Strongest Onmyouji's Isekai Adventure ~ The Monsters are too weak compared to my Youkai Servant's~

The day after my visit to the rear palace.

Efa and Lise had left Asta, the king's capital, in an early morning carriage, and had reached Protoasta by noon.

Returning to the Sheikh's residence, it was Prince Cecilio with several escorts who welcomed me.

"Oh! Well done back, Efa. Was there nothing on the road? Well, with Lise, everything's gonna be fine."

"Ah, yes. Thanks......"

Efa replies in a whimsical manner, whilst hitting her neck with her heart.

Why, I wonder if they have escorts. Instead of Lise, I guess, but were you seeing someone?

The prince says with a smile.

"I've been waiting for that. Come on, you should come here."

"Ha ha..."

I have no choice but to follow with Lise as she tells me.

What was brought in was a conference room like the one on the second floor of the official residence.

There is a terrace facing a large garden and the windows are opened to let in the wind.

There were several other men in the room.

A prince calls on one of them.

"You kept me waiting, Lord Grud. Her."

"Wow. This is... this is superb."

A middle-aged man in obesity looks at me and looks me in the eye like he's going to fix it. Efa unwittingly pulled her face back.

"It is the norm to be naked to see if you have skin disease, scratches, or nutritional status if you should... but that's not how it works"

The obese man then asks the prince.

"You were finishing some academics. And you can use magic."

"Yes."

"... that's hard. Such value-added slaves are hard to read the demand for and difficult to value. However, if I were to still give an estimate..."

The man asked the lad who had refrained to bring him a paper and a pen, and he filled something in there.

Hand it to the Prince.

Around here, I guess.

"… roughly the same amount as the amount provided? Good. Curtis, this is officially worth it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The prince handed me the paper, says the man with the jawbeard.

"It bears the date and the mark of the Chamber of Commerce, the name of the calculator and the name of the slave. This Curtis, the tax collector, admits that it is a solid material that objectively demonstrates value."

The man with the jawbeard continues.

"The emancipation tax will be one twentieth of the nominal value"

"Uhm. Hey."

When the prince called, one of the escorts opened the leather bag he had on his desk.

Efa looks at her unexpectedly.

What was stored there was a large quantity of gold coins.

"Oh, you know, what, this..."

Driven by unspoken anxiety, Efa asks the prince.

The prince turned to Efa and said with a smile.

"It's a liberation process, Efa."

"Huh... Huh?

"From today on, you'll be free."

To the confused Efa, the prince speaks out as he tells.

"You know that, too, but in Astilia and in the Empire, slaves have a system of liberation. If you pay your husband the same amount of money as you deserve, and pay the prescribed taxes, you'll be free."

The prince continues.

"I would have to go through the procedure at the bureau if I were to, but it's fine because Bok, the head of the administration, admits it. And... all the money for liberation is going to come out this time."

"What...?

"I will pay the due amount to Lord Seika and pay part of it to this city as a liberation tax. On the shape, that treats you as if you bought yourself back. Don't worry. Let's get this all done."

"Uh... I can't. I can't do that."

Efa tells her to tell herself too.

"Liberation should require the acknowledgement of Seika-kun. I can't believe you took the liberty of completing the process..."

"Admittedly."

The prince runs out.

"Rewarding and sooner or later freeing slaves for their work should be a norm for the wealthy, even in empires. It is not a very praised act to the public, such as refusing to free a slave who paid enough money. But... if Lord Seika doesn't approve of your liberation..."

The prince tells.

"Then I will issue a slave requisition order in Protoasta and force you to buy from Lord Seika"

"What...! Oh, no..."

"It is originally a system for wartime, but this can be issued at the will of the chief, without the approval of the council. Once it will be the city's public goods treatment, the subsequent treatment will be irrelevant in my presence. I just need to buy you once more and release you afterwards."

Efa says as she did.

"Wow, I didn't ask you to do that!

"From Lise, I'm listening"

The prince says in a sober tone.

"I'm not sure how terrified Lord Seika is of the invisible bob of the Spirit... But I can't leave you alone under a dangerous master."

"Huh..."

"And... you, too, would have been hard as a slave for a long time. I do not ask for the price of freedom at this time. You only have to make a decision at Efa's discretion whether you want to go into the rear palace or not. I just want you to live your life."

Efa asks in a slightly trembling voice.

"In the Empire... liberating slaves requires adult guardians. When I'm free, can I go back to school...?

The prince turned away with one evil looking face.

"It's... after you've designated a guardian, you need to have the procedure done in the Empire..."

Efa realized that she had a bad feeling.

If I'm released, I won't be able to go back to school.

That meant going away from Seika.

"... Lord Seika said you can do it freely in this country, depending on your will. Originally, you didn't seem too obsessed."

My heart shakes heavily at the words of the prince, which were uttered like a chase.

Just.

Again, I can't accept it.

"Yes, I don't like it. I don't want to be liberated."

"Why...... Don't you want to be free? [M] Don't you want to live your life? Slavery is the taking of one's own life. Why would I want to serve a master who doesn't know what to do?"

"Wow, I decide what I want to do! Even if my identity is not free, what I want is my freedom!

"... we have the documents for the emancipation process, but I wonder what we will do. Your Highness."

The man with the jawbeard said in a chilled tone.

"I need a slave thumbprint for this."

"... but the will of Efa..."

"Ha, you seem troubled, Your Highness. It's not unusual for a slave to want a slave himself."

An obese man says with a mild laugh.

"When placed in a harsh situation, people try to assume that the situation is what they wanted themselves to be, in order to protect their minds. I've seen many slaves say things like that girl before. In a way, you're losing your mind."

"... how can I get back to sanity"

The obese man shrugged his shoulder.

"You can't do it right away. But if things get better, you'll eventually realize you were wrong. Now... for a moment, I was wondering if I could force myself to approve it."

"Huh...!

"Right. Hey."

At the same time as the Prince's call, an escort soldier holds Efa in for two.

"Oh, no! Stop it!

"Sorry, Efa...... You could have had a thumbprint, Curtis."

"Yeah. Here's the ink"

"Stop!! Well, if not... Huh!

Efa calls to her own wrapped spirits.

Use magic if you have to.

I thought the experience of Seika scolding me was for this time.

But...

"Don't use magic."

Spirit that was responding.

All of a sudden they were silent.

In stunned Efa's sight were countless white butterflies dancing across the room.

Spirit of light attributes.

It was a magic of light, similar to the line of symbolism used by Seika.

Says Lise with a tough look.

"If I wield my power in this place, it won't be your only problem - well, there's nothing I can do about it in my [sanctuary]."

"Duh, why... Huh!

"Forgive me. This is my country... and it should be good for you, too"

Unexpectedly, a sharp pain ran on my left thumb.

Bloody hot sensation. A little bird glowing green brings his sight to light.

Efa quickly realizes that it was cut with something like a wind blade.

"Thumbprints aren't a problem for blood, Curtis."

"Oh, that's Lord Lise. Terrible skill."

The left hand held by the soldier is gradually brought closer to the parchment lined with letters.

A finger gripped to the point of becoming white is forcefully opened.

Efa closed her eyes unexpectedly.

"Seika kun......!

Blood-swet thumbs are on the verge of touching parchment -,

Indoors, there was a gust of wind.