“Get out of here..”
The words came out flatter and harder from Jiro’s mouth than the girl in front of him liked. He pointed at the door with as much authority as a young man in a wrinkled formal robe and sleep-mussed hair could muster.
“You are not staying in my room. Find somewhere else.”
The girl, whose name he still did not know, planted her feet more firmly on the polished floor and looked at him with a patient exasperation.
“And where exactly am I supposed to go, Sage-sama?” she asked, tilting her head, trying to be a little more imposing. “I’m a slave, don’t you realise that? No one in this Temple is going to hand a free room to a slave just because she asks nicely. If you don’t want me living under your roof, then it’s your responsibility as my master to arrange a proper place for me. That’s how these things work, don’t you know? You bought me. That means you took on the duty of housing me, too.”
Jiro felt a muscle under his left eye begin to twitch.
‘Fuck. This girl is even more shameless than I thought. Not only does she act like this in front of me, she even demands things as if she’s the one in charge. Should I just kick her out and make a scene?’
He released a long sigh, ‘Hmfff… No… fuck it. Causing a loud argument right now will only bring more trouble for me. Servants will hear. Not to mention my reputation among the knights might plummet too. I worked too hard yesterday to build that up. No way in hell I’m gonna lose that because of this girl. If I don’t find a solution to this, by lunch the entire Temple will be whispering about the new Sage shouting at a half-dressed slave girl in his doorway. And forcing her to camp outside my room would look even worse. A young girl sitting in the corridor day and night? People would talk for sure. At best, ugly rumors would spread before the sun set. I guess I’ll just have to ask Tsunade-san to arrange something later.’
“Fine. Do whatever you want for now, as long as you do not disturb my sleep; you can stay in this room. Just sit in a corner. Or stare at the wall. Count the floor tiles if you want. I don’t care. Just be quiet for god’s sake.”
He turned his back on her, climbed onto the wide bed, and pulled the nearest blanket up over his head like a shield. After last night’s heavy drinking, just talking with her felt like his head might explode.
So he dipped his head under the blanket and for a long moment there was only the soft rustle of fabric as the girl moved. Then the mattress dipped slightly near the foot of the bed. Jiro stiffened under the blanket but refused to look. Eventually the quietness in this room settled into something watchful rather than peaceful. Exhaustion, still lingering from the previous day, dragged him under again before he could decide whether leaving a strange girl alone in his room was the worst decision he had ever made since leaving Doldia.
***
By the time he woke up, the color of the sunlight spilling over his room had changed, and two familiar voices were speaking in low tones near the door. Jiro sat up, still tangled in the blanket, and found Tsunade and Roland already inside the room. The slave girl now sat primly on a low stool near the window, hands folded in her lap, looking for all the world through the wide window like a well-behaved attendant who had never once laughed about narrowly avoiding a brothel.
Tsunade’s expression was a little stern as she spoke.
“I’m afraid it isn’t possible, Roland.”
Jiro swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing one eye with the heel of his hand. “HUH, what are you talking about? What isn’t possible?”
“Separating her from your quarters, Jiro-sama.” Tsunade folded her hands in front of her. “First, Temple regulations regarding owned slaves are quite clear. A slave must remain within reasonable reach of their master at all times. Any incident that occurs because of negligence, escape, injury, or any misconduct becomes the master’s personal responsibility. Second…” She glanced around the luxurious chamber with a small, apologetic gesture. “There are simply no additional private rooms available in this wing at present. This suite was specially prepared and warded for your arrival. Rearranging living assignments for a newly acquired slave would require approvals and empty chambers we do not currently have.”
Jiro stared at her. The words took a moment to fully land in his sleepy mind.
“So she has to stay here? In my room?”
“Yes, Jiro-sama. For the time being, it seems to be the case.”
“Hah-ha, hahaha….” Jiro gave a dry laugh which only showed how much he cursed inwardly.
After he was done, a short, awkward silence followed in the room. Then Roland stepped forward with the cheerful lack of tact that seemed to come naturally to him after any amount of residual wine. He clapped a heavy, companionable hand on the sitting Jiro’s shoulder and leaned in to stage-whisper in Jiro’s ear, loud enough for everyone present to hear without effort.
“It’s a good thing, isn’t it, Sage-sama? Why not just let her stay? That way you can get to know each other properly. You know, slow and natural is always better than forcing yourself on a slave who can’t refuse, right? Who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky. Falling for someone little by little is much nicer than the alternative. Right, right?"
Jiro turned his head very slowly and fixed the big knight with a look of pure, sleep-deprived betrayal.
“You,” he said, voice flat. “Shut your mouth. I don’t want a single word coming out of your mouth. From now on I don’t know you. Got it?”
Roland only grinned, completely unrepentant. Tsunade closed her eyes for a brief moment as though silently praying for patience from whatever gods still listened to Temple knights. Near the window, the newly revealed girl slave watched the entire exchange with bright, unconcealed interest. One corner of her mouth had already begun to curl upward in a small, knowing smile that promised she would remember every word of this conversation for a very long time.
Jiro dropped his face into both hands and wondered, not for the first time since the oracle’s name had been spoken in the village square, exactly what kind of life he had been sentenced to.