by Dixon, TJ
Then the metal sand stops, the port block drops and moments later we are ported back to the arena. I am unsure what happened but in the arena all of their team seem to be injured. The first girl to be beaten seems to have been given a healing potion and the judge is in the process of administering healing potions to the rest of the team.
“What happened?” I ask Rin through the Queen’s chain.
“I skewered them using Aventurine’s water attack. She knew they’d deflect it but it gave me water to use. They didn’t notice because it came from behind them and they were focused on advancing and attacking.”
“Good thinking. Your attacks are pretty brutal though, I hope nobody dies from them.”
“They get healed right after.” Rin says. “Besides we are just as much at risk of dying as they are. I’d rather they died than that we do.”
“True, but I’d rather nobody died if we can help it.” I say. Then the commentator interrupts us.
“The winner is Peter of the Wind. Asuna Hoshi, with approval of the royal judge, is hereby declared by royal decree slave of Peter, and Peter will advance to the next battle. The rights of the family of Asuna are eternally forfeit. The rest of Asuna’s team will be at the disposal of Peter of the Wind for the royal competition once he advances to 2B, but otherwise retain their freedom. For a boy he seems to be doing well… for now.” The commentator says giving a grudging complement of sorts.
Asuna now healed walks over to me and kneels in front of me. The rest of her team have already left. She has elegant long black hair and shining bright blue eyes. She is fairly tall, but her hair reaches down to the top of her legs. She looks strong physically, though she doesn’t have the same hardened edge that Galico has. She seems more like an athlete than a soldier. She doesn’t look like somebody who has lost, but rather like a loyal subject kneeling before the Queen she is proud to serve. “On the honour of the Hoshi I will serve you to the best of my ability from now on. Should you order me to die, then I will die without questioning your order.”
“That’s one command I am not going to be giving.” I say. I look around and see that everybody else has already ported. They will be at the training grounds of course. I place a hand on the side of Asuna’s face and she doesn’t react. I then port us back to my room, or more precisely I try to port us back to my room. My port is blocked.
“I’d like to buy her from you.” I turn my head and see a woman. I take my hand from Asuna’s face. The woman is neither old nor young. She has blonde hair but her eyes are black. Pure black with not a trace of white. She reminds me of a couple of the teachers who have eyes like that.
“She’s not for sale.” I reply.
“Everything and everyone is for sale, if you know the right price. For her I would say a hundred gold seems reasonable.”
“If it is gold you want, then my family can pay that much too.” Asuna says looking really worried now.
“Two hundred then.” The woman says, and Asuna gulps. “Your family might bankrupt themselves to pay a hundred but two hundred is far more than they can afford.”
“If it is your wish to sell me then I have no choice. I have already sworn to obey.” Asuna says but there is real fear on her face.
“I already said you’re not for sale.” I tell Asuna and her eyes go wide.
“Five hundred gold, and not a black coin more.” The woman says sounding annoyed.
“I already said no. Why do you want her so badly?” I ask.
“I’m a slave breeder. She’s from a noble family who almost bankrupted themselves. She’d make good breeding material.” The woman says and Asuna’s eyes go wide again.
“I don’t know what that means but it doesn’t sound very nice. Now kindly remove the port block.” I say.
“Do you really think anyone will offer more than five hundred gold?”
“Like I said… She… Is… Not… For... Sale.” I say as if to an idiot.
“You like her body that much?”
“What does her body have to do with it?” I ask.
“If you like it you could still mate with her even if you sell her to me. You’d make good breeding stock too.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but if you don’t lower your port block I’ll lower it for you.” I say angrily. I may not understand what she is saying but it is clear that she is treating Asuna like a mere object.
“Fine, but if you change your mind, ask for me at the Drake.” She says and lowers the port block. I place my hand back on Asuna’s face and port us to my room. I am not interrupted this time.
“You can sit next to me. Do you know what a slave breeder is?” I ask sitting down on my bed.
“Yes.” Asuna says nervously sitting down next to me.
“What is it?”
“Somebody who makes slaves create children with each other.”
“How do you create children?” I ask.
“Well…” She says and then she explains whilst blushing madly.
“I would assume you were lying, but I can tell from your aura that you’re serious. That can’t be right though. I’ll ask Rin. She knows everything.” I say and then call Rin.
“They’re all waiting for you so don’t take too long. Is there a problem?” Rin says after porting in.
“No. Asuna was just explaining how you make babies and…” I start but stop when I notice ice talons form on the end of Rin’s fingers.
“You’re how old Asuna?”
“Fifteen.” Asuna says nervously.
“What is a fifteen year old doing, telling a twelve year old how to make babies?” Rin asks glaring fiercely.
“I was asked. As a slave I have no choice but to obey.”
“Why exactly would Peter ask you about that?” Rin asks her whilst fidgeting with those ice talons.
“He was asking what a slave breeder is, because one tried to buy me from him.” Asuna says quickly to try to calm Rin’s wrath.
“Fine, but if you try anything with Peter I will kill you. I’m not joking.” Rin says and those ice talons really back up her claim.
“I must obey my master even if it means my death.” Asuna says bravely.
