Chapter 14 – The Rich Man and the Slave Boy

By morning, the boy could move his body as he wished. The strong relaxant had completely worn off.

The guest room in D’Vialis’s mansion was cozy. Sunlight poured diagonally through the wide window, warming Helio’s feet. Outside, instead of the barking of hungry guard dogs, he heard birds chirping.

It was all so unreal that the boy sat up, mouth agape.

At Don Slafdi’s house, he always woke to pain slicing through his body. *buse disguised as training. For some reason, the more a slave’s mind broke, the higher their value became.

When Helio realized this, he fought fiercely not to break. He couldn’t become what Don Slafdi wanted.

How long had it been since he woke up without pain? It had been so long, it was pointless to count.

His brain, used to *buse, couldn’t adjust to a safe, peaceful situation and simply shut down. He didn’t know what to do.

As he sat there blankly, a knock sounded.

Helio, tense, didn’t even think to answer, just pulled the covers up and curled into a ball.

The door opened slowly.

In came little Hazel, with eyes the color of hazelnuts. Braided and neat, eight-year-old Hazel was so young she usually did only the smallest, most trivial tasks.

But today, her job was important.

She had to bring wash water to the slave boy Sabina had bought and help him relax. Only little Hazel could do such a thing among all the staff at D’Vialis’s mansion.

Hazel smiled, holding a basin full of warm water. Her missing front tooth left a big gap.

Her smile made all wariness seem foolish.

Helio accepted the washbasin.

Hazel sat at the foot of Helio’s bed, watching him wash his face. When Helio wiped his face with a towel, he glanced at Hazel.

Again, she showed her gap-toothed smile—hee.

‘How silly.’

Helio turned his head and set aside the used wash water.

Hazel jumped off the bed and picked up the basin. She looked so unsteady, Helio was amazed she didn’t fall.

“When you’re done washing up, pick any clothes you like from the wardrobe and come down to the first floor.”

Hazel spoke up brightly, then muttered to herself, “Oops, I used informal speech,” and dashed out of the room and down the hall. Helio was left alone.

He recalled what Sabina had said yesterday.

「You have to study.」

The boy wasn’t smart. He always stumbled over words when reading.

「I’m going to send you to school. You’re special.」

There must have been some mistake. If he really was such a special magician, Don Slafdi would have tested his attribute.

Suddenly, he was afraid.

‘If it turns out to be a mistake…’

Just thinking about what might happen made his neck crawl with goosebumps.

That scary man had paid 540 million for him. It was a huge sum. And the man had said he could pay even more.

Maybe the man paid that much because he mistakenly thought the boy had great magical talent. It was reasonable to think the real value was in his talent, not himself.

So, if it was discovered he wasn’t an attribute magician, what would happen? Would he be sent back to Don Slafdi? No, that was unbearable.

There was no way Don Slafdi would refund the 540 million. He would have spent it all immediately. He was always strapped for cash, even while auctioning off such rare items.

Of course. It took a fortune to collect such things and hold extravagant festivals like Carnival every week…

He remembered the cool blue eyes under the moonlight.

‘If I’m not an attribute magician, will that man… get angry at me?’

He recalled the sinister aura around the man.

‘If I can’t go to school… what then?’

If he wasn’t a magician and couldn’t be refunded, Sabina, now his owner, would have to find some value in him.

The most obvious value was his beauty… And Sabina D’Vialis, by rumor, was obsessed with men.

The boy’s hands trembled as he kept falling into dark thoughts.

The man presumed to be Sabina’s friend was frightening, and Sabina herself was uncomfortable. He didn’t want to get involved.

But the boy knew his place. He wasn’t in a position to refuse Sabina’s orders.

He picked clean, plain clothes from the wardrobe and went downstairs.

Whatever he chose fit perfectly. It was strange that clothes in his size were already prepared, though he was too nervous to notice.

Helio worried that he’d taken too long. Regardless of his feelings toward Sabina, she was now his owner. He feared being scolded for not following her orders well.

