"Sir, you're not allowed to see this. This product has been reserved for a special buyer for the past week. Please leave."
Ignoring the trader, Stiletto watched as the Goddess's eyes went wide with panic.
"No, no, no! Sir! You have to help me!"
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm not meant to be here! I—I'll do anythi—"
She was cut off abruptly as the short man slipped past Stiletto and kicked her square in the jaw.
"Silence. Merchandise speaks only when spoken to!"
Beginning to turn back around, the man's knees suddenly buckled, and he fell hard onto the floor. Stiletto had knocked him out with a single punch.
An easy feat, considering he was only a Stage 1 combatant—a mere Mortal.
Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, the Goddess looked up at him, a fragile spark of hope forming in her tear-filled eyes.
"W—Who are you, sir?"
A flicker of confusion stirred within Stiletto.
'Does she not know who I am? How?'
As Stiletto drifted into thought, the Goddess tried again to catch his attention.
"Ne—Never mind that... Thank you! Thank you so much! Now, please... get me out of he—"
"Who said I was helping you escape?"
"Wha—?"
A devilish grin spread across his face as the woman below him trembled.
"Beg."
"Ex—excuse me?"
"Get on your knees and beg."
Stiletto blinked, not a trace of hesitation in his voice.
"And then… maybe I'll get you out of here~"
"You can't be serious."
He turned away without another word.
"Seems you don't want to be saved badly enough…"
"WAIT!"
Stiletto chuckled.
'That was easy...'
Lowering her head, she muttered under her breath as she flipped and sat on her knees.
"Please... help me."
Stiletto faced her again, unimpressed.
"You think that's enough? Prostrate yourself."
She hesitated.
Then, slowly, she bent forward, pressing her forehead to the cold floor, her hands stretched out before her as her heavy breasts smushed into the stone.
Sniffling as she shook, she spoke:
"P—Please, sir..."
"Raise your ass."
At this point, willing to do anything, she complied.
"Wiggle your hips"
Once again, she listened as she began to whimper.
"Now call yourself a dirty slut who has never made a good decision in her entire life.
"I—"
Her voice broke before continuing:
"I'm a dirty slut who has never made a good decision in my life. Never once."
An amused tone in his voice, Stiletto laughed.
"Good! Good... How obedient! Now, flip over."
Flipping onto her back, even more tears streamed down her cheeks.
Her dignity was being stripped away completely. But if there was even a chance at freedom, she had to seize it.
Stiletto went on:
"Keep going."
"Wha—what do you me—"
"KEEP GOING!"
Feeling a shiver run through her entire body, she hurriedly began to spout whatever came to mind.
"I'm a filthy, naughty fucking slave that deserves nothing good in life. But I—I'm willing to do anything for—NNngGH—"
Stiletto stepped on the Goddess's left breast, causing her to momentarily freeze.
His shoe pressed into her soft flesh as he addressed her with a stern, unyielding tone:
"Remember what you just said."
Not that any of this mattered. He knew that as his slave, she had no choice but to comply regardless. Still, he wanted her to remember this moment—a moment where she was completely and utterly at his mercy.
Because, ultimately, he was saving her life—one way or another.
And getting his payback in the process.
'Speaking of her being my slave, I think now is the time I finally reap my rewards~'
Grabbing her by the wrist, he flipped her over once more and delivered a loud, sharp slap to her asscheek.
Instantly, a large red handprint appeared on her plump ass as she yelped.
The system immediately appeared before him, but he dismissed it at once, intending to review it later.
Her face flushed a deep red as she answered:
"Ow… O—Okay."
Her eyes widened once more when Stiletto abruptly bit into his own hand. Blood spilled forth, condensing into a small stiletto-shaped blade.
He lifted it high and struck down, breaking the chain effortlessly, before seizing the Goddess by the shoulder and hauling her upright.
The 6'4 Goddess didn't appear to be so big anymore. Instead, her appearance now matched exactly how it had when he first met her in the library on Earth—her human form.
And it wasn't just her appearance that felt human.
Stiletto had a growing suspicion as to why she hadn't recognized him.
Without delay, he activated {Watchful Eye}.
-----
[Watchful Eye]
(Lyria)
Stage: 1
Race: Goddess
Gender: Female
Age: —
Height: 5'6
Skills: None
Favorability: 20/100 (IRRELEVANT)
-----
'Lyria, huh...'
