NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13 - Episode 13: The Cage Where the Slaves Are.
Episode 13: The Cage Where the Slaves Are.
To be honest, I was a little scared. Simply put, because the space where the slaves are is low in priority for Boss, it couldn’t be helped that it was put off until later… But seeing them, who had been subjected to violence due to my proposal, was a bit frightening.
Something like boxing had become established. I think it’s better than killing each other with weapons… But still, someone is getting hurt because of what I suggested. It’s complete hypocrisy, or rather, I think it’s even evil of me as the instigator. However, at the same time, as an adult who has lived in modern society, I feel like I’m saying, “That should be better.”
“Logan, please take care of me.”
“There is no need for you, Miss Frim, to bow to me, a slave.”
“No, since I’ll be overseeing the cleaning, please lead the slaves with me.”
“Understood… But please be careful.”
“Yes.”
Even in this world without human rights, there is still law. Most of these slaves are those who have been judged under the law, but there are probably also those who are not. In a country where bribery is rampant like this, they probably can’t receive a proper trial. The feeling of being imprisoned on false charges is something I can’t imagine, and there’s also the possibility that they might get desperate and cause a stir, even risking their lives.
There are people helping with the cleaning, ordered by Logan… But not everyone is reliable. If someone covered in mud is nearby while cleaning with high-pressure water, they might scatter the dirt.
“Um, from now on, everyone will take a shower!”
“Is that okay?”
“Boss said do as you please, so it’s okay!”
Here, it’s rainwater, but there are buckets of water available for wiping the body… Well, since the buckets are also unreliable, I’ll have them washed, and since there are many people, I’ll have them collect buckets that people can fit into and fill them with water.
“”
If only this were hot water… Huh?
While letting the water out, I suddenly thought. How is the temperature of the water decided? It started with just water, but I became able to produce ozone. However, I never thought about the temperature of the water. Let’s stop the water for a moment and try. I imagine it to be about 45 degrees Celsius. It will cool a bit once it’s in the container, so maybe a bit hotter would be better?
“”
It came out. But it uses quite a bit of magic. Is it something that uses magic to change the temperature from room temperature? I’ll fill several large buckets with hot water… and then I lost consciousness.
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“Are you okay, Frim?”
“Boss? I, um, I fell asleep while practicing a new spell, hehe.”
Waking up to that fierce face is too much… But flattery is essential. Boss looks worried, and maybe I don’t even need to flatter him anymore.
“Geez, Logan was in a panic, you know? Rest in your room until tomorrow.”
“…Yes, um, Boss.”
“What is it?”
“Please, no punishment for the slaves, okay?”
“…Well, okay.”
Since I was ordered to be suspended, I had time to rest in my room. Boss looked around and brought in a desk and chair, seeing only hooks on the walls and a bed in the room. I feel a little remorseful… I didn’t want to use magic until I collapsed, but I pushed myself thinking the last large bucket would soon be full. I didn’t have the sensation of saying “No, no, it’s too much!” but rather a feeling of not being able to stop, like “I just fell asleep,” but maybe that was the limit for this young girl’s body.
――― While lying down, I’ll try to organize and think about magic.
Ordinary water can be let out quite freely. Yes, that’s my only specialty. I thought if I could let out hot water, I could also let out ice, but I couldn’t let out ice; at best, I could only let out cool water. I can let out hot water quite freely.
What could this difference be? Difference in imagination? Or difference in familiarity or proficiency? Manipulation of some mysterious energy within the body? …I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be good to use any more magic. As I read books looking for any hints while lying down, I fell asleep. Maybe I’m tired from cleaning the entire gambling den.
When I woke up, there was smoked meat, fruit, bread, and a cup on the desk. It’s Boss’ usual menu, but he didn’t bring it, did he? Could it be…?
One day of suspension passed, and I couldn’t help but worry if the slaves were being punished because I collapsed, but there was nothing I could do, so I focused on studying, and that was it. I couldn’t finish reading the dictionary-sized book.
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“I’m sorry to have worried you.”
“Are you really okay now? I was surprised when you suddenly collapsed.”
“It seems like I got tired from using a new spell for the first time and fell asleep. Let’s do our best with the cleaning!”
“Please be careful, or our heads will roll next time.”
“I will definitely be careful.”
Not a metaphor but a literal meaning of losing one’s head. I must be careful… Some of the slaves still harbor hostility towards me, but I feel they’ve become quite softened. It’s surprising how much their attitudes change with just a bath.
While applying high-pressure cleaning even inside the cages, I had them work elsewhere during that time. There were no beds inside the cages, but there were rotten straw of unknown origin, all of which were replaced. Instead, we brought in the black carpets from the gambling den and had them scrubbed with brushes before laying them down. We managed to retrieve them before they were discarded.
Wooden beds couldn’t be placed inside the underground cages because they could be turned into weapons with some modifications… The cages were empty, which made the cleaning easier.
While cleaning the walls, I occasionally had them bring water to wash the carpets.
“Um, is it really okay to use so much water for washing?”
“If it’s not hot water, you can use as much as you want.”
“…That’s incredible. Miss, have you made a contract with some spirit?”
“No, probably not, but I can use as much as I want.”
I made sure the slaves cleaned thoroughly. When high-pressure cleaning is suddenly applied to heavily piled mud, it tends to splatter. Surprisingly, when they scrubbed vigorously with brushes or rags before cleaning, a lot of dirt came off. Manpower is essential.
“Whoa!”
“Huh?!”
“Hahaha! You’re scared, huh?!”
A bearded old man suddenly approached, scaring us around the corner. Logan swiftly landed a body blow on the man, who turned pale and fell to his knees.
“This young lady is cleaning for us, you idiot… I’m sorry, Miss. How shall we deal with this man?”
“Um, well, if possible, in a non-painful way.”
“Understood… Should I prepare the executioner to sharpen his sword? No, um, then how about a spanking?”
“Y-Yes, just once!”
Logan pushed the trembling man onto his knees and pulled down his pants, exposing his buttocks for everyone to see. Please stop, I don’t want to see this.
“Thank you for your mercy, Miss.”
“…I-I was just teasing.”
With a bang, Logan delivered a fierce blow to the man’s buttocks with the force of a bowling ball, making a sound I had never heard from a human body. With just one blow, the man’s exposed buttocks became immobile.
“Do we need to increase the number of hits?”
“Yeah! Let’s get back to cleaning!”
The man who had scared us remained pitifully motionless with his buttocks exposed, so we resumed cleaning. Some areas were cleaned well, but they ended up being flooded with water. If we cleaned all the areas where the slaves were at once, they would have nowhere to sleep, so we stopped here for today.
“Today’s work ends here, but Logan, could you bring some more large buckets?”
“Yes, but please don’t overdo it.”
We filled several large buckets with water. I still have some magic power left, so I filled the last one with hot water, being careful not to collapse. …Honestly, I haven’t taken a bath either. I endure the urge to take one, living with just wiping myself with a cloth. It’s unthinkable to undress in front of these old men.
“Today’s work ends here. We couldn’t fill all the buckets with hot water, but those who worked hard with Logan can use them.”
“Thank you very much.”
There were no slaves lying around in agony as if their stomachs were split open or waiting for death, as I had seen during the reconnaissance. I felt really sorry for the slave whose face was beaten up from boxing… But I still think it’s better than being killed just out of frenzy.
――― I wonder if the person who scared us is okay now?