Slave Harem Volume 1, Chapter 1

Chapter 1

　Six months later――

　Lilia, the slave of Mars and the elves, is in a labyrinth city built around a dungeon called Sekhmet.

　The city is overflowing with noise and bustle, and the majority of the people are armed with bows, swords, and other weapons.

　It is a small dungeon that is inferior to the world-famous Seven Great Dungeons, but it is also a dungeon that is so difficult to conquer that no one has yet conquered it in the twenty years since its discovery.

　There were labyrinth cities like this all over the world.

　In this era, the center of the world was the dungeon that had the potential to fulfill all kinds of desires.

　Mars pulled Lilia's hand as they walked through the crowd.

「Why don't we go into the dungeon for a bit today? We can make a little extra money with a tour of the lower levels. As a matter of fact, I paid for the inn, so I'm pretty close to broke.」

「Yes, of course. I've heard that there's little danger on the lower levels, so it should be easy for the two of us. And I'm strong enough to do it!」

　Lilia replied with a small gut pose, without a single displeased look on her face.

　Mars, with his modern values, was a little afraid of her reaction to the fact that he didn't have any money, but his fears were unfounded. Even though she knew that he didn't look at people based on their money, he still felt uneasy since Lilia was a girl.

　Mars is a reincarnated person. He is now seventeen years old.

　He died when he was twenty-nine years old, but the next moment he was given a new life.

　The name he was given in that world was Mars Irving.

　In the seventeen years since then, he has lived in the new world without deviating or breaking out of the normal range.

　He haven't even told Lilia that he had been reincarnated from another world, Japan. It's difficult to explain, and he doesn't think she'll believe him because it's too abrupt and unpredictable. He's not even sure he can put it into words.

　Since becoming Mars, he has not had much ambition. He's tired of kicking down and being kicked down.

　What Mars wants now is to live a slow life with Lilia.

　Mars' definition of a slow life is a life without being ordered to act by a company or someone else.

　He wants to live his life the way he wants to live it, without being pressured from behind. That's what he wants.

　Mars knows that Lilia is capable of fighting. There is a beautiful bow on Lilia's back that Mars paid a lot of money for, and he has already seen her shoot it for practice as well. However, she has not actually used it in battle, and he does not know if she is strong enough.

「Are you strong? Even though you're so cute and pretty?」

「I don't think there's any connection between looks and strength. ...... ――Master doesn't treat me like that, but I'm an elf. I'm a better magician and archer than a human due to my race's superiority. There is an overwhelming difference in the amount of magic we are born with, and because we live longer, we have more time to learn. There is nothing inferior to humans who are fragile and weak. --Oh, except for Mars, my Master, okay?」

　Lilia panicked when she remembered that Mars was a human and covering him, but she was proud of her large chest, which shook with the mere act of walking.

　Lilia is proud of her race, the elves, and conversely looks down on humans.

　Mars believes that Lilia has spent most of her life as a slave under humans, and as a reaction to that, she has developed a strong sense of rebellion and has come to look down on humans as if they were excess. She also thinks that her heart couldn't stand it if she didn't look down on humans.

　Compared to when they first met, Lilia has become much brighter. At first, she had really had a dead look in her eyes.

　Mars thinks she's the cutest thing ever, a little high and flighty, cool and bossy.

　Above all, only Mars knows who Lilia really is. She looks down on the human race, but is curious about the human diet, loves sweets, and is the type of person who wants to be pampered by someone she opens up to.

　Lilia is generally a calm and collected person, but when she and Mars are alone and out of sight, she often has a spoiled voice. Even though she is usually very stern, she actually wants to be pampered. It's this gap that makes Mars even more excited.

「My girlfriend is the best. ...... I can't believe you look like this but you're amazing on the inside. When we get back from the dungeon, let's go shopping for some more clothes. Maybe some accessories.」

「I'm very happy to hear that, but. ...... Isn't it mainly because of such wasteful spending that we are financially strapped ......?」

　Lilia was embarrassed, but she looked at her own clothes with a complicated expression on her face. The clothes she wears are already high quality from the start, and even the detailed embroidery and lining showed a lot of attention to detail. Lilia realistically wondered how much food she could get with just one of these clothes.

