I knocked on the door when we arrived at Daryl-san's house. "Yes?" came a voice from inside. "Daryl-san, do you have a moment?" I asked. "Please, come in," he replied. Having received permission, I opened the door and entered the house. Daryl-san was sitting at the table, looking over some papers. "Hello. Is now a good time?" "Yes, I actually have something I'd like to discuss as well. Please, have a seat." At Daryl-san's invitation, we took our places at the table. "Monika talked to me already and I've seen the apple orchard. Everything seems to be going well, doesn't it?" "Yes. Thanks to Monika and everyone's hard work and cooperation, things are progressing smoothly." Daryl-san smiled cheerfully. "So I came to ask Cody-san to handle the apple harvest and to discuss our future plans," I explained. "Indeed. First, we need to decide on a wholesaler for the apples. Monika has done well and managed to set up an appointment with Claude-sama. However, you, Tatsuya-dono, will need to handle the actual negotiations." Well, that's to be expected. I had left the initial greetings to Monika, but I would have to take charge of the serious negotiations myself. "Monika, will you come with me?" "Of course. You can count on me!" She's truly a reliable girl. "How long does it take to get to the town where Claude-sama is?" "The town where Claude-sama resides is called Harrier, and it takes about half a day on foot from here. Since this village doesn't have any carriages, we'll have to walk," Monika explained. Half a day, huh... "Is the road safe?" I asked. "While there aren't any bandits in this area, monsters do appear. However, my barrier can protect us from them. Well, for a great sorcerer like you, Tatsuya-sama, it shouldn't be a problem at all," she assured me. Right. There were monsters in this world. Though I've never seen one yet. "In that case, I guess we'll be fine... We have Ruri and Miriam with us too," I mused. "Leave it to me," Ruri chimed in confidently at the mention of her name. "There's no need for me to step in, meow. Monsters are nothing compared to that Filman from before, meow," Ruri added. Come to think of it, that Filman was a named high-level demon. With that in mind, I started to feel more at ease about our journey. "Daryl-san, we'll go to meet Claude-sama as soon as the apple harvest is finished," I declared. "That would be best... Monika, I'm counting on you," Daryl replied. "Leave everything to me," Monika assured him confidently. I noticed that Monika, who used to lack confidence, now seemed to be brimming with it. "By the way, Daryl-san, I heard you've been collecting petitions and opinions from the villagers?" I inquired. "Yes, that's what I wanted to discuss. We need to decide on the future direction of the village." Monika interrupted him right away. "Daryl-san, Tatsuya-sama doesn't intend to expand the village too much. He has his main occupation to consider, after all." Daryl-san nodded thoughtfully. "I see... Well, that's understandable. While there isn't strong opposition to expanding the village among everyone, some have expressed concerns." This surprised me. I had thought everyone in the village would be happy about development.

"What kind of concerns?" I asked. "Well, village expansion means an increase in population. We've managed everything by ourselves until now. There's anxiety about whether we can accept outsiders and if it might lead to conflicts." I recalled that about 30 people lived in this village, and they had described themselves as being like a family. "I see... So there are opinions like that too." It wasn't hard to understand. Such sentiments exist everywhere. As I pondered this, Monika raised her hand. "I have an opinion on that matter," Monika proposed. "As more people join us, the chances of our fertilizer and farming tool secrets leaking increase. We might manage with the tools, but the fertilizer is a critical issue. It would be impossible to keep it hidden indefinitely. The growth rate is just too abnormal." I realized Monika had Cody-san explain earlier to discuss this very point. She truly was capable. "You're right," Daryl-san agreed. "So, should we refuse to accept newcomers?" "For now, saying we don't have the capacity to accommodate more people should suffice. When we gather enough funds, we could consider buying slaves that can keep a secret," Monika suggested. S-slaves... That was definitely an other-world term. "Slaves, huh..." I muttered. "Does that bother you?" Daryl-san asked. "Well... it does make me uncomfortable..." I haven't grown up in such a world. "You're concerned about slaves even though you were basically living as livestock in the other world... " Miriam stated. Ah, that's right. I was worse off than a slave. How ironic... "Monika, I don't know much about slaves. What are they like?" I asked. "Slaves are people who are forced to work because they couldn't pay their head tax or annual tribute," Monika explained. So you become a slave if you can't pay taxes? That's terrifying! "Will we become slaves if we don't pay the head tax?" I inquired nervously. "It won't happen in just a few years unless something extraordinary occurs. However, in times of famine, it could become a real possibility. In such cases, people might sell their children into slavery or choose to become slaves themselves. It's considered better than starving to death." I pondered if it was really better than dying. "I wonder why they don't consider joining pioneer village projects like this one?" After all, there's government support here, and we don't have to worry about starving. "The treatment of slaves isn't that bad, you see. Excessive violence is prohibited, and they can't be forced into unreasonable hard labor. Now, this pioneer project? That's what you'd call unreasonable hard labor. In other words, being a slave with guaranteed food, clothing, and shelter is actually better treatment than what we have here in the pioneer village," Monika clarified. So this place was worse than being a slave... We were comrades in misery... "You've got to be kidding me..." I muttered in disbelief. "Well, it also depends on one's perspective. Slaves can't marry freely, and the slave collar imposes various restrictions, so they lack freedom," she added. I see... Freedom with suffering or being a caged bird. I couldn't decide which fate was better. "How much does a slave cost?" I asked. "It varies depending on the individual," Monika replied. "The most expensive are young people, both male and female. Even older individuals with skills can fetch a high price. I'm not entirely sure about the exact figures, but I believe it's around several dozen gold coins. Plus, you'd need to cover their annual poll tax and other taxes. Well, I suppose you could make back your investment by putting them to work." That's expensive... No, considering you're buying a person's life - their entire existence - it's incredibly cheap. But I don't have several dozen gold coins to spare. "That's something to consider later, I guess," I said. "I think that's wise," Monika agreed, nodding her head emphatically.