Slave Harem in the Labyrinth of the Other World (LN)
Volume 2 - Ch 1.07

Looks like I have a pretty long and bumpy road ahead of me if I want to learn all about the laws that govern this place. Learning about the equipment automatically fitting itself to match the wearer might be not that important in the grand scheme of things, but at least it will allow me to avoid some silly misunderstandings. And its all thanks to Roxanne patiently teaching me about it.

When it comes to weapons, like swords, which would you prefer? One-handed ones or two-handed ones?

I got up and asked Roxanne about what type of weapon she would prefer.

I think Im leaning more towards one-handed swords, so Id like to go with that. Is that a problem?

Not at all. Here you go.

I grabbed the Scimitar from the desk and handed it over to Roxanne. Under normal circumstances doing something like that might have been awfully foolish and risky, but judging by her attitude and actions thus far, I concluded that I could hand it over to her without worrying about it too much. Of course, the possibility that she is collaborating with the Slave Merchant in order to kill me and get all of my money and belongings still lingers somewhere in the back of my mind, because lets face it: if Alan-san is the one in charge of making the master-slave contracts, how hard would it be for him to leave some kind of loophole that would allow the slaves hes selling to kill their masters without having to worry about dying themselves?

Should I be more careful around her after all?

If she really is as confident in her battle abilities as she seems to be, then I guess taking me out wouldnt be a problem to her at all, especially since shes have more than her fair share of chances to do so, considering the fact that we share a room and will be sleeping in the same bed. Sooner or later well be entering the Labyrinth, so I would have to give her a weapon anyway, so now is a perfect occasion. If I give her the sword now, it could be read as a sign of my trust in her. If shes going to use it to kill me anyway, then maybe she will be considerate enough to at least wait with it until the next morning, after Ill have her take my wretched V-Card away from me man, I really have to tone down the paranoia. Why am I even worrying about such things now that she showed me that she bears no hostility towards me? Have some more trust in her, me!

Hmm, its not in a bad shape, but its maintenance leaves a lot to be desired.

Roxanne inspected the Scimitar with a serious look on her face.

Eh? You can tell that just by looking at it?

Yes.

Her eyes are surprisingly sharp. Looks like shell be able to help me in more ways than just teaching about the common sense of this world, fighting monsters and (possibly) bedtime entertainment.

Do you have any other pieces of equipment besides this one?

And that was my very first lesson in the common sense of the new world I have found myself in.

Of course I do.

I see. Thats good.

All in all, her evaluation of the Scimitar I gave her was spot on. I havent performed any kind of maintenance work on it ever since I bought it.

Master, from now on I will handle the maintenance of our equipment, but please do be sure to put more attention into the state of your weapons and armor in the future. It might seem like a trivial thing, but you never know when it might become a decisive factor between our life and death.

O-Okay. Ill be sure to remember about that from now on.

Roxanne leaned towards me and preached on, to which I could only react by submissively leaning back.

Good. Im glad that youre so quick to understand, master.

And she just casually returned to putting her luggage into the closet as if nothing had happened. She also took off the Sandals and handed them over to me.

Uhm you dont have to give them back to me. I gave them to you, so feel free to wear them from now on. Theyre yours. Now, come on here and put them back on, it would be bad if you caught a cold.

I took the pair of my Leather Shoes, sat back on the bed and once again beckoned Roxanne to join me at my side, after which I put the shoes on and tied the shoelaces. The difference between Sandals and Leather Shoes was clear as the difference between night and day: not only did Leather Shoes provided better defenses to the entire foot, they were also of much better quality. To begin with, I only wore those stolen Sandals because at the moment of being transported to this world I had nothing on my feet and didnt want to go around barefoot in an unfamiliar environment. I dont think were going to encounter any monsters that target the legs and feet specifically, but its always better to be safe rather than sorry. Also, I dont think it has to be pointed out, but between the master and the slave, master should always be the one with better/higher quality equipment.

As you wish.

No, not there. Here.

I once again patted the space next to me, seeing as Roxanne instinctively tried to sit on the floor again. Slightly embarrassed, she covered her mouth with her hand and sat next to me, and wore the Sandals again. They really have adjusted themselves to the size of her feet in a matter of seconds.

Alright, now that thats done, I was thinking of doing some shopping since I dont have anything urgent to do at the current moment. Is there any other equipment you would need, Roxanne?

If its not too much to ask, then I think I could really benefit from having a Wooden Shield to complement the Scimitar. Would that be accepatable?

A Wooden Shield, got it. Anything else?

I think it would be best to get me an armor that matches yours when it comes to quality, master. Nothing too fancy or pricey of course, just enough for it to provide better protection than an ordinary set of plain clothing.

Sure thing. Whatever you say.

And I started another round of petting her cute doggy ears. It was just a short while ago, but now she is not as scared or nervous as she was when he first entered the room. This must undoubtedly be the result of my skinship with her. You see guys? The old words do ring true: every woman will warm up to you if you just touch her in the right places (made up quote, not backed by personal experience).

And what about things other than weapons or equipment? Do you need anything like that?

An oil so I can take care of my hair and ears. You wouldnt happen to have any on you right now, would you?

Cant say that I do, sorry.

In that case I think a small bottle of olive oil should be enough to last me for some time.

Olive oil, huh? I wonder if it could be utilized in some kind of play?

Duly noted.

Ah, in order to clean I would also need a rag or cleaning cloth. Do you have some worn-out underwear that could fill that role?

Nope. Just the pair I have on me right now and the one over there.

Hmm, it still looks new so that wont do.

Going through the laundry, Roxanne noticed the Pumpkin Pants I bought five days ago and inspected them thoroughly as well. For some inexplicable reason, I felt as if she was examining my own crotch by doing so. Not a pleasant feeling in the slightest.

Oh, and by the way, since today was the day when I was supposed to buy Roxanne, I donned my best clothing available before I headed to the Slave Merchants shop. All for the sake of looking my absolute best so that he would raise his opinion of me.

You can go ahead and use them as a cleaning rag, I dont mind in the slightest. What else?

A container for holding water, like a bottle.

Bottled water, huh? I have to admit, I never even thought to bring one of those with me into the Labyrinth excursions. Certainly, if we ever planned on making longer escapades there, having a source of water would be a tremendous benefit. Its not that light to carry around, but its importance would completely justify such a purchase.

Okay, Ill be sure to buy two water bottles. Whats next on the list?

A backpack or something similar so I can carry all the necessities with me no matter where wed go.

A backpack, understood.

And I think thats about it for the things that Id need.

We had this entire conversation while I was playing with Roxannes ears. Im honestly afraid that playing with them might become an incurable habit for me.

So to sum up: shields, olive oil, washcloths, water bottles, backpack, armor and shoes for you. Something I missed?

No, you memorized everything perfectly, master!

Seven items in total, huh? Looks like were going to do some bigger shopping.