The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 253 Evil Boss Nigel (2) - Sports Drink [What's unnecessary this time! It is! Economic sense, planned thinking, rationality, objectivity, and above all-!!!!!!!! Tact is unnecessary!!] 「...Are you perhaps thinking of destroying the world?」 -From a conversation between a certain Crown Prince and a demon- *** In the Empire, the slave system disappeared due to the forced execution by a certain Emperor who said, 'Slaves don't pay taxes, so get rid of them. What? A noble talking back?', and in the Republic for political reasons like 'To assign social classes to people and divide them into superiors and inferiors, what impure ideology! You must go to the camps!', but there are still many places on the continent where the slave system is active. (E/N: That Empire is a masterclass of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons) Human trafficking gangs that capture people and sell them to slave traders are still rampant, and for such people, other races are extremely tempting targets. The reason isn't particularly impressive. They just sell for much higher prices compared to ordinary humans. However, even within that, differences existed. 「What, a dog Beastkin? Tch, never mind then.」 Never mind then. That was the evaluation Noa heard from the bandit group that captured her. If she had been an elf it would have been good. No, even if she had been something like a fox Beastkin she would have sold for more, but why did it have to be a common dog Beastkin. The fear of being sold. What tore at Noa's heart even more than the violence wielded in the name of education was their eyes and attitude that seemed to devalue and mock her worth. When Noa couldn't eat food properly and dry heaved. The human-origin slaves sent jealous glances saying 'must have refined tastes befitting such a precious body', while the slave traders clicked their tongues saying 'acting so picky for just a dog Beastkin'. The loneliness of not being understood by anyone. The injustice of why she had to be treated this way. Because reality was so painful, Noa sought comfort in dreams. Today's dream was especially happy. A dream of eating unbelievably delicious food, then rolling around on soft clouds. The texture of the clouds warmly embracing her body was so warm and soft that Noa unconsciously stretched her cheeks and smiled blissfully. "...So, you made the pillow all soaked with drool." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've committed a mortal sin...!!" At the sight of Nigel sighing as if dumbfounded, Noa's back, prostrated on the floor in apology, shrank even smaller. 'I thought it was a dream!!' Noa felt wronged. Common sense dictated that when a slave collapsed, you'd normally kick them awake or splash water on them—who would think they'd be put under such luxurious bedding that it makes reality itself feel unreal? "Tsk, can't be helped. Take this." With a flutter, something fell near Noa's head. Cautiously reading the situation, Noa carefully examined it. 'Clothes... perhaps?' It was natural that Noa felt puzzled. Judging by the holes for putting one's head, arms, and legs through, it did seem to be clothing. However, compared to the rags Noa had been wearing originally, which barely functioned to cover her body, the texture and craftsmanship were far too excellent. "It's free size. I'll make custom clothing later, so bear with that for now. I won't listen to complaints about the design, so know that. Any complaints?" "N-no! None at all! Not at all!" "Then I guess you need to wash up before changing clothes. Originally I was going to just feed you and wash you right away, but somehow..." Grumbling continuously, Nigel led her to a room in one corner of the building. Upon opening the door and seeing the scene, Noa's first thought was as follows. 'A treasure room?' It sparkled and gleamed. This building was generally clean and neat whether it was the hallways or furniture, but this space was on another level entirely. Small rectangular, unbelievably smooth tiles were neatly attached everywhere regardless of whether it was walls or floor, and a large, smooth mirror was prominently attached to the wall. Considering how the slave trader treasured a palm-sized mirror with a blurry and crooked surface so dearly that he would make a fuss if slaves even went near it, just how expensive must that large, clean mirror be? Perhaps thinking something about Noa trembling in fear of even approaching, worried she might break the mirror, Nigel frowned. "Hey." "Y-yes." "Don't make such a face. I know it's unpleasant that the shower and toilet are in the same place, but there's no building space right now. Later when I earn more money and buy up the surrounding buildings to build bigger facilities, then I'll properly make the bathtub, shower room, and everything else, so bear with this for now. Got it?" I can tell that you're making some kind of fatal misunderstanding, Master. While Noa desperately suppressed the words that almost burst from her throat, Nigel taught her how to use various tools and facilities before leaving. Left alone, Noa touched the thing called a 'shower'. "Water pressure adjustment is up and down, temperature adjustment is left and right. Since it's bad if excessively cold or hot water suddenly touches your skin, first set it in the middle and use it, then gradually adjust..." As she recalled Nigel's precautions and operated various controls, water at just the right pleasant temperature poured down onto Noa's skin. At the sensation of her entire body being gently washed, Noa unconsciously let out an exclamation. Water is precious in Shurabasti. Though there were underground canals and oases from the mountains so it wasn't to the level of worrying about drinking water, washing by spraying water all over one's body like this was a luxury that only considerable wealth could afford. The shampoo and body wash that Nigel rated as large-volume cheap products emitted much more intense fragrances than most perfumes, and when she rubbed her skin with the cloth bundle full of holes called a shower ball, rich foam formed that would blow away with a puff. Though Noa would have liked to stay like this