“Peter isn’t going to order you to do something like that, and if he did I’d kill him myself, or die trying. Of course I doubt you’ll be a slave for long.” Rin says shooting me a warning glare.
“Why not?” Asuna asks puzzled.
“You tell her Peter, unless you are planning to keep her as a slave.” Rin says.
“Don’t be silly. Of course I’m going to free her, assuming she is willing to sign the contract.” I say and take out the contract that Rin prepared before the match. It would have gone to waste if I’d lost, but then my freedom would be over. As an ex-slave it probably seems strange to some people that I am willing to bet it like this. I just don’t see it as a bet because, other than in the odd moment of weakness, I don’t believe I am going to lose. She reads the contract and looks at me.
“Why would you give me my freedom so easily? You were offered five hundred gold to sell me to that slave breeder.” Asuna asks entirely confused.
“Did you want me to?” I ask.
“Of course not!” She replies.
“Would you have sold Peter, if your roles had been reversed?” Rin asks.
“Probably.” Asuna admits, sounding ashamed.
“Well, at least you’re honest.” Rin says with a laugh.
“I am Peter’s slave now, and I made a vow to serve him for the rest of my life. As such I can’t sign this contract.” Asuna declares.
“Are you crazy?” Rin asks bewildered.
“Maybe, but I will not break my vow.” Asuna says.
“You can still serve me as a free person.” I say.
“If you give me my freedom I might be tempted in the future to break my vow. If I am a slave I will be forced by the law to obey you.” Asuna says.
“I certainly intend to treat you well, but what if I abused my power in t
he future? As a slave you would simply have to accept it.” I tell her.
“It is my duty to accept your will, and to obey you no matter what. My family honour is at stake. I have already shamed my family by losing.” Asuna says.
“What if I ordered you to sign it?” I ask.
“I would have no choice but to obey, but I beg you not to.” Asuna says.
“Let’s discuss this later. Everyone is waiting.” Rin says.
“Would it be possible to make two selfish requests?” Asuna asks.
“What are they?” I ask.
“I would like to inform my slave that she has a new master. She is waiting in what used to be my room. It is of course now yours as is everything I own, including my slave.” Asuna says.
“Sure. She may as well join us.” I say. “If you port me outside your room you can inform her and let me know when you’re ready for me to come in. What was the second request?”
“I would ask that you treat her well. I am willing to accept any punishment for any mistakes she makes, but she is not a noble and has lived a hard life.” Asuna asks pleadingly.
“I have no intention of treating her cruelly. Rin go back ahead of me and tell them I’m not going to be long. Make sure there’s a spare seat for Asuna and her ex-slave.” I say. I then stand and take Asuna’s hand and say. “Ok, port us there then.”
Asuna ports us and I wait outside. After a minute Asuna calls me in. The first thing I notice is the sheer size and luxury of the room. It would be fit for a Queen! My second thought is, “What’s the rent on this room?”
“I owned it, so there is no rent, but you could rent it out for a few gold a week.” Asuna says.
“You can buy rooms at the academy?” I ask in surprise.
“Not usually, but this room belonged to an ancestor of mine, who ran the academy a long time ago. It had been in the family for hundreds of years. It was given to me as a gift when I entered the academy. If it wasn’t for its history I would have considered renting it out and using a cheaper room for myself, but to do so would have shamed my family, though not as much so as losing today did.” Asuna says.
I then look to Asuna’s ex-slave who is hiding behind her. She is wearing a white cloth that covers her from just above the knees to just below her shoulders. It is wrapped round her more than once and looks very decorative. It looks like the kind of expensive clothing that nobles might wear, except simpler. At least simpler compared to the nobles I’ve seen. Her hair like Asuna’s is black, but it is much shorter and has the occasional hint of brown mixed in. It is still down to her shoulders though. She has greyish blue eyes. She seems about nine or ten, and is very thin.
“Asuna’s a good person, you hear!” She says still hiding behind Asuna.
“I already got that impression.” I say nodding. “What’s your name?”
“Lena.” She says quietly whilst looking at the floor.
“Well Lena, I look forward to working with you.” I say. She looks at me seeming puzzled.
“That’s an unusual way of putting it.” She says after a moment.
“We can talk more later, but for now we are having a feast to celebrate our victory. I suppose it may seem weird to celebrate losing, but I hope you’ll both join us and get to know my friends.” I say.
“Are you sure it’s ok?” Asuna asks.
“Of course. I suppose our feast may not seem like much if you’ve lived as a noble, but I hope you enjoy our company at least.”
“We would be honoured to join you.” Asuna says and Lena nods shyly. I hold out my hand, which Asuna takes. After a moment Lena holds on to my hand as well. Then I port and we are standing in front of the feast. It seems that Aventurine has made this even grander than the last one. Almost everyone is already eating. I must have made them wait too long. Only Aventurine was waiting.
“Hi Peter!” Aventurine says. “Hi Asuna, and…”
“This is Lena.” I say but Lena is hiding behind Asuna again.
“Hello Aventurine Divine Flame.” Asuna says bowing. “Lena, it’s your turn.”
“Hello.” She says shyly, whilst still hiding.