　The reason for the economic deprivation was obvious.

　Mars loves Lilia too much. Mars is always trying to please Lilia in everything he does.

　He always stays at the most expensive lodgings in town, and when he enters a restaurant, he chooses an expensive place where he can enjoy a private room without being disturbed. He buys Lilia's clothes every day, and recently he even commissioned a craftsman to make custom-made ones for her. It was only natural that he would run out of money when he was living a life of such opulence that even the aristocracy would be upset.

「How could buying Lilia's things be a waste of money? Because my priorities start with Lilia. Lilia first, Lilia second. Besides, it's like a duty now for a pretty girl to dress up.」

「Master. It's strange for me to say this, but I'm a slave, you know? A slave is a tool that is deprived of all rights and is only used as a servant. --I think Master is too lenient with me!」

　Lilia's cheeks puffed up and she looked angry, but Mars was only too happy to see her like that. The only thing that comes to his mind is just how cute she is.

「Because you're so cute and adorable. ...... That pouty face is cute, too. And it's Lilia's job to be pampered by me.」

「Th-that kind of work.......I'm a little reluctant to do that, you know? I feel like I'm just crushing grain. ...... I want to be more useful. A-And I'm the only one who's been treated well at night. ......」

「Being my slave means that you're forced to wear nice clothes, eat nice food, and have as much fun as possible. Lilia's happy face alone is enough to soothe and heal me. I'm confident that I'm more than satisfied with the night as well. --Do you hate being pampered?」

「No, I am very happy and ...... I have never had such a peaceful time in my long life, and I am afraid that one day it will end.」

　They spent very little time together as slaves and masters.

　At first, Lilia did not open up to him, but with the help of Mars, who was almost a slave, she began to open up to me, and it did not take long for us to become lovers.

　At first, Lilia didn't open up to him, but she began to open up to Mars with his all-out devotion to her, almost like a slave, and it wasn't long before they became lovers.

　They are now so close that they make love intimately every night.

　Mars pulls Lilia out of the crowd and whispers in her long ear to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the city.

「Fear not. We're going together forever. That's why I came to this labyrinth city.」

「I will always, always, always go anywhere with you, Master. Even if it's a dangerous dungeon, even to the ends of the earth.」

「It's not going to be dangerous. I'll protect you. So keep smiling.」

　Lilia blushed at the sound of Mars' voice and squeezed his hand a little tighter.

　The two of them walked in the direction where people were gathering.

　――I never knew my life could be so much fun. I'm so glad I met Lilia.

　Lilia's body heat, a little cold from his fingertips, warmed Mars' life.

　It's been seventeen years since Mars came to this world, but he's never been happier.

　In a world where magic exists and even elves and other subhuman beings exist, a world with an atmosphere that resembles the world of RPGs, just living a normal life is enjoyable enough.

　It's not an electric civilization, so entertainment is much less common than in modern Japan, but the normal things that exist are exciting to Mars.

　It also helped that the knowledge from his previous life was often useful.

　In this world, where compulsory education is not abundant, it is a big lead that everyone knows the usual knowledge that they learn in school and various ways of thinking such as calculation methods from the beginning.

　Even if the concept of numbers is a little different, it can still be applied. The person who was the source of Mars was a good student.

　What can we do to live more efficiently? How can we acquire skills and knowledge?

　They were born with a way of thinking that most of us acquire in the process of becoming adults.

　Above all, this world is free from Mars' point of view.

　There are not many standard routes to get out of school and get a job. Those who want to get a regular job can work somewhere, and those who want to go on an adventure can do so.

　School itself was a far cry from the commoners. Most schools were run by the nobility and attended by the nobility.

　Learning opportunities were not equal, but rather commoners had to learn as commoners and nobles had to learn as nobles.

　In a world where aristocrats exist as a matter of course, when you are born as a commoner, your status is fixed and it is difficult to move up in the world. By nature, they are divided into two groups, those who are exploited and those who are exploited. In that case, the reincarnated Mars thought it would be best to live as he pleased.

　He thought it wouldn't be difficult to succeed if he used his modern knowledge to start a business, but he didn't want the hassle, he didn't want to stand out, and he didn't have what he wanted.