When he reached the first floor, a strict-looking maid in her forties flashed sharp eyes over round glasses. Helio shrank his shoulders in surprise. She adjusted her glasses and gave a barely noticeable smile.

“You’ve dressed well. I’ll take you to the dining room, Helio.”

Her tone was so stern, Helio felt a bit intimidated.

“…”

The maid straightened her back and led Helio to the dining room. Two place settings were already laid out—plates, forks, knives. But Sabina wasn’t there.

‘Am I eating alone…?’

But he knew better than anyone not to ask questions. He picked a seat that wasn’t at the head of the table and waited for Sabina.

Sabina arrived after about ten minutes.

Helio was stunned to see her. She looked nothing like a noble lady.

Her hair was simply tied up high, and she wore indoor clothes barely better than pajamas, her eyes heavy with sleep. She didn’t even carry the symbolic Albatross cane, and, still sleepy, she stumbled and bumped her knee on a chair leg. Thud.

‘That must hurt…’

Helio nervously watched Sabina’s journey.

But Sabina seemed used to it, shuffling over to sit down.

“You waited, sorry.”

And she yawned.

“I’m not good at waking up in the morning.”

Was it alright to say it was fine? Helio hesitated and missed his chance to answer. Sabina seemed to expect that and acted like it was nothing.

And that wasn’t all. She didn’t ask the boy anything. She’d said he needed to prepare for the entrance exam, but didn’t seem interested in what he knew or didn’t know.

Soon, food was served to both of them.

It was a luxurious breakfast with beef as the main dish. Since it was morning, the meat was sliced thin, with fresh vegetables on the side.

Sabina disliked meat but still finished her food slowly. She wanted the boy to learn by watching her.

But Helio barely touched his breakfast, too busy watching Sabina to eat properly. But when dessert came, he couldn’t just keep watching. What he really wanted was placed before him.

‘Ice cream…’

It was ice cream with chunks of apricot soaked in sugar. Sabina received a steaming cup of coffee.

Helio couldn’t take his eyes off the ice cream but couldn’t bring himself to take a spoonful. Sabina blew on her coffee and gave permission as if she knew everything.

“It’s yours, so you can eat it.”

Even after being given permission, the boy hesitated. He glanced around and met the eyes of Julia, the maid serving breakfast. Julia nodded and smiled at him. Only then did the boy take a little ice cream.

It was amazing. Soft and sweet, it seemed to crunch but melted instantly on his tongue. The first bite was hard, but after tasting it, he wanted more.

Helio’s spoon kept going back to the ice cream as soon as he finished a mouthful. Sabina only came back to herself after a few sips of hot coffee.

Helio finished his ice cream and blushed. He kept tapping the glass bowl with his spoon, making little noises.

“Julia, from tomorrow, serve him as usual.”

“Yes, Miss Sabina.”

“Make sure this child eats properly… He’ll need to eat well to endure school.”

Only after hearing Sabina and Julia’s conversation did Helio snap back to reality. This kind of treatment was only deserved if he was actually an attribute magician.

Maybe it was better to confess quickly.

“Um…”

Just as Helio opened his mouth, things didn’t go his way.

From over there, someone called out, cutting him off.

“Miss Sabina!”

The strict maid who’d checked Helio over earlier hurried over. She bent down and whispered in Sabina’s ear.

Sabina’s expression changed slightly as she listened.

“…Thank you for letting me know. I’ll go meet them. Get me ready and send word to them.”

“Yes, Miss Sabina.”

“Ah, um…”

Helio tried again, but it was no use.

They were already focused elsewhere.

Sabina quickly stood up. She gave Helio a brief nod and hurried out of the dining room. The strict head maid followed after her. Julia quietly whispered to the bewildered Helio left behind.

“Miss Sabina gave permission to go anywhere in the house except her bedroom and study. It’s good to get used to the layout now.”

Having been a slave until yesterday, Helio was unfamiliar with being treated respectfully and bowed his head awkwardly. He hesitated, wondering if he could ask why Sabina had suddenly left the table, but couldn’t bring himself to do so.