“I''ll give you 50 gold coins on top of the amount you proposed,” said the marquis, turning to Gaz.


    “My lord, are you going to pay 550 gold coins for this woman?” the butler asked.


    The marquis thought for a moment. “You''re right, Garret. I still need to think it over,” he replied, and his gaze fell on the medic, demanding a report.


    “I would assess her health condition as very good. She is healthy, with no markings, imperfections, or skin defects, and no signs of underlying disease. Her condition is excellent. She has not been starved, there are no signs of beatings or other physical traumas,” the medic concluded.


    Marquis then asked: “What about her maidenhood?”


    “The hymen remained intact. She has not yet had sexual contact,” the old man added.


    "Exquisite! I think we can safely offer 600 coins!” declared the marquis, full of enthusiasm.


    ''That''s still not enough,'' said Elrianthe in thought.


    “My lord-” began Garret, but the marquis interrupted him.


    “You''re right! It''s too low a price for such an outstanding quality. I don''t want you to think of me as an extortionist, so I''m offering 700 coins!” he called out to Gaz, who stood like a pillar, with his mouth open in surprise.


    “My lord,” repeated Garret. “We have no prepared funds for such an expense. Please consider this offer,” he pointed out politely.


    “Very well. We will divide the payment into two parts. You will receive the agreed rate now, and an additional 250 coins at a later date. A total of 750 gold coins,” the marquis offered.


    Gaz stood stupefied. Glancing at Elrianthe, he saw her smirk and realized - it was her doing.


    “Well, I have no choice. I agree,” he finally replied, feeling the marquis'' expectant gaze.


    “Excellent! Splendid! Let''s proceed to sign the contract then,” exclaimed the delighted marquis. His behavior was indeed strange, but Garret and the other subordinates knew that Sigismund often gets carried away by his emotions when he is in a good mood.


    Gaz approached the elf and pulled a knife from his pocket. He needed her blood and the signature of her new owner to seal the slave contract. He put the knife to her finger, but didn''t cut - the blood was already there. He pressed her finger against the paper, leaving a drop of blood on the material.


    The document was moved to the other side of the table, where the marquis sat. He endorsed it with his name, and his signature was remarkably stylized.


    When he finished, the mark on the elf''s hand lit up, and the marquis'' name was revealed under her own. The contract was completed, and Elrianthe officially became the slave of Marquis Sigismund of the House of Beg.


    At least, that''s how it seemed to the unwary.


    Garret approached the table, wadded the contract into a roll, then placed it in a tube and sealed it. “Gentlemen pardon me,” he called back after taking a bow, then left the room.


    Marquis was still looking at his new toy when he was suddenly intrigued by a detail. “Gaz, am I saying right?” he asked.


    “Yes, your dignity,” he replied.


    “Do you know anything about her past? Family, friends, place of residence? To be honest, I haven