In front of me, the two women were huddled together on a simple bed, watching me cautiously.

Wait—why are they both on the same bed...? Oh, the princess moved over to the maid's side.

Well, it's not like they could calmly rest after being suddenly dragged into a place like this.

Actually, it could be the maid who moved to the Princess's side, but considering both her legs are literally snapped, if she actually crawled there, it's less "admirable" and more "horror movie material" if you saw it at night.

"Oriel, don't overdo it. Any more than this..."

"No... until my life ends, I will remain by your side..."

OK, definitely horror sub-genre confirmed.

"Alright, alright. Listen to me. I can treat you, but I need you to agree to certain conditions."

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you have any idea who this lady is, you—"

"Wait, Oriel... May we hear what you have to say? I want to know why you haven't tried to force us into submission yet."

Hoh. It seems she has at least some capacity for rational thought.

Hm? You're wondering why I don't just "force them into submission" and enjoy the perks of having slaves?

...Yeah, right. You wouldn't believe that.

In other stories, sure—kind-hearted Japanese protagonist, moral superiority, blah blah.

Not here.

"I hate to answer a question with a question, but tell me: what is the actual benefit of forcing you into submission as a slave?"

That's the core issue here: "Slavery."

The girl—the Princess—looks at me like she has no idea what I'm talking about.

"Eh...? W-Well, labor... or, um... 'indecent acts'..."

Including the latter part, that's the so-called advantage of being a "slave"—that is, being forced.

The system of "slavery" existed on Earth too. In other words, it was somewhat useful. But only somewhat. Nowadays, openly calling someone a "slave" on Earth is not accepted.

Because it's inhumane? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not asking about those superficial reasons.

The real reason is that overall efficiency is abysmal.

In a very narrow, short-term sense, it might be efficient, but for that, you can just spend money to hire people. "Rebellions," "Riots," "Stagnation of technological development"—the list of downsides is endless. Humanity on Earth eventually realized this.

There are plenty of cases on Earth where people are treated like "slaves" behind the scenes. Hm? You think that's not true? Don't be stupid. There are still plenty of countries stuck in civil wars.

You say that's not slavery? Oh really? Then it should be as simple as peacefully replacing the country's leadership, right? Like how Japan frequently changes its leaders nowadays.

But that alone doesn't fix things, it doesn't stop or prevent the problems. Countries like that exist. And yet, no one openly calls it "slavery," because in Earth's information society, doing so would turn every other nation against you.

Anyway, I got sidetracked. My real point is this: even if I used slavery, it might work short-term for dungeon management, but it's unsuitable in the long run.

"I see. So you think I should just use slaves to make them work 'by force'?"

"Yes."

...Is she really a princess? That's a dangerously naïve mindset.

"Then, is the person next to you your slave? Were all the people in your town or village slaves?"

"Of course not!! I trust Oriel!! I would never demean her by calling her a slave!!"

"Strange. You wouldn't need 'trust' if you just made her a slave, would you?"

"I would never wish for—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Understanding dawned in her eyes.

"...You want us to trust you. Or rather, you need us to."

"Exactly. You're free to refuse. This isn't a 'slave' type of coercion. It's just that I have my own circumstances. I don't need 'slaves,' but I do want someone I can 'trust'."

"In that case, if you want our 'trust,' please heal Oriel."

"Don't be ridiculous. This Oriel-san or whoever—there's no guarantee she won't attack me the moment she's healed."

Treating someone who glares at me like an enemy with no guarantee? That takes either incredible skill or being an idiot.

Personally, any protagonist transported to another world who heals someone like that, even with cheats, gets the idiot stamp from me.

"I will guarantee, with my life, that Oriel will not attack you."

"Well, a guarantee from your side alone isn't enough. So first, listen to my conditions."

"...Very well. Come to think of it, I haven't heard your conditions yet."

"I'll keep it simple. I'm going to apply my skill, 'Designated Protection,' to you both."

