Chapter 444: The First Step
Qiong Xing explained what he had planned for later.
"I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe it would be best to have the two of them help with the housework. What do you think? Of course, if there’s something else you’d rather have them do, we’ll prioritize that."
Ars looked toward the others working in the fields.
It did not seem like they were particularly short on help, so he nodded.
"That’s fine."
"If you ever need an extra pair of hands, don’t hesitate to ask them. Well then, after this I’d like to clean the house and prepare lunch. Before that, could you show her around the house?"
"Me?"
For a moment, Ars wondered why Qiong Xing wasn’t doing it himself.
Then he remembered.
The girls belonged to him now.
As their master, it made sense that he should be the one to guide them.
"This is the bath. Over there is the washing area. You’ll be sleeping in that room..."
"Let’s slow down for a moment. Ars, could you explain things in a little more detail?"
...More detail?
Ars had no idea what Qiong Xing meant.
He thought he had already explained everything he had been told to explain.
"You’ve already used the bath yesterday, so you know where that is. We all ate together in that room. Kira and Tasha’s room is next to ours. Me and my mates use that room, while the rooms across from it belong to Ars and the other children. And then..."
As Qiong Xing went from room to room, carefully explaining what each one was for, Ars finally understood what had been missing.
"It’s not that Ars did anything wrong. It’s just that they used to be slaves, so I’d like you to be a little more mindful of that."
"What do you mean?"
"Just like yesterday, they can’t even eat unless someone gives them permission."
"That’s stupid."
If they didn’t eat, they would die.
Why would anyone have to give them permission just to eat?
"I don’t get it."
"It depends on the master, of course. But there are people who think of slaves as nothing more than objects. They use them until they die, then throw them away. To them, that’s completely normal."
"...What?"
Objects?
But... they’re alive.
Ars glanced beside him and saw Tasha staring at the floor with both hands clenched tightly.
The fact that she did not deny it meant it was true.
"They’re treated like objects, so they aren’t given proper meals or time to rest. Some aren’t even given a place to sleep. They work because they’re ordered to, yet receive nothing in return."
"Then how are they supposed to stay alive?"
Even animals and monsters would die if they never ate or slept.
How could anyone survive under those conditions?
"...You’re right. It’s heartbreaking, but even whether they live or die is decided by humans. They can’t choose life, and they can’t choose death."
"..."
This wasn’t Ars’s first time seeing slaves.
He had known, at least vaguely, that they were treated badly.
But if they weren’t even allowed to choose whether they lived or died, what hope could they possibly have?
"But Ars chose to buy them. Right now, you’re their master. That means you have the power to decide."
Qiong Xing looked directly at Ars.
"Everything."
Their lives were now in Ars’s hands.
A warm hand gently touched Ars’s face as his gaze instinctively fell in fear, encouraging him to look up.
"I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to frighten you. I just wanted you to understand what they’ve been through. I wanted you to save them after everything they’ve suffered."
"Me... save them?"
What could someone like him possibly do?
He had no money.
He was only a child, with nowhere near the strength of an adult.
He wasn’t smart.
Just to survive, he had even resorted to stealing in the past.
What could someone like him do?
"There are many things that are ordinary for us but difficult for them. So please teach them. Tell them it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to smile. Let’s play together. Let’s eat together. Please help with this. Thank you. I’m sorry. Good morning. Good night. They sound like ordinary words, but they were never allowed to have those things. Ars, I want you to teach them."
"That’s enough?"
Could something so simple really save them?
Qiong Xing smiled gently.
"For them, that’s the first step."
He continued softly.
"Help them become people again. Not objects. Not slaves. See them as human beings."
"...Sniff..."
Tasha bit her lip to keep herself from crying aloud, even as tears streamed down her face.
For a moment, Ars thought he was looking at his own past.
If something that seemed so ordinary to him could help them reclaim even a part of themselves, then perhaps it was worth trying.
"...Okay. I’ll do it."
"Thank you. Let’s all do our best together."
Qiong Xing never demanded the impossible.
That was why Ars decided he would try.
...
"...Elias, are you okay?"
"...Yeah."
Joa called out in concern after noticing Elias sitting motionless with his head lowered.
Elias managed to answer, but he still could not lift his head.
"Lian, what’s wrong with Papa?"
"Hm? Umm... he said he’s tired, so he’s taking a little rest."
Lian sat comfortably on Elias’s lap, while Elias hugging her from behind without seeming concerned at all, her hands continuing to move busily.
"Hm? Are you drawing today?"
"No. I’m practicing writing names."
"That’s amazing."
Joa praised her sincerely.
Meanwhile, Elias desperately wished Lian would stop practicing names immediately.
Because...
"I-I have to be able to do it if I want to become a bride. Mama said so."
"...Ah... well, yeah. I guess so."
At those words, Joa seemed to understand everything.
He then looked at Elias with an awkward expression.
If he understood how he felt, then he should either stop Lian or leave without saying anything.
"Well... good luck."
"Yeah!"
Don’t encourage him.
Don’t say unnecessary things.