I sank into the deep sofa of the guest room, hidden from the Zaitz Merchant Guild’s reception. The dim room was quiet, sealed off from the world—perfect for thinking alone.
My fingers touched the earring-shaped magic tool (a device that uses magical energy) in my ear.
No bigger than a grain of rice, hidden by silver lace, nearly unseen. Through this wiretap, I heard every word from the reception room clearly. Like standing right there.
’―And what brings you here today?’
Balthazar’s voice dripped with his usual greasy charm—smooth, fake, like a merchant hunting for weakness.
’I’ll be direct. My magic slave, Kai, has a younger sister. I came to buy her. Sell her to me now.’
Lizel Blanchet. In the game, she started proud but slowly showed a deep kindness. Her voice now carried sharp irritation, no polite words wasted.
’Er, please wait… I need to check the records… Ah, that slave was already sold.’
Balthazar’s voice shook with fear.
His business-like tone couldn’t hide his panic. He knew he’d missed his chance to please a Blanchet, and he was terrified the goods she wanted were gone.
’What!? To who? Tell me!!’
Lizel’s voice dropped lower. The sign before an explosion. Cold murder in her words.
’W-well, even for a Lady of Blanchet, I can’t share client info. That would break the Merchant Guild’s trust…’
Balthazar’s voice grew weaker.
’What did you sayyyy—!? If you don’t tell me, I’ll cut you and this whole place to dust with my wind magic!’
Cling. I heard faint Mana (magical energy) gather through the wiretap. My ear felt that distinct vibration, like wind elements twisting into a blade.
Lizel was threatening him for real.
Her specialty was magic that made wind blades sharp as weasel claws. A fat man like Balthazar would be mincemeat in seconds.
(Well, she wouldn’t actually fire. A Blanchet noble’s daughter can’t kill a slave trader in broad daylight. She’s not that reckless.)
Besides, in the game—she was never charged with “killing a slave trader.”
She wouldn’t kill Balthazar here. I analyzed with cold, distant calm.
In the game story I remembered, it went like this:
The hero, Prince Liam, was blessed by the god of light, “Aurora,” who hated slavery, war, and discrimination.
Lizel, through her time with Prince Liam, opened her heart to her magic slave, Kai. She wanted to find his younger sister—sold away and lost—buy her back, and let them live as siblings.
That sister was Mina, now a maid in my mansion.
In the game, this was where things went wrong—Lizel found out I (Xenos) bought Mina. She came to negotiate… but by then, Mina was already dead, killed by the evil noble Xenos for “breaking an expensive dish.”
Finding this, Lizel and Kai flew into rage and became my sworn enemies. It was the big event that pushed her to join Prince Liam’s side.
(…But, that’s strange.)
In this reborn world, I saw no signs of Liam and Lizel being close. It seemed she bonded with Kai entirely without the Prince’s influence.
That was fine. Maybe even better.
(But how will Lizel find Mina’s location after this?)
For a slave trader to leak customer info was suicide. Asking for trouble. How would she get the sales records? That part was never shown in the game.
As I thought, a pathetic, high-pitched scream from Balthazar came through the wiretap.
’W-wait, please! I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell!!’
…Huh?
’Didn’t you just say that?’
I heard Lizel’s shocked voice. Thick with disgust.
’N-no! I only meant I couldn’t tell for free!’
Balthazar’s voice turned suddenly sly. Facing death, his oily trader instincts kicked back in.
’…You want money? How much? Name your price.’
Lizel seemed willing to pay for the info, for Kai’s sake. She wouldn’t go this far out of mere pity. So she… consciously or not, had feelings for Kai.
’M-money won’t do for this. What I want is… your… the underwear you’re wearing right now… Oof!!’
A dull thud. Lizel must have punched Balthazar.
’…I’ll really kill you. I mean it.’
Lizel’s sweet voice, now deathly cold. Carried real intent to murder.
’Agh, ugh… I-I wasn’t joking! Since I’m selling private client data, I need fair payment… W-woah!? Wait! Put that wind magic away! Stop! I get it! I’ll compromise! How about the socks you’re wearing! Yes, let’s settle on the socks!’
Balthazar’s voice cracked with terror. But underneath, I sensed his twisted, unstoppable desire squirming.
’……Tch. Fine.’
After a click of her tongue, a faint rustle of fabric. Cloth against skin. Lizel was taking off her socks.
To think this farce played out behind the game’s scenes. I sat on the sofa, barely holding back a laugh.
Soon, I heard Lizel leave. Footsteps faded down the hall into silence. Confirming the quiet, I turned off the wiretap and went back to the reception room, acting clueless.
”Sorry to keep you waiting, Xenos-sama.”
Balthazar appeared, one cheek badly swollen, still wearing a groveling face. Sweat beaded his forehead.
”Ah, don’t worry. By the way, your face is quite swollen. Are you alright?”
I kept my calm and asked with fake concern.
”Ah, well, that is… I slipped on the stairs.”
Balthazar scrambled for an excuse, eyes darting.
”Is that so? Perhaps you should use a handkerchief?”
As I suggested, Balthazar reached into his inner pocket. His hands shook with urgency. He made a mistake. What came out wasn’t a handkerchief, but a damp, white sock—clearly Lizel’s.
Balthazar realized his error, then—
”Sniff-huff, sniff-huff… Ugh, it stinks! Heart symbol”
Without hesitation, he breathed in the sock’s scent. Deeply, face full of pure ecstasy.
”Sniff-huff, sniff-huff.”
His face showed unmistakable, raw pleasure.
—Seriously, wait until I’m gone.
By any normal standard, he should have held back the urge to sniff dirty laundry. But apparently, he couldn’t help himself.
He was, in his own way, a man truly honest to his desires.
In a sense, that level of filth was almost refreshing.
The next day.
The Blanchet family carriage stopped in front of my mansion. Its polished black body silently declared noble pride. The hard clatter of wheels on cobblestones echoed through the courtyard.
After a maid told me of the visitors, I went to the reception room.
Lizel Blanchet stood there, tense, with her magic slave Kai at her side. Their eyes tracked me with slight caution.
Lizel’s face, so different from yesterday’s rage, now showed caution and resolve.
I leaned back deep into the sofa, a bold smirk on my lips.
”Welcome, Blanchet-jou. What business do you have with me?”
My words carried weight, like a predator sizing up its prey.
Well then, this was the event that led to the final break in the game. How should I handle them in this world?
Should I pull them into my side… or perhaps…
Summary:
Xenos observes a tense negotiation between Lizel and a depraved merchant named Balthazar through a hidden artifact. During the encounter, Balthazar attempts to extort information from Lizel in exchange for her clothing, ultimately settling for her socks. The following day, Lizel and her slave, Kai, arrive at Xenos’s mansion, setting the stage for a confrontation that originally led to disaster in the game’s script.
Trivia:
- The magic artifact used by Xenos is described as being the size of a rice grain and disguised as silver filigree.
- Lizel’s specialty wind magic is compared to a kamaitachi (sickle-weasel), referencing traditional Japanese folklore.
- Mina, the maid, is identified as the long-lost younger sister of Kai, the magic slave accompanying Lizel.
- The original game script dictated a catastrophic failure for Xenos involving the death of Mina, which he is currently trying to avoid or subvert.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ This reflects the Japanese nuance of “urotaye” (狼狽), describing not just fear but a visible loss of composure or panicked disorder that Balthazar experiences while trying to remain professional.