Bought an Elf as a Sex Slave? Are You Insane?!

“You bought an elf as a sex slave? Are you insane?!”

Was it really that shocking?

I tried to ignore the merchant’s fuss and pour myself some tea, but his expression was deadly serious.

Wait. Wasn’t he joking?

Now I was getting nervous, too. What was the problem? What was so strange about that elf?

“Hold on… The elf you bought. She’s young, right?”

“Huh? Well, I suppose you could call her young.”

“How old is she?”

“A little over two hundred and fifty. Elves normally live for a thousand years, so in human terms she’d be about twenty-five—”

“You madman!”

All right, perhaps the comparison wasn’t very funny, but did he have to swear at me?

“Two hundred and fifty years old?”

The merchant was clearly in no mood to appreciate my joke.

“Listen to me. Wake up. If you haven’t brought her home yet, cancel the purchase. Right now.”

“Cancel it? She’s already been living at my mansion for ten days.”

“You fool! I knew you didn’t understand elves, but I didn’t think you knew this little!”

What was there to understand? Elves were slender, beautiful, and lived a long time…

Come to think of it, that was about all I knew.

“Enough with the fuss. Tell me why you’re making such a scene.”

“Haah. Fine. I’ll explain it as simply as I can. Elves are born with an affinity for the elements and an instinctive understanding of magic.”

“I know that much.”

“Then think about this. An elf can have twice a human’s mana capacity simply by living and growing older. What do you suppose happens once one passes a hundred years of age? Even accomplished human wizards would struggle to match that kind of power.”

“Uh… Seriously?”

“Why would I lie to you? And if the elf you bought is two hundred and fifty, calling her an archmage would hardly be an exaggeration.”

Cold sweat broke out across my back.

“Then how did she become a slave? If she’s as powerful as an archmage, there’s no way slave hunters could have captured her in the Great Forest.”

“That’s just it. She wasn’t captured. She let herself be captured.”

“Let herself? Why?”

“Perhaps she was bored with her everyday life. Perhaps she wanted some new stimulation.”

“So she chose to become a slave?”

“She might be an elf with a rather perverse disposition.”

In other words, according to the merchant, an elf had volunteered for slavery as a hobby because she was bored with her life.

How was I supposed to believe something that ridiculous?

I stared at the black tea cooling in my cup. Then a thought occurred to me, and I lifted my head.

“But wouldn’t that be fine anyway? She has a slave seal engraved on her. That means she can’t defy me, no matter what.”

“Thank goodness you aren’t a merchant. With a head for business like that, you’d be ruined within a year.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Explain it so I can understand.”

“Haah. All right. Who do you think puts those slave seals on people?”

“The black mages from the demon realm, of course…”

Ah. Wait.

No matter how deranged a black mage might be, it wasn’t as though every one of them could reach the level of an archmage.

“Do you really think an elf who’s practiced magic for two hundred and fifty years couldn’t undo a seal placed by a black mage who only lives a hundred years at most?”

“Then why would she leave the seal on…?”

“I’ve been telling you. She’s playing along.”

My shoulders trembled.

That elf who quivered in fear whenever I came near her… was only playing with me?

Nonsense.

Yes. Utter nonsense.

The merchant must have been making up stories just to torment me.

I clung to that conclusion and drained the rest of my tea.

---

When I returned to the mansion, the elf was waiting for me, prostrated on the floor in her ragged clothes.

“W-welcome home, M-Master…”

There was nothing unusual about her behavior. That halting voice still grated on my nerves.

Even so, I held back from scolding her. Perhaps the merchant’s warnings had gotten to me, but I felt I ought to be careful today.

“Prepare dinner first.”

“Y-yes, Master…”

The elf answered obediently, rose, and went to prepare my meal.

I returned to my room, washed my face, and made my way to the dining room.

An elaborate spread of dishes she had prepared was waiting on the table. Her own meal, on the other hand, had been set beneath it. It was worse than dog food: yesterday’s scraps and food waste mixed together into a miserable heap.

I glanced at her, sat at the table, and picked up my spoon.

“Eat.”

As though she’d been waiting for permission, the elf flattened herself on the floor and moved to eat the scraps.

She did this every day. Yet today, something about it felt wrong.

I raised a hand to stop her, took hold of her, and helped her up.

“Today, you’ll sit at the table and eat.”

“Y-yes…? N-no! Worthless, ungrateful trash like me would never dare disgrace Master by eating at his table… Please, let me dispose of yesterday’s leftovers at your feet…”

“It’s fine. I’m not going to scold you.”

“Th-that’s…”

The elf let out a strange little groan before taking a seat at the table. Then she began chewing her food.

Wasn’t she happy about this?

I watched her for a while, puzzled, then finished my own meal.

“Wine.”

At my order for something to drink after dinner, she stopped eating and went to fetch a bottle. She returned carrying it, but halfway across the room her feet faltered and she fell.

“Ah…!”

There was a crash. My favorite bottle shattered, spilling red wine across the floor.

“M-Master, I’m going to die…!”

The elf immediately threw herself face down. Her face had gone blue with terror, and the back of her bowed head trembled in a way I knew all too well.

“I’ll accept any punishment! I’m sorry…!”

I was furious about the bottle, but this time I decided to let it pass. I sighed and waved a hand.

“Forget it. I’ll clean this up. Go back to your room.”

“P-pardon…? Master…?”

“I said it’s fine.”

“B-but I have to be punished…!”

“Stop sulking.”

When I cut her off, her expression went cold.

It wasn’t the pallor of fear. It was a different sort of coldness. The change was subtle, but I could see it.

“Master is… strangely kind today…”

She forced the words out, then left for her room.

The moment she was gone, I activated the surveillance artifact I’d installed in her room. I’d put it there just in case. Now seemed like the time to use it.

Creak.

I heard the door open. Through the artifact, I watched the elf enter and sit on her bed.

She stared straight ahead with vacant eyes. Then her lips curled into a contemptuous smile.

“He can’t even play his part properly. The insolent bastard. Should I kill him?”

A chill ran down my spine at the sound of that merciless voice.

No way.

Could everything the merchant had told me be true? Had this elf really allowed herself to be sold just because she enjoyed being mistreated?

The truth was so absurd that I could only press my lips together and let out a quiet sigh.

“Should I find another owner…?”

Mana began to gather in the elf’s hand, and every instinct I had screamed danger.

Oh, fuck!

I leapt to my feet and frantically rummaged through a nearby drawer. Grabbing the first thing my hand found, I raced upstairs and opened the door to the elf’s room.

“Eh…?”

The same elf who had been cursing me a moment earlier was looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes.

“M-Master…? Why…? You told me I could rest today…”

Until now, I’d thought that trembling expression was rather cute. Knowing what I knew, it looked like nothing but a revolting performance.

But if I showed the slightest sign that I’d seen through her, she might kill me.

What was I supposed to do?

My mind worked furiously. Only then did I notice what I’d snatched from the drawer.

A dog collar.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

I forced myself to sound calm. Adopting the harsh tone I usually used with her, I tossed the collar at the elf.

“Tonight, we’re going for a naked walk, you miserable little insect.”

“A-a naked walk…?”

She looked astonished.

No. She was pretending to be astonished. The faint smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth gave her away.

“M-Master… that’s… Please, have mercy…”

You crazy bitch.

I swallowed my resentment and opened my mouth again.

“And after the naked walk, it’ll be time for sexual torture.”

If I wanted to stay alive, I’d have to train this deranged elf…

No. I’d have to pretend to train her.