That confirmed it.
The Goddess had been devolved—retaining her divine race, yet reduced to a Stage 1 Mortal in the process. With that, she'd lost all her abilities and skills. She was now no different from someone like Mya.
He assumed that since she was his slave, her favorability held no influence over her actions, which explained why the system had marked it as obsolete.
"H-Hey… wh—what did you just do? I felt something change when you—"
Her face turned bright red as she wiped away the remnants of her tears.
"—slapped me…"
Smirking, he reached over and pinched her meaty ass.
"You mean right here~?"
The Goddess's body jolted as a squeal escaped her lips.
"Y—Yeah..."
"You're mine now... that's all."
Her heart skipped a beat as a storm of emotions churned inside her.
"I thought you said you would free me."
"Did I not?"
Fear seized her as her eyes flicked toward the hidden room's exit. Acting on instinct, she tried to run.
"Stop."
And halted immediately.
"How?! You didn't even bind me with a slave seal?!"
Stiletto walked up behind her, unhurried. He slipped off his coat and draped it around her naked body.
"There's no point in running. Now... it's cold outside, and I'd prefer you don't flash my two younger siblings on the way back to my place."
"What are you—"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind them.
"HEY! YOU TWO!"
Having finally woken up and hurriedly struggling to stand upright, his balance out of whack, the slave trader screamed.
"GUARDS! CATCH THEM!"
Grabbing the Goddess's hand, Stiletto looked into her eyes.
"We need to run. NOW!"
***
"Woah!"
Inside the carriage, Olson was showing off a few harmless wind-affinity tricks for the twins. Both were wide-eyed and completely engrossed, having entirely forgotten about their brother.
"OLSON! START THE CARRIAGE!"
Jumping in his seat, the butler swiftly moved the cover aside. The old man's face grew even paler than it already was when he witnessed the sight.
Stiletto, clad in a simple cotton shirt and pants, was running from what looked like security, dragging along a strange woman by the hand.
Not only that, but she appeared to be naked beneath her coat…
Wait—not hers.
Stiletto's.
Not understanding the reason why, but fully grasping the situation, he leapt off the carriage and hurried toward the horses, quickly mounting the driver's seat.
Approaching at full speed, Stiletto shouted at Thomas and Elaine, who had their heads sticking out of the carriage, firing off a barrage of questions.
"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"
Almost at the same moment, he pulled the Goddess into a princess carry and leapt onto the carriage as it surged into motion. They crashed into the seats ahead and sprawled onto the floor at the twins' feet.
The angry shouts of several men faded as the carriage sped away.
Sweat ran down both their brows as Stiletto spoke, exhausted.
"We... we made it."
...
As the carriage bounced along the uneven trail, the twins sat across from Stiletto and the Goddess.
An awkward, silent ride.
Elaine's face remained red as she kept her gaze fixed on her lap, while Thomas seemed frozen, his eyes locked in one place.
Stiletto exhaled.
"Thomas, stop staring at her breasts."
He then turned to face the Goddess.
"And you... cover yourself more."
She snapped her head to the side, harrumphing.
"Is that an order? And its not my fault that I'm too big for this little coat!"
Even so, she listened.
More awkward silence followed.
Then Elain broke it.
"So... who is she?"
Stiletto thought for a moment before settling on an answer.
"She's a friend. From school."
It was obviously a lie—but the twins didn't know any better.
Thomas chuckled, clearly questioning the idea of the brother he knew having a female friend.
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
Ironically, the previous Stiletto had had one female friend from school—the only one he'd ever made. But he'd been so closed off that Stiletto doubted anyone in the family had known about her.
Staying on topic, he went on:
"She was kidnapped by bandits and sold as a slave. I heard about it and decided I had to do something."
He turned his head slightly, speaking through clenched teeth.
"Isn't that right?"
The Goddess caught on and nodded quickly.
"It's true... He saved my life."
Elaine nodded in return.
"I see..."
She hesitated, her complexion reddening even further as she continued.
"You're really pretty, ma'am."
The half-naked woman smiled—genuinely—for the first time, her voice warm.
"Aww~ Thank you! I can already tell—you'll grow up to be even more beautiful than me one day."
Elaine's reply nearly vanished into the air as she murmured:
"Thank you..."