Hand Over Your Daughter

"Hand over your daughter to me."

"E-excuse me?"

Ah, that was a statement that could be misunderstood. Let me rephrase.

"Sell your daughter to me."

"What do you mean all of a sudden…?"

The woman, with dirt-stained clothes covering her head, looked at me in confusion.

I had already explained my status and the current situation when I entered this house. Yet here we were. It seemed commoners were slow to understand, as expected.

"I will give you fifty gold."

"F-fifty…!"

She covered her surprised mouth with her rough hands. Perhaps this amount of money was something she had never seen or heard of in her life.

Upon hearing the exact number, her eyes darted around excitedly.

Then, the woman, who had coughed nervously, looked at me with a somewhat serious expression. That was not the look of a mother but of a skilled negotiator.

"I-if I may, could I ask why you want to take my daughter?"

It was rude enough to say that.

After all, didn't what she want was a sufficient amount of money?

From what I could see, she was probably trying to raise the price further depending on my reason. To be translated in an easy-to-understand manner, it went like this.

-If I may be so bold, isn't the amount proposed by the esteemed Schugenharz duchy a bit insufficient?

Yes, desire was a powerful thing. When negotiating, one's desires tend to surface. Although she didn't seem to have the talent for negotiation, I would make sure to fulfill her desires this time.

"I will give you one hundred gold."

"…!!"

"Now, let me make this clear once more."

I stated it as if it were a final notice, as if it were her last chance.

"Sell your daughter to me."

And so, the deal was concluded.

***

Creak.

Despite having set up magical mechanisms, here we were. Even the best carriage, which I expected to be smooth, was uncomfortable for someone from an era where roads were well-paved.

The scenery outside passed by. I could see the long stretch of road. It was made as smooth as possible, but it was nothing compared to asphalt. It seemed the problem lay not with the carriage but with the road.

"...."

A woman sitting in front of me, huddled up, caught my eye.

Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and her hands, clenched into fists, trembled, perhaps from the carriage's recoil.

For someone of the same age as me, she was unusually beautiful for a farmer's daughter. It was almost as if she were intentionally designed that way.

"Do you think I would eat you?"

I asked the trembling girl, who seemed surprised by the unexpected question. Her gut seemed to be smaller than a soybean.

"Don't worry. I'm not a pervert who enjoys human flesh, nor do I have any desire to understand such tastes. Are you still nervous?"

"...."

"I see you're not going to answer. Are you going to ignore the words of your future Master now? I thought your gut is smaller than a pea, but it's actually quite big, huh?"

"Oh, no! … I'm sorry."

The embarrassed girl lowered her head and confessed her mistake. Her entire body was shaking slightly, as if she was holding back from crying.

"What a troublesome girl. I'll tell you only once, so listen carefully."

I spat lightly.

"From now on, you will be my exclusive servant. I bought you from your mother for a hefty sum of one hundred gold, so I won't entertain any objections from you."

"… yes."

She nodded slightly.

"Your job is to attend to me and perform the tasks I assign you. They won't be easy tasks. But they'll be much more valuable than anything you've done before."

Since you had been exploited for labor by someone referred to as your mother, working under me would be a benefit to you.

"What I assign you will be a whole new world you've never experienced before. Hm… well, it's not something to hide, so I'll tell you straight. How much do you know about magic?"

"Well, if it's magic…"

"Ah, that's it. Don't say. Anyway, for you, magic is a mysterious thing that's difficult to understand. But magic is not that far away. Look."

–Tap!

When I flicked my finger, a small fireball was created in the air, conveying its warmth. Although it was small in size, it was a precise and dense fire.

"Uuu. Fire…!"

"You idiot, stop being surprised."

When she widened her eyes and was truly surprised, I turned off the light and continued.

"What I just said is a very basic thing that nobles learn when they are running around with both feet. It may be surprising to you, a commoner, but not to us."

I smiled. Now came the main point.

"You're going to learn magic."

"M-magic…?!"

… but that wasn't all.

Actually, you had to learn magic. For this world, for Academia. There were other reasons, of course, but most importantly, it was for me.

"How could someone like me…?"

"Tsk tsk. Your self-esteem must be very low if you think of yourself as a commoner. What's with your disdain for your own worth? You're lacking negotiation skills just like your mother."

There was no need for such useless worries. After all, you…

"You're a genius."

"A g-genius…!"

"Yeah, not just a genius, but a crazy genius!"

She looked bewildered. She was undoubtedly shocked.

I would live as I please.