<~> Chapter 55I cleared my throat, brushing off the exge that had just happened. "As I said, I was told their price was 80 gold."

  I saw a small swirl of emotions in his face followed by almost imperceptibly g his jaw. In that brief moment I gleamed that he had hoped I didn't know that because he needed to haggle me up here. For whatever reason, he didn't have a choice.

  "I'm sorry but after they destroyed a dungeon and gaiwo Rare titles, their price went up."

  I had leeway here but I wouldn't allow myself to be taken advantage of.

  "And why would each of them having dangerous titles that draw people's ire, be a be to me?" I retorted. In his eyes I could tell that he hoped I didn't know the impact of the titles he was talking about but after my response, I showed that I clearly did.

  "They are very rare titles that make their value in the Adventurer's Guild quite high. They are titles that while useful to a group such as yours, could be dangerous for them if sold to someone who instead loved them for their beauty."

  That was a threat. His Karma even took a noticeable hit from it and burned off some of the positive Karma he had. It was time to take him off this road and onto one more favorable to me.

  "Let me remind you that it is the Svers Guild that owes me a debt. Meanwhile, the Adventurer's Guild would much prefer them returo my care. We both know that selling them to me now will save both guilds from a nightmare of bureaucracy, time, and moheir price was 80 gold before."

  I could almost picture him sighing internally as his shoulders dropped slightly. He knew he had lost on this front. He was now forced switch to a slightly different tactic. "Still, titles aside, they have leveled up many times siheir st evaluation. But perhaps in this circumstanbsp;200 gold for the pair before your dist is a bit extreme sidering you are already acquainted. How about we settle on 125 for the pair and 75 gold in further trade."

  I immediately saw through his game. At first it looked like it was a cession but he ged the terms to be in trade rather than . He wao sell me 75 gold in sves instead of payi.

  "Ah know that I was the ohat traihem up to that level. Charging me for a service I have done for you is bad form." His eyebrows flicked and I seized it. "And you know it." I gri his slip up. "I'll take the two of them for 100 gold and I'll take the rest in ." I chose to give him a little, ultimately my goal was the twins so I couldn't push him so far away that the deal would just break apart. I gave him a little bit of rope so we could actually e out of this with an agreement.

  He sighed, defeated. After a few moments in silence he looked back up. "Right now we are in a bad position. We just 't pay out more than 50 gold in . However I dnize your point on the cost of these two. This is the best I do, I will give you Man and Torien for 100 gold, I will pay you 50 gold in and I will give you a gold sve token in trade, currently worth around 60 gold, though the price fluctuates. However, this offer es with the added stipution that you only redeem the token for a sve if you choose to redeem it in Traehall."

  I had basically won on all fronts here. I would have preferred all of the remainder in gold but if this was the best I could get I would take it. If it's true that they just don't have enough liquid cash on hand then I 't push any further and actually get what I want. I'll just have to sell the sve token off ter. That trip to the capital was lookier aer.

  "Very well. It's a deal then."

  Jailed in relief. "Man, Torien, e here and kneel. Present your necks."

  Both of them looked at me as they crossed the room. Torien's expression was fused and Man's face was fident. The two girls kneeled on the floor between us and brushed their hair away to reveal the back of their necks. Their colrs were also different from the norm. Rather than a normal steel colr or a log choker they wlossy dark metal colrs with blue lines.

  Jacob stood up. "Alright, please tell me your full name and I'll plete the transa."

  I followed suit and stood up. "That won't be necessary, just release them from bondage instead."

  There ause as Jacob didn't know how to react but it was Man who actually broke the silence. She bent forward and pressed her head to the ground in a full body begging pose. "Lilith please take us as your sves. There would be er mistress for us to serve. I know this isn't your wish but regardless we will serve you faithfully. If you refuse us this kindness we will only be sold to someone who will see us as nothing more than tools."

  I took a step back, Torien had also gaped at her sister through her pleading but to my surprise joined her in prostrating right after. "Please Lilith. I vow that we will serve you faithfully. Please show us this kindness."

  I was shocked and looked up at Jacob in fusion. His face looked grim. "Man and Torien are demi-humans that belong to the Pantherian Tribe of Beastkin. Their aors eight geions ago beloo a tribe of assassins who itted heinous acts against the founders of this kingdom. No one free them from svery but the King of Torlimal himself and this has not happened on eight geions. They were born into svery and they will die in svery."

  My hands curled up into fists as I looked down at the two girls still prostrating naked on the floor in front of me.

  "Please Lilith!" They said in perfeison, almost as if they had practiced it.

  I grit my teeth. "Fine. I will take them. My name is Lilith. Just Lilith."

  "...If you have a noble family would be appropriate to say so here or the magi't activate correctly. I swear that sort of information will never leave this room."

  I tore my eyes away from my naked friends and looked him in the eye. "I have no noble family name."

  Jacob lips puckered but he nodded, he didn't seem to want to ent further. "Man, Torien, please kneel," he said gently.

  They both sat up, still on their knees, heads down with their colrs revealed. Colrs that were special, they were made of blueish bck metal that I now noticed had no seam. They were colrs never inteo be removed, colrs that bound their aors feions. How they got on there in the first pce was beyond me. Magic was the obvious answer.

