Customer?"

"Not at all."

Rei was running his finger down all of Harold's personal information until he saw something that caught his eye.

(This is...)

*Smile*

He smiled wickedly for a moment, then said.

"Give me the elf, I'll give you any price you want."

"I-In that case it will be the standard price. 50 gold coins."

"Only 50! That's damn cheap, isn't it!"

"I said it was the standard price... other companies would charge double or triple that. But we are marked by our honesty."

"An honest trader is a prey to sharks, in the trading world you will be eaten by the big fish. Rei, this old man is perfect for it."

"I know."

"Fine, I'll buy it, but not only that. I also have a proposal for you."

"Proposal?"

"Yes."

Rei extended his hand to Harold.

"Would you like to be my partner? I have some very interesting products that you could sell at double─ to triple their value since they don't exist."

"Even if you tell me something like that..."

"Do you want to see it? The product that's been hanging around the capital for a while now."

"Watch."

After smiling, Rei moved his hand to the side, then activated a new trap ability, which he could now use without the need to complete the spell.

"Space-time Storage."

An object fell softly to the ground.

Harold stood up and his eyes couldn't believe what he saw.

"T-T-T-T-T-This is it!"

"Yes. A toilet."

Just as Rei said, a toilet was materialized.

The toilet didn't exist in this world, in the republic they used a different kind of toilet. In the rest of the world it was a latrine, but Kurono hated that, so Rei created this.

A revolutionized event.

"I-I can't believe it! It's the first time I've ever seen one!"

"It's a new model I created but haven't released yet."

"If I remember correctly, the toilets were deployed by the royal palace thanks to a mysterious nobleman."

"That was me. My father said I should give many to the palace in lieu of taxes, since if we didn't they'd think we were rebels, but it seems a bastard stole my credit."

Veins stood out on Rei's forehead from how angry he was at the memory of how he was swindled.

"That's why I want you as my main merchant, everything I take out you'll put in your company's name. You will give me 50% of the profits, 20% will go to your employees' company and pay and the rest to you, not a bad deal is it?"

"C-Certainly not a bad deal, but why do you wish to establish contact with a small trader like me?"

"I consider you to be trustworthy."

(And because in your personal information, it comes out that you never stole even a copper coin, there is no better vassal than the one whose conscience weighs him down, if it were another guy. I would have blown your head off without hesitation.)

Harold shuddered with joy and amazement.

"F-For someone as insignificant as me grants you the honor of being his personal merchant."

*Tears*

"I promise I won't be a hindrance and I'll work hard! I'd even give you my daughter's hand if you wished! Uh... by the way, what's your name?"

He wiped away his tears with the same handkerchief that wiped away his sweat.

"I am the son of the lord of these lands, Reidel Redblade."

"I see... uh... Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"How outrageous you are."

"I'm so sorry, Reidel-sama for not recognizing you!"

Harold threw himself on the floor to show mercy.

"Stop chattering already, get the girl."

"Right away!"

Harold went for the elf girl.

Rei mumbled and Kurono was puzzled by it.

"I'm a little excited."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

The door opened and Rei stood in front of it.

A beautiful elven girl stood in front of him.

Rei froze, it was the first time he saw such a beautiful woman.

Harold spoke to him.

"Is something wrong, Reidel-sama?"

"... No."

"Very well, let's go this way. He will be your new master."

The girl was trembling, she didn't want to move.

"Come on, he'll take good care of you, for a slave to find a good master is rare."

*Steps*

Rei was moving closer to her, their eyes met.

He moved his hand to her neck.

"Dispel."

The moment he said that, the necklace came out of her neck.

Only three seconds passed, at that moment... she ran like a gazelle.

"Ah, wait!"

Harold said as he watched the elf girl run.

"Rei-sama! Why did you do that?"

"Don't call anyone, let her just run. Tell the servant who accompanied me to pay you and tell him to prepare the contract, I'll sign it tomorrow."

Rei went walking behind her.

◇◇◇

*Gasp*

"Haah... haah..."

The girl ran so fast, she reached the forest.

"I have to run away. I don't want to experience that again."

Part of her background was special.

She belonged to the elven kingdom.

