Her master shook his head, merely saying, “No, you will not be able to speak—for now. Until you can be trusted, you will have to bear being mute for a while. I hope you can understand my choice.”

  Lilia nodded obediently.

  “Good,” he commented. “Anyway, where do you want to sleep, slave?”

  He gestured toward the room. It was quite small than the rest of the room in the house, only sporting single window overlooking wheat farms and granary far away.

  She was flustered for a while, probably due to the treatment she was receiving now. As a slave, she was not allowed to choose or to voice her mind.

  Panicking, she tried to explain in sign language, hoping her owner would understand but she did not need to since he could easily read her mind on a window above her head.

  “You don’t mind the bed location? Alright, then.”

  Again, he dragged her bed out of inventory to place it against the wall with the only window in the room. Considering her status as a slave, morning chill and sunrise would definitely be helpful to slap her awake.

  “…that should do it,” he had his arms akimbo, examining her room one last time before disappearing into the second floor, leaving behind a very confused and flabbergasted slave.

  ===

  Zalstrahvi carelessly took off his black coat and shirt, hurling them at random places. He was exhausted and drained from speaking and being in the close proximity to other people, his body throbbed in protest after forcing his whole being to look happy and kind. The last straw was talking to that woman. Mentally exhausted, he left her to figure things out.

  Despite all that, he gained something from that exchange and that was a part of her curse. His red eyes drifted to a new announcement window on his left.

  [[Obtained a part of “Curse of Rot”

  - A 5-tier curse that slowly rots the organs of its victim and seals their power.

  - Full absorption grants 100 in INT and partial resistance to this curse.]]

  A 5-tier curse?! He couldn’t believe what he saw. It’s equivalent to a spell casted by a high-level magician! What the hell did she do before this?

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “System, what do I need to learn this?”

  [You will need 50 Exchange Tickets to learn that.]

  He opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to. It wasn’t worth the effort.

  With 10 platinum I can redeem 1 Exchange Ticket. But is this curse worth it when I can exchange 1 Ticket for 30 status point?

  Zalstrahvi needed more time to decide and postponed it, swiping the window nonchalantly. He had other things to prioritize.

  [Anyway, good job today, Host! Congratulations for owning a house!]

  He stared at the bluish window for a minute before answering, “…this is just another house. I don’t think there’s any need for you to congratulate me.”

  [But, Host, it is customary for humans to congratulate each other for achieving one of milestones in their life. Buying a house is one of them!]

  “Meaningless interaction.”

  [Host, interaction is one of the basic needs for a functioning society.]

  “Do I look like I need your opinion?”

  [No, sir.]

  Interaction, huh? Zalstrahvi sat down on the bed and let his gaze wandered to the sky.

  In all his life no one had bothered to talk to him unless it was for important topics. No, it was more like they avoided his gaze and cowered in his presence. They always sent the same person for reporting any problem in his empire. Yes, it was always the same person. She was everyone’s sacrifice, whom they had chosen unfairly. Everyone thought she would end up headless, but at the end of the day she was alive.

  He liked her enough to keep her alive.

  Others bored him with small talks. Why would he care about some random noble’s family affair? Why would he even care about weather condition or some damned sunlight?

  It was peaceful with her around. She always started with basic yet short greeting and delivered the topics she intended to say to him after. No useless chatters, they did not get sidetracked, and once the talk was done, they parted with simple farewell. It was peaceful for him without having to talk to anyone.

  It was indeed peaceful.

  Now that he thought about it, he was the happiest when she opened the door to his work room, carrying documents to be presented to him. Although his face was emotionless all the time, there was this bubbly feeling in his heart when he saw her.

  The system suddenly popped up in front of his face,

  [Host, could it be that you’re an intr--]

  “Shut up,” he cut it off sharply.

  [Yes, sir. Forgive me, sir.]

  He shifted position to lie on his back, head resting on one of his wingarms.

  “…where is she now?” he pondered out loud, somehow missing her quiet presence. Did she make it out safely from the great war? He would very much like to rehire her if possible, given their business-like relationship in the past. Knowing her, she would make an excellent assistant.

  However, the other possible outcome tugged at his cold, dark heart, causing him to grit his teeth in invisible pain.

  What if…

  What if she had perished and returned to the soil?

  Zalstrahvi realized that he had just lost a dear friend whom he knew not the name of…