"'Designated Protection'? I've never heard of that skill."

"The effects are: 'Ensuring Safety,' 'Prohibition of Movement outside designated areas,' and 'Prohibition of Harmful Acts against others.' There are more details, but that's the gist of what I'll apply to you. There's no 'slave-like' restriction that forces you to obey orders."

"So it's like being a prisoner, just without the forced labor? That can't be all. This only ensures your safety. Based on our conversation, I assume you have some other goal."

"Oh? I thought you were just a decorative young lady, but you're actually thinking things through. I'm impressed."

"Yes... I have been brought as low as a 'slave,' after all. If I can protect Oriel, who followed me even after I lost all hope, then I will do my utmost to the very end."

"My condition is that I want your cooperation. I can't give you the specific reasons, but I want information about this continent. I assume you both were from the upper class, so I want to borrow that knowledge. It won't be for free. Depending on your future cooperation, I'm even considering releasing you and sending you back to your country."

"...Understood. I accept your terms. Oriel, is that alright?"

"...If Elju-sama says so."

"OK. Then, I'll apply the skill."

"Wait a moment. Those men from earlier... they are still alive, aren't they? You must have them release us first."

"Ah, if I can't do it directly, I'll tell them to release you. But first, let's try this."

I heard from Luna that slave collars work by infusing magic to "force the target to obey orders." Naturally, "Prohibition of harming the master" is built into the foundation.

However, according to Luna, my [Designated Protection] skill will nullify and overwrite that.

"Negotiating with the master every time would be tedious, right? Especially when you can't afford to negotiate to save a child on the verge of death."

You might think, "Why not just force 'Designated Protection' on everyone?" but as per the cliché, the condition for the skill to activate is that the "target must accept." They have to give their genuine consent.

I activated the skill, and only the Princess was enveloped in light as her slave collar fell off.

"......"

"It really came off!! We've accepted your terms—now please heal Oriel quickly!!"

"...I deliberately didn't mention this, but this skill won't activate unless the target 'consents' from the bottom of their heart. Take a look at your friend Oriel."

"...Oriel, your collar hasn't come off. Don't tell me..."

"T-That is not possible!! Surely this man just forgot to apply it!!"

"...Oh? So it's my fault?"

This woman is hopeless.

Good thing I set up precautions. A perfect example that you can't get through the world with good intentions alone.

"I beg of you. Please, give us one more chance..."

Elju dropped to her knees and bowed her head.

"Well? Personally, I'm willing to turn a blind eye up to three times, but... Oriel-san, will you 'accept' my conditions? Your master is bowing her head this far for you."

"...I understand. I 'accept' the conditions. However, if you cause any harm to Elju-sama, I will absolutely kill you."

"Oriel!!"

Elju tried to admonish her, but Oriel didn't take her eyes off me.

"That's fine. I have no intention of restraining you beyond the conditions anyway. Here goes."

With that, the slave collar dropped from Oriel's neck.

"Now, let's start the treatment. 'Extra Heal'."

Elju and Oriel were both enveloped in a faint green light.

The princess—Elju—stared at me in shock.

Oriel stood up on the spot, clenching and unclenching her hands, even jumping a little. Once she confirmed she was healed, she looked at me.

"I won't say thank you. This is a trade. I will pay you back properly later."

"Oriel!!"

"Yeah, as long as you keep the conditions, I don't mind. 'Trust' isn't something built in a day, after all. For today, just rest here quietly. We'll talk more tomorrow."

I started walking toward the door.

"T-Thank you. It is late for introductions, but my name is Elju. May I ask yours?"

She didn't give her full name... well, I suppose that's her trump card.

Fine then, I'll introduce myself too.

"My apologies. My name is Yuki. As you might have guessed, I am the one operating this dungeon. If you have any problems, please call the Goblin waiting outside. I'll do my best to accommodate you."

With that, I left the room.