forever, she finished the shower thinking she might get scolded if she used too much water. "Wow." An exclamation escaped from Noa's mouth as she looked in the mirror. Though her body remained gaunt from not eating properly for a long time, her skin condition had become surprisingly clean. When she touched her forearm with her palm, it was so smooth that it was amazing whether this was really her own body. After drying her body with a towel that absorbed water extremely well, Noa put on the clothing called 'T-shirt' and 'training suit' that Nigel had given her. Though it was an unfamiliar design, the basic structure was so simple that wearing it wasn't very difficult. The light-colored pants and long-sleeved top were quite loose, but parts that needed to be secured like the wrists and waist tightened on their own, so there was no slipping down. Moving her arms and legs around, Noa was amazed at the incredible comfort. There was no rough chafing against her skin like the clothing she had been wearing until just now, and above all, what kind of magic had been used—the fabric itself stretched and contracted repeatedly, making movement incredibly comfortable. If there was a problem, it would be that the upper part of her buttocks was half exposed because her tail got caught. "I've finished showering and changing clothes. Master." "Is that so. Then next is, huh?" When she spoke to Nigel, who was comfortably leaning back on the sofa, he turned his head and frowned. Noticing that his gaze was directed toward her tail, Noa hurriedly hid her tail and said. "I-I'm sorry. Master. I showed you something unsightly." "No, hmm. Never mind. Come to think of it, there's no way training suits would have tail holes. Tsk. I'll need to hurry up on making custom clothes. Reproduction with mana and materials is possible, but creation isn't." Nigel grumbled as if something didn't please him, but fortunately the target of his dissatisfaction didn't seem to be Noa. Toward her stroking her chest in relief, Nigel said. "Well then, let's talk about work." What was bound to come had finally arrived. Noa nodded with tension. 'He said he'd use me as an employee. What kind of store could it be?' She felt anxiety inwardly. If it was an ordinary shop employee, she roughly knew what kind of work was involved. But Nigel, the master who had purchased her, was clearly a person far removed from ordinary by any measure. Every single item he casually handed over or used was extraordinary, and his treatment of slaves was also extremely moderate, just with somewhat blunt speech. Conversely, it also meant she would have to perform work excellently enough to match what Nigel had shown her. Just how difficult a task would be waiting for her... "Currently, the store hasn't opened yet. The facilities themselves are already prepared, but the products to fill the shelves haven't been decided." "Yes." "Beastkin have sensitive senses. That means if you don't feel discomfort when eating, wearing, or using things in various ways, then other people won't have major problems with them either." "Yes." "Also, when selling items, it's difficult to explain them if you don't understand them well. So you need to experience them beforehand and know how they feel to use." "Yes." "So don't go around babbling about human experimentation and such, because I'm not a benevolent master who listens to all the complaints of slaves. Got it?" "Uh... ah, yes." Far from complaining, Noa didn't really understand what Nigel was talking about so extensively, but she habitually nodded her head anyway. Seeming satisfied with that sight, Nigel raised the corners of his mouth and then set down some objects with a thunk in front of her. Two bottles that were like glass, no, more transparent than glass, but instead of glass's characteristic heaviness or coldness, they had a smooth and light feeling. Inside the bottles were strange liquids, one liquid was bright green, and the other was sky blue. "It's a sports drink. Try drinking it and tell me your thoughts." Since he said to drink it, that liquid was probably a beverage. No matter how she looked at it, it had the color of poison, but Noa couldn't even think of the word refusal and grabbed one of the bottles with trembling hands. Seeing something like a cover at the opening, Noa tried to pull it upward, but no matter how hard she tried, the cover wouldn't budge. Watching this, Nigel pressed his forehead. "...Ah." He took the bottle Noa was holding and rotated the opening part. With a cracking sound, the opening turned, and soon a scent with a strange refreshing quality stimulated Noa's nostrils. "This is how you open it. I guess I'll have to demonstrate how to open it when selling them." Receiving the bottle again, Noa finally put its contents in her mouth. Though she had already felt it when bringing the bottle close, the aroma felt after putting it in her mouth was even more intense. A very unfamiliar scent she had never experienced anywhere. And a tingling sweetness on her tongue. To give a very honest impression, it couldn't be called an incredibly excellent taste. Compared to just water it was certainly amazing, but compared to the stimulation of the foods she had eaten earlier, this had a somewhat alien feeling. While Noa was pondering whether to say this honestly or beat around the bush, she suddenly realized something. 'It's soaking into my body?' Unless one was quite severely thirsty, ordinary water would feel burdensome after drinking it to some extent. However, this drink didn't feel particularly burdensome or heavy even when drinking it continuously. The sweetness and unique aroma were also somewhat burdensome at first, but after a few sips, it reached a level where it didn't feel particularly objectionable. When Noa expressed such impressions, Nigel quickly jotted something down in his notebook. "Hmm, the beverage business in places where water is scarce doesn't seem bad after all. Excellent." "Yes! Especially this bottle is incredibly light and sturdy, plus you can close the lid again, so I think it will be extremely popular!" "...If you could only have either the contents or the bottle?" "Obviously the bottle!" "...I see." Nigel became slightly dejected.