　Mars was fifteen years old when he started his journey. Until then, he was a common farm boy.

　The reason why he went on a journey was that he longed to become a dungeon adventurer, a new profession.

　The concept of dungeon hunting is a relatively new one that has been established in the last few decades.

　Although dungeons themselves have existed for some time, no one called an adventurer has ever actively challenged them.

　They knew that there were more dangerous demons and traps lurking in the dungeons than those on the surface, and since no one had ever stepped into one before, there was no reason to risk one's life in order to challenge them.

　However, the adventuring industry was hit by a tremor.

　Fifty years ago, a man finally stepped into one of the small dungeons.

　He told his story.

　In the farthest reaches of the dungeon, there was another world shining with light.

　In a space of glittering gold, silver, and treasure, there was a 【Forbidden Book of Abomination】 that allowed anyone to acquire unique skills and magic that were thought to be non-existent.

　Weapons and armor filled with magic were crammed into the space.

　It was just like a peach garden.

　The world has changed drastically in just a few years since then.

　Merchants selling weapons, armor, and medicines began to set up stores around the dungeons, which had once been dangerous and uninhabitable.

　The largest of these 【Labyrinth City】 is centered around a huge dungeon called the Seven Great Dungeons.

　The Seven Great Dungeons are dungeons that no one who has entered has ever returned alive and are naturally the most difficult dungeons that have yet to be conquered.

　As for the other dungeons, by the time Mars was fifteen years old, there were several people who had conquered them, and those who were called 【Dungeon Adventurers】, with their money and honor, had become the people's dream.

　Those who had made it through the dungeons were able to make a fortune, and the magic books that could be found in the depths of the dungeons could turn even the most talentless person into a first-class mage or swordsman. These books were called 【Forbidden Magic Books】.

　There are magical weapons, armor, and tools, but there are no books that allow you to use magic just by reading them, except for the ones you can get from dungeons. Moreover, the magic was special, even by the standards of this world.

　Stepping through the dungeon, the boring daily life would change completely.

　Your birth, your upbringing, your power, everything will be turned upside down.

　It was no wonder that so many people set out to conquer dungeons.

　Mars is no exception and is aiming to become a 【Dungeon Adventurer】.

　The reason for this is because, from what he had heard about dungeon adventuring, it seemed like it would be possible to use some of the standard knowledge he gained from games, and it seemed like it would be a profession that wouldn't be discontinued for a while.

　What's more, Mars had a talent. It was a talent that he had acquired because he was a reincarnated person.

　There were many questions about the world and dungeons that he had in his mind. However, it was the same in his previous life, so he simply stopped thinking about it, thinking that it was no use worrying about it.

　In this world, Mars doesn't think about things too much. This is because he knows that some things cannot be solved by worrying about them. He doesn't want to do anything depressing. For now, it's enough to think about being liked by Lilia.

　In terms of dungeon strategy, what Mars was most interested in was the 【Forbidden Magic Book】.

　Even in a world where magic existed, it still seemed like an out-of-the-ordinary thing. If it's a fantasy world, he wants to live in accordance with it, he thought dimly and researched it.

　The fact that you can use magic, body art, sword art, etc., which you would normally not be able to use, just by reading the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, is because it changes the structure of your body to an optimal state, Mars believes. He knew better than anyone else that the magic of this world could bring about such changes in the body.

　――――In other words, it should be theoretically possible to extend my life.

　It was only after he met Lilia six months ago that this idea, which until now had only been in the realm of possibility, took on a definite direction.

　The lifespan of an elf is about ten times that of a human. Lilia said that it is not unusual for an individual to live for a thousand years if there is no illness or trauma.

　In comparison, a human's life span is less than a hundred years.

　If you think about living next to Lilia, it's too short a time.

　――I don't want Lilia to be lonely like that anymore. I won't let her be alone.

　I'm going to live with Lilia forever. In order to do so, I began to think that I would have to conquer the dungeon, obtain the 【Forbidden Magic Book】, and extend my life.

　Mars needs to take responsibility for giving hope to Lilia, who was killing her heart and enduring an unfortunate environment.

　He doesn't know why he came to this world. Still, he has a reason to live in this world.

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