But she wasn't just any elf, she was the crown princess.

Her days were quiet, peaceful, but most of all, very enjoyable.

She laughed and enjoyed her life with her family.

Then one day... that happened.

"No!"

Her country was attacked by human forces.

Her castle was attacked, her mother ended up raped and then killed by humans, as did the maids who cared for her as a child.

Her father fell sick from a poisoned arrow and someone had to take the reins.

That was her uncle, who defeated the human army.

When she was happy that the invaders were gone, that happened.

"Huh, Uncle?"

She was surrounded by a group of human soldiers inside the castle.

Her uncle who was her father's twin younger brother glared at her.

"You're a bother to my governorship, just like your mother you should have died, but luck won't save you this time. get her!"

"Noooooooooooooooooooo! Uncle, noooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

She was repeatedly beaten, tortured and almost raped.

The humans who captured her were going to sell her into slavery since an elven woman, and a virgin to boot, was valuable merchandise.

She has been traveling for three years as a slave.

The reason they would not buy her was because she was malnourished.

Her face was deformed by the blows.

Until a few months ago where she met Harold.

He bought her because her trader couldn't sell her.

She thought the same thing would happen to her.

But he treated her like a human being.

He gave her respect, dignity and, above all, shelter.

Her face and body returned to normal.

She even enjoyed the company of the other slaves.

There was only one problem, she was a slave, no one would change that fact.

One day she would be sold to a horrible man.

And today was that day.

She felt fear at the sight of Rei's red eyes.

The moment she saw her necklace fall to the ground, she thought that god granted her the chance to live.

That's why she ran away.

She had nowhere to go, nowhere to escape to, only to run.

But even that would not be allowed.

A mountain bear appeared in front of her, she entered in its territory.

"Kyah!"

The girl shouted. It was her fault for coming in here.

"I'm going to... die, aren't I?"

She wanted to cry, not because she ran into the bear. But because her life was misfortune so misfortune.

"Just get it over with... at once."

She closed her eyes to face reality.

"Is that what you really want?"

"Huh?"

A mysterious voice asked her from above, at the same time an ice tempane fell on the bear, killing it during the fall.

Rei was descending very slowly.

His hair seemed to dance with the swaying wind.

In the space of the trees there was a hole, where he stood he looked like an angel.

"I'll ask you one more time, is that what you want, to die?"

The girl didn't really understand what happened.

But she knew the answer to that question.

"No... I don't want to. I don't want to die!"

"What do you want?"

When she shouted her wish, Rei smiled in a terrifying way.

"Revenge! On everyone who hurt me, abused me, on the humans who killed my mother and the maids!"

"Especially my uncle! I want them all dead!"

His smile grew wider until it was that of a perfect villain.

(Rei, this has nothing to do with her event where after buying her you would take her to the mansion and lovingly and dedicatedly teach her to trust you. Are you using your own method?)

"I used Open Status on you before I entered, I found your future profession very exciting."

"Merciless killer."

"A suitable job for me, someone who will become a cheat lord."

Rei walked over to her and handed her his handkerchief.

"I promise you this if you serve me from now on."

"I will fulfill your wishes, whether it be to kill or to conquer a country. I will fulfill it on the condition that you will always be with me and not betray me."

Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks.

"Really?"

"A future cheat lord doesn't lie. I'll kill your uncle or whoever you want, but not now, I don't consider myself capable of succeeding in conquering a country, but one day I will."

"One day I will be so strong that I can even usurp the king's throne."

(Rei, that's what a villain would say!)

"For that reason be mine, I'll give you a suitable name for you since you don't possess one, right?"

*Crying*

"Yes. My name was stripped when I was sent away."

"I will give you the best name a woman like you could wish for, from this day forward you shall be... Rose."

"Ro...se?"

"A beautiful flower who possesses thorns. There's no better name than that, is there?"

"Rose... yes."

The girl nodded.

"From this day forward I shall be, Rose."

Rose was the first member of the protagonist's harem, but now she was Reidel's vassal.

"Rejoice Rose, from today you will live and work for the future strongest cheat lord of all. At the age of fifteen I promise you I will take over the territory!"

And so Reidel began to alter the plot in his favor.