  “I Jacob, hereby willingly transfer ownership of this sve to Lilith.” The colr’s runes began to glow red like Bruno's had once done.

  I stepped forward aly touched Man's colr. The touch settled the red runes and they faded back to blue.

  [Karmiergy reduced by 750]

  “I Jacob, hereby willingly transfer ownership of this sve to Lilith.”

  I stepped to the side and touched Torien's colr. Her colr also faded back to blue.

  [Karmiergy reduced by 750]

  The feeling was bittersweet. I had rescued my friends from being sold to someohey didn't like, by being their mistress myself. When I had bought Bel from svery, I had always inteo free her. Here I wouldn't have the choice, these two were now my sves. Even my karma took a hit, redug my pool of 2200 karma down to 700. My Lubsp;and Charisma dropped from a 220 point bonus to a 70 point bonus. I quietly turned off [Karmic Sedu]. I got what I needed out of it and right now it would be too much of a distra.

  "I apologize Lilith but if you do not also appoint a of kin, they will automatically be remao the king's court if you were to die."

  I sighed. "How do I do that?"

  "Pce your hand on their colrs and state 'I Lilith, hereby appoint someone to take ownership of this sve upon my death.' like the other ritual, it must be their full name."

  I look over to Bel. She was giving me a ed smile. "Bel, what's your st name?"

  She shook her head. "I have no st name in the eyes of the system."

  I g Jacob and he nodded. I pced my hand ba Torien's colr.

  "I Lilith, hereby appoint Beldonna to take ownership of this sve upon my death." The runes pulsed red once before settling back to blue.

  I stepped over tan. "I Lilith, hereby appoint Beldonna to take ownership of this sve upon my death." Those runes pulsed as well.

  I sighed, already feeling exhausted. "Are we dohen?"

  "Yes." Jaodded.

  " I have their gear then?"

  "...I'm sorry but their gear was borrowed from our stores of equipment. Unfortunately I ot give them to you. These two also didn't list any personal effects so this is everything."

  Just great.

  "Alright, I at least get some clothes for them? I'd prefer not to take them through town naked."

  He nodded. "I will prepare some basic robes for you. Give me one moment." Jacob left the room with Mary in tow, leaving just the four of us alone again.

  Man's shaky voice broke the silence Jacob had left the room. "Thank you for buying us Mistress Lilith." She still stared at the floor, not having moved sihe ritual.

  I had to force myself not to snap at her. She sounded very vulnerable right now, perhaps even more than when she admitted to being lesbian. I took a deep breath. "Please do not call me Mistress." I paused in sideration before adding, "Unless you know for sure that not calling me Mistress will cause a lot of trouble. That goes for you too Torien."

  "Yes Lilith." They said in unison. I sighed again. We should go back to the baths after this, I feel like crap now.

  "May I make a suggestion?" Torien asked.

  "Sure, and please sit up, there's no reason to tiaring at the floor."

  Whewo girls sat up my voice caught in my throat. Both of them were g.

  I wasn't able to say anything before Torien tinued. "I... know that equipment will be an issue but if you dress us as servants then it will be less odd for you to treat us closer to equals in public."

  "Torien!" Man hissed.

  Undauorien wiped some of her tears away and tinued. "Normally it's very disrespectful towards our master or mistress to suggest being elevated like this but... it's pretty clear to me that you are unaware of this ."

  There it in my stomach. I didn't like it but this was a better idea than just pretending they weren't sves until it caused an issue. Like when I took Bel to eat with me at our inal inn.

  I sighed heavily. "Alright, what do I have to do?"

  "It's as simple as dressing us in clothes reizable as servant wear and c our colrs with a special identifying band."

  "What about your adventurer's gear?"

  "Sve adventurers are still sves, it might be best if our adventurer's gear itself was fashioned after servants gear," Torien answered.

  I frowned. "What does servants gear look like exactly?"

  Man sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Something like Mary was wearing."

  I slumped into the coud looked at the ceiling. Even the 10 Charisma I had without that skill equipped told me I probably shouldn't be sitting like this if I wanted any kind of respebsp;But for fucks sake, for my friends to receive a modicum of respect I have to dress them up in matg maid outfits.

  The thought of a tomboy-ish girl like Torien and a headstrong mage like Man wearing maid outfits did make me ugh a little though. I let out a weak ugh at the incredulity of the situation.

  Bel put a hand on my thigh with . "Are you okay Lilith?"

  I sighed for probably the tweime today. "Lets go see Ameliana after this."

  Saine

  Hello! Lilith saved the twins but not in the way she had been hoping for. Things are just hat simple are they? If you go bad look the twins alked in terms of being freed, only about being bought. This was actually one of the very first ses pnned for the story. In fact, I have a super old draft of a different story where Man was the main character and Lilith did yet. I ended up scrapping that story and w some of Man's traits into Lilith instead. That means that Man and Torieually the very first characters I created for this story! Pretty weird right?

  If you're so ined please support my writing on Patreon, you read up to 10 chapters ahead there! I've ged to the new Patreoing to charge monthly individually, so if you subscribe oh of one month it won't charge you again until the 10th of the month. Also leave a favorite so I get my story in front of more eyeballs! I would greatly appreciate it!