Geral had problems again. OK, the usual morning thing.

He stretched and tried not to wake up the two girls near him. Awa was sleeping on the right side, well covered under her blanket.

He watched her lovely face covered partly by her blond mane and smiled. He thought about caressing her temple but abstained: that would wake her up. He moved slowly to avoid making noise.

Noviel, on his left side, was riding her blanket with her back turned to him, partly covered in her semi-transparent nightgown.

The same view that he had learned to love and hate each morning. Love, because he loved the two girls, each in their own way, hate because Noviel had kept her distance; she had not done anything to encourage him, so he dared not touch her beautiful marble body, just look but don't touch, a thing that he hated.

Of course, the two girls would not let him sleep alone, and he had to tell them stories every evening. That's why he regretted having chosen this big room with an extra large bed.

He sighed, looking at Noviel's perfect body. Maybe sometime he will make it into her pants; hope dies last.

He went to the bathroom after a short visit to the toilet. As he started the shower, he heard Sarah coming in. Sarah the slave and the newest inhabitant of the house. As she locked the door behind her, he turned to her.

She was a dark-haired good looking woman about thirty years old. Her skin was white, and she had hazel-brown eyes. Her calloused hands showed that she was used to working hard, her back hunched, but the smile on her face displayed her satisfaction with her new masters.

Anabella had bought Sarah a couple of days after they moved to the new house to help her with the daily work. There was so much to clean, wash and cook, and Sarah had gladly done all that. She had been a slave all her life, born as a slave from slave parents inside the empire.

Nobody is born a slave; everybody is born free, Geral had said, and Sarah had just shrugged. Tell that to the collar that she had on her neck. A slave's collar.

As she kneed in front of him, he smiled expectantly.

It first happened several days ago when he was alone in the bathroom and started pleasing himself. After seeing Noviel again, he jokingly thought that he had to 'take the matter into his own hands', and Sarah had come in by accident and surprised him.

After the first moments of shock, after she threw herself at the ground, asking for his forgiveness, not daring to raise her eyes, when he came to finally make her stand, she pleaded to let her help him, please, oh please. He should not chase her away just because she was a slave.

He had tried to help her, and she started to kiss his fingers frenetically.

She wanted to help; may she just touch him? A little? To see how it is? She ended up giving him a hand job, and after that, she removed herself, bowing and thanking him.

The second time it was easier for him to accept it, and after that, it became routine.

All he had to do was to go into the bathroom at a moment when anybody else was busy in the house, and she came there to wash his back or do whatever he wanted. A slave is a nice thing to have, isn't it?

As she did now, she did her work. She was doing it with such efficiency and dedication! He patted her head.

They were going to free the slave. Anabella had said it, but the law did not allow them to free her instantly; the law allowed to only free a slave that was yours for ninety days. Stupid laws, but that was the law.

However, she was not forced to give him blow jobs. She did it freely. She would be freed anyhow.

Happily afterwards, he went for breakfast and then prepared to go to the field. They were going, he, Noviel and Awa, to clean specific areas. The payment was good: fifty silver per day. One gold in two days, and the expenses were just several silver per day for food and amenities.

Well, not counting alchemy products like healing potions and other things, but they had Anabella, who healed them for free.

Anabella was staying home with Zera, that was slowly recovering. It was really disturbing to see how lovely Zera started to be. Each time when he saw her, he thought of her former master and deep dark hate boiled inside him. Murderous thoughts.

“Not now. Don't kill that bastard!” - Anabella had said - “It is not worth it. We'll get more problems if you do it! There will be a time.”

As if she would have infinity on her side. He sighed. Each time when he had met that bastard, he had spent an effort to stop his hand from taking the sword. Each time he felt older and angrier. As if not doing anything would take years from his life. Looking at what Zera was and could have been and remembering how she had looked merely weeks ago was driving him mad.

Good that he could kill some stupid mobs.

It was becoming moot now as the caravan was going to leave today; they'd sold all slaves they brought with them. Only a couple of handlers would stay longer to sell their goods, but master Heran was not between them. His alchemy products had sold pretty well.

After breakfast, they left - he, Awa and Noviel - to clean the next area assigned to them. It had become routine, and he started to love this city. He knew he was close to getting a level up, and then he would be able to buy a new skill!

Awa had already levelled. Twice! She was now level seven. Noviel had also levelled, being now level twenty but she had postponed looking for skills until he would also have his chance. They should go together to inspect the skills shop. He was still at level nineteen. He did not understand why but he knew it would not take long.