CH 60

Chapter 60 Work and Private

~Ian’s side~

Master distributed skewers of orc meat to everyone in the room.

As he himself began to eat them …I decided to eat one myself.

The skewers that Nina made are perfectly cooked, and the juices overflow when you bite into them.

In addition, they use a lot of expensive spices, so the aroma is exquisite.

The people who ate it for the first time stopped moving because it was so delicious.

Master is also eating them happily… making me a little envious of Nina, who has outstanding cooking talent.

…… Judging from Master’s state, I expected that the punishment for Father and Ash wouldn’t be heavy, but… it was punishment for my relatives, so I couldn’t stop having cold sweat until the punishment was finalized.

I felt that way even though Master had told me the general plan, so my father, who didn’t know about it, must have suffered mentally….

…… Ash has rough behavior, but he’s not a bad kid.

Regardless of what he thinks of me, he’s a precious little brother to me.

But, I wonder if it’s selfish if I want him to be just a little smarter….

「The Lorentz Company’s commission for auctioning materials is 20% to 30%, so… we will drop it to 10% in this contract. How about it?」

「Depending on the item, it’ll be a loss for us if it’s 10%. How about 15%?」

The acceptable line for my father would be 13%, where the profit exceeds the cost for most items.

I can squeeze it down to 13%, but…

「If it is 15%, then we’d like to get the profit somewhere else. …… If we ask for an auction item, we would like you to make a successful bid on our behalf for free. There will be no expenses other than personnel expenses, so that should not be a problem, right?」

I think that preferential treatment in terms of bidding will be more convenient for Master in the future, so I’ll attack this side.

If I could participate in the auction, there would be no need for an intermediary, but… criminal slaves aren’t allowed to enter the auction hall unless they’re accompanied by their master.

「…… You were doing it easily in the past, but we don’t have many people who can bargain at auctions, you know?」

「If you send someone once in a while for half a day, it would not affect your business, right?」

「…… It won’t.」

「Then, if Master wants to sell an item at the auction, the commission is 15%, and if Master wants you to bid something on his behalf, you will do it free of charge.」

「……… Okay.」

After that, I took advantage of the situation and mercilessly stole profits from my father.

I’m aware that I’m doing something terrible to my father, who’s exhausted from anxiety, but it’s an order from Master and I’ll leave the minimum profit for him, so I can only ask him to give up.

Well, my father probably felt relieved that his life wasn’t taken as well, so he looked happy as he stuffed his cheeks with the orc meat.

After signing a contract with terms that give us a considerable advantage, Master arranged a talk for me, my father, and Ash at a small restaurant run by the Lorentz Company.

「It’s a good opportunity, why don’t you have some time together with your family for the first time in a long time?」, Master told me so when I was about to go home with him after everything was settled.

I refused at first, thinking that it wasn’t good for a criminal slave, but Master glared at me while giving me a gold coin, so I had no choice but to accept it.

…… As always, Master is soft on his slaves…. He’s a kind person.

Ash was crying when he was released, but he didn’t seem to have received violence, so I was relieved.

Instead of my father, he hugged me tightly and didn’t want to leave my side for some reason, so it was a little difficult to walk.

Well, I was happy to be able to interact with my younger brother after a long time, so I can’t thank Master enough for giving me this day off.

「It seems that it’s a more enjoyable workplace than I thought, huh…. I’ve never seen a master give a gold coin to a slave before.」

My father started talking to me when I was eating leg crab gratin while observing Ash who was sulking because he couldn’t eat meat.

「Master is a kind person. …… He probably told me to use this gold coin to buy us food as much as we want, so don’t hesitate to order a high-class meal.」

Crab is a somewhat maniac luxury food, so I hadn’t eaten it since I fell into slavery.

…… Let’s enjoy it to my heart’s content before going home.

「I don’t mind eating until I vomit if it’s that guy’s money, but I’m prohibited from eating meat….」

「You can eat vegetables, grains, and fish, you know? You shouldn’t be picky. …… Also, it’s not that guy, but Jink-sama.」

What a handful kid… he hasn’t learned his lesson yet….

It’ll definitely be the end for Ash if he disrespects Master next time.

I don’t know what to do with him….

「…… By the way, Ash, why did you hit me the other day? I couldn’t hide the matter because my slave colleagues were with me, and I was quite troubled when Master asked me about it, you know?」

「It was payback for what Aniki did to Mother. When you were in prison, I couldn’t hit you because of the iron bars!」

As expected.

I know I deserved it, but I wanted him to tell me the reason beforehand.

「I knew it was my mother’s fault and I love you so much, so I only hit you once! But, Aniki… you started talking to me, your younger brother, with honorifics…. You were prideful before, but now you’re treated like an underling…. Also, the wound wasn’t healed with a potion the next day…. If I knew it wouldn’t be healed, I wouldn’t have hit you hard….」

「People change their attitude depending on their position, you know? Also, as a slave, I――」

Ah… this is bad.

「OWW!」

「I didn’t hear anything about that! What did you do? I won’t get angry, so tell me!」

Father… it lacks persuasiveness if you say it after dropping your fist….

There were no people of the Lorentz Company there, so no one reported to Father.

…… Ash, I was careless… sorry.

「…… So, what are you going to do with Ash, Father? Master is basically a kind person, but as a former high rank noble, he also has a reasonable ruthlessness…. There will be no next time.」

I ask my father while stuffing my mouth with high-class food.

It’s not a pleasant talk, but they’ll be executed or fall into slavery the next time, so I have to ask about his plan.

「For the time being, I plan to make him work as a subordinate with low standing at the main store and instill the hierarchical relationship in his body. While Jink-sama is in the capital, I’ll isolate him in the branch store in Julichilde where my aunt is….」

I see.

Father was too busy with his work and he entrusted all of Ash’s education to his second wife, so Ash grew up spoiled.

So now he’s going to re-educate Ash by himself, even if it means cutting back on his work hours….

「Eh~!? I want to stay with Aniki, so I’ll stay in the labyrinth city!」

「There’s no way I’ll allow it! I won’t allow your freedom for the time being. I’ll tell my subordinates not to listen to you. I’ll also confiscate all of your allowance!」

「No way~!」

Ash started crying when he was scolded, but I can’t cover for him this time.

He has to reflect on his actions properly.

…… I’m happy that he wants to stay by my side, though.

「When Master is going to return to the capital, I will send you a letter beforehand, so please relocate Ash at that time.」

「Yeah. I’ll isolate him even if I have to use brute force.」

It seems that Father won’t spoil him, so I’ll believe that it’s going to be fine.

Oh!

The giant lobster marinade is also delicious… let’s ask for more….