'You've gotta be kidding me...'
"Brother, please tell this idiot to stop harassing me!"
Stiletto blinked.
Seated across from him on the carriage bench was Elaine, sitting prim and proper. Purple bangs framed her face as long, neatly brushed hair flowed down her back. She shared their father's eyes—an unremarkable brown.
At the moment, she was doing her best to make herself as small as possible, though it wasn't working in the slightest.
Somehow, instead of worrying about one younger sibling, he now had to worry about two.
By her side sat her twin, Thomas, who was constantly nagging her. In complete opposition to his sister, he had inherited their mother's red eyes and their father's black hair. His appearance was disheveled and unkempt, his wavy hair a tangled mess.
When Stiletto had gone to fetch Elaine, Thomas had been nearby. He'd thrown something of a fit, begging Stiletto to let him come along. He was bored out of his mind and didn't see how it was fair that Elaine could go while he couldn't.
And now, he was poking his sister for seemingly no reason—likely boredom once again.
With a sigh, Stiletto spoke:
"Stop it, Thomas. You're both fourteen now. Act your age."
Turning back toward him, Thomas finally stopped pestering her, a slight grin spreading across his face.
"What's the big deal?"
He leaned back toward Elaine, whispering in her ear.
"Stiletto's acting different, don't you think?"
Elaine shrugged.
"Why does it matter?"
A faint chuckle escaped Stiletto.
"Enough. Just behave yourselves and wait in the carriage when we get there."
They replied together, identical looks of curiosity on their faces.
"Why?"
Then Thomas added:
"And where are we headed?"
Stiletto paused. Having never had siblings before—at least not until now—he wasn't sure how he was supposed to deal with the two of them. The previous Stiletto hadn't been particularly close with them either.
Still, he answered the way he wanted to.
In fact, he was starting to understand why people in positions of authority always defaulted to the same response:
"Because I told you so!"
***
Staring at his system after traveling for some time, Stiletto suddenly yelled out:
"Stop here!"
Truthfully, he'd been worried the journey might take an entire day. With his father's order to return before dark still weighing on him, the thought lingered in the back of his mind.
After all, the Goddess was an entire marathon's length away.
To his surprise, however, the trip had only taken a few hours—likely due to the fantastical nature of the horses pulling the carriage.
And so, they had arrived.
At least, he was almost certain they had.
-----
(Page 2)
[Skills]
{Fallen Goddess (Passive Ability)-}
Rank: Divine
Description: The lonely Goddess sat apart from her peers, surrounded yet somehow isolated. For the first time in her eternal life, she saw—and smelled—something that truly intrigued her. She had long consumed all the Knowledge in the universe, both Good and Evil, her Imagination stretching beyond every boundary. Yet not even the infinite Books floating through the cosmos contained anything as captivating as the sight before her.
After slipping away to visit the curious being herself, the once-bored Goddess felt a new spark flare within her. In that moment, she decided she would make it her personal pet.
But, in the end, the Goddess became the pet herself.
Slave: Library Goddess
Actual name: ...
Distance: 360 feet
(Touch the slave's body to claim and reveal the full description.)
-----
'360 feet...'
His pulse quickened. The anticipation of payback—of standing before the Goddess and laughing in her face—sent a thrill through him.
He almost chuckled right there in the carriage, but quickly stifled it.
'No, no... I can't laugh yet. I have to hold it in.'
Rising to his feet, he cast a stern look down at his siblings.
"Don't do anything stupid."
Pulling the carriage cover aside, he stepped down and finished:
"The butler will keep an eye on you. I'll be back shortly."
Once fully outside, ignoring the commotion within the carriage, he turned toward the butler as the man dismounted from the driver's seat.
His white hair was tied back into a modest ponytail, his lean frame carrying a quiet strength. He stood just over six feet tall, and though his skin was pale, his hazel eyes burned with life.
The old man appeared to be in his seventies. Why he was still working as a butler, Stiletto couldn't say. One thing he did know, however, was that the man had known his father longer than anyone else.
And that he was immensely strong.
Stiletto knew this because when he attempted to use {Watchful Eye}, he was unable to view the man's stats or skills.
Which meant only one thing:
The old man was Stage 3—or higher.
Which made sense. No matter how eager Daeron was to get Stiletto and Elaine out of the house, there was no chance he wouldn't assign someone to watch over—and protect—them, especially knowing that he and Syril had been attacked recently.
That, at least, worked in Stiletto's favor. It meant he could delegate the babysitting to the butler.
"Olson, please take care of them. Especially Thomas. He gets antsy quickly, as I'm sure you know…"
The old man nodded once.
"Certainly. But, Young Master, I'm not convinced it's wise for you to venture this place alone."
"Why is that?"
"Well… Young Master, don't you know where you are?"
Seeing Stiletto's puzzled expression, the old man continued:
"This is a slave market..."
Stiletto's eyes widened slightly—then settled back to normal. A faint grin even tugged at his lips.
'Ha! How fitting...'
Nodding as he processed the information, he lifted a hand in a casual wave as he began to walk away, turning his head to speak.
"That's perfectly fine, then. Just wait here while I... make a purchase~"
Of course, he had no money.
Still, he thought it sounded cool.
Walking away, he shuddered, pulling his white trench coat—lined with silver embroidery—tighter around himself.
"Cold..."
It seemed winter was approaching.
Watching Stiletto leave, Olson simply stood there, unsure what to say. Then he turned back and moved to stand guard at the carriage entrance.
Quietly, he muttered to himself:
'How peculiar. Well, he should be fine...'
***
'Huh?'
Stiletto was perplexed.
He'd used his system to guide him toward the Goddess, yet now found himself standing in an underground enclosure lined with steel cages. Inside were all manner of beings—animals suited to be pets, as well as intelligent races such as humans, dwarves, goblins, and beast-kin.
There were no "rare" slaves on display.
Which was fine. That wasn't his objective right now.
What unsettled him was the distance. From where he stood, the system claimed the Goddess was only a few feet away. Yet she was nowhere to be found.
"Sir...? Is there something wrong? Are these not to your liking?"
A small, hunched man with a nasty beard had been showing him around. The man rambled incessantly, but not a single word stuck with Stiletto. He wasn't interested in anything the slave trader had to say.
"Do you have more selection?"
Leaning down, he whispered into the trader's ear.
"I happen to come from a very wealthy family… you understand, I'm sure~"
Almost instantly, a broad grin spread across the man's face. It looked like he was about to make a fortune.
So, over the next several minutes, he guided Stiletto into a sectioned-off area of the market. There, elves and dark elves were kept alongside ferocious-looking beasts.
Still, there was no sign of the Goddess.
But while pretending to listen to the man, Stiletto was instead carefully observing the layout of the dark chamber—and he was now almost certain he knew where she was.
Feigning a stumble backward, he reached out and placed his hand against a slab of stone. At first glance, it looked ordinary. Unremarkable.
But he was nearly positive it wasn't.
"Whoops!"
"SIR, YOU'RE NO—"
Too late.
In the same instant, the wall slid aside, revealing a dim, hidden chamber.
Chained against the stone, a thick collar locked around her neck, lay a sleeping woman.
Dirt clung to her naked body, her ribs clearly visible beneath it.
And yet, most noticeable of all—starkly contrasting her clearly hungry state—were her massive, full breasts, along with her thick, wide areolas.
Despite her rough appearance, anyone would have felt their heart stop in that moment.
Then, startled by the sudden noise, she tilted her head upward. Watching her long, deep-brown hair fall across her face and her alluring red eyes flutter open, Stiletto smirked. At last...
The Goddess.