“This is quite the feast.” Asuna says. “The only time I’ve been at a feast like this was at the royal court. It seems the fortunes of the Divine Flame must be doing very well indeed.”
“It was a little expensive.” Aventurine says. “But it is worth it to celebrate with everyone like this.”
“Just how much did you spend on the feast?” I ask.
“Don’t worry about the details.” Aventurine says.
“It must have cost at least fifty to a hundred gold.” Asuna says and I wince.
“How can you afford it?” I ask.
“My family are rich.” Aventurine says proudly.
“Even so, you shouldn’t be spending this much of your family’s money.” I say. “I appreciate your efforts and willingness to contribute like this, but since you have already been so generous I think it best that you don’t contribute towards the rest of the celebrations after today.”
“I really don’t mind, and my family don’t either.” Aventurine says.
“I’m sorry, but you’ve contributed enough already.” I say. “Anyway let’s enjoy today’s feast before it is all gone.” Not that there is any chance of it all being gone anytime soon of course. The food is piled high on huge platters and in massive dishes. There is enough to feed a small army!
“Ok, but we’ll talk again about next week.” Aventurine says. “We’re on the end over there.”
I am surprised because we are at the opposite end to Rin and Hermes. Every place seems to have a name other than Lena’s seat. At this end it is me, then Lena, then Helski on this side of the table and Aventurine, then Asuna then Yusa on the other side so I am opposite Aventurine and next to Lena.
Yusa and Helski seem to be getting on better now than they did when they first joined the club, but I am still surprised to see them opposite each other. Perhaps Aventurine put them together because they are in the same class, but I would have thought having worked together so much she’d have known that Yusa and Helski didn’t get on too well. I suppose it could be an effort to get them to get on better.
“I’m Helski. What’s your name?” Helski asks Lena.
“Lena.” Lena says but leans away from Helski as if scared.
“We’re all friends here.” I say putting my hand on Lena’s shoulder to reassure her. It doesn’t work so well though. She jumps as if terrified and actually falls off her chair. The ground is muddy so her white cloth gets covered in mud. “I’m sorry! Are you ok?”
“Yes.” She says in a small voice but she doesn’t look it as she cowers on the ground away from us both.
“She doesn’t mean any offence. She’s just very timid.” Asuna says.
“Would you prefer to sit at the end and have Asuna where you are now?” I ask. She nods with a small sniff. So Asuna sits where Lena was, and Lena sits where I was. I end up between Aventurine and Yusa, and from her aura Aventurine isn’t very happy with the change. Her aura changed when I made the suggestion so I am confident that is the reason. She hides it well though, so I don’t comment. Helski on the other hand doesn’t even try to hide her displeasure at Lena’s attitude. Thankfully she at least doesn’t comment, although sitting between Asuna and Galico, and opposite Yusa, this may be as much because she doesn’t have anyone to comment to. I let Asuna focus on Lena. They act like sisters, although they look very different.
There is magic to port the food to our plates so we don’t even need to get up to take our food. It is really ingenious, although whoever thought up the idea must have been a lazy genius! The food is even more delicious than last time. Both Yusa and Aventurine seem eager to talk, and I suppose it is true that we don’t often talk so it is fun to do so. I look forward to talking more with Asuna later. Both Lena and Asuna seem to be very interesting people. Asuna doesn’t seem the sort of person to keep a slave and Lena seems to be more like a fri
end than anything else.
“So how did you meet my sister and mother?” Aventurine asks and both Yusa and Helski listen in eagerly.
“I would have thought you’d know that I can’t comment on that.” I say with a sigh.
“Whatever it was, you certainly left a positive impression on my mother, and Trinity seems to be in awe of you.” Aventurine says.
“How are they?” I ask.
“They’re good. Mother was appointed by the Queen, as captain of an elite company and Trinity is now captain of our independent company. Of course Trinity generally led them before anyway, but mother was officially captain.” Aventurine says. “At the rate you’re getting new recruits it shouldn’t be long before you have enough people to form your company. Of course you’ll still need to wait until graduation.”
“Have you recruited Asuna yet?” Yusa asks and I frown.
“No. She insisted on remaining a slave. I’ll talk to her more after the feast.” I say.
“That sounds like a typical Hoshi!” Aventurine exclaims. “Honourable, but stupid.”
“What did you say?” Asuna asks fiercely glaring at Aventurine.
“No fighting.” I quickly say before it can get out of hand. Aventurine, Asuna and Lena all continue glaring at each other for a moment, but then Aventurine and Asuna look away. Asuna quickly distracts Lena but it certainly sounds like Aventurine and Asuna are not going to get on with each other. I lean over to Aventurine and whisper. “Whatever your history, I expect you to get along with Asuna and Lena. Understand?”
“I will, if they do.” Aventurine says quietly, but I suspect not quietly enough to stop Asuna hearing. Aventurine certainly doesn’t sound too happy about it.
Chapter 16 (Multiple)
(Asuna)
I am full from the feast. The amount and quality of the food were stunning. Certainly my family could never have afforded such a feast even when they were at their height of power. No, perhaps they could have, but they would never have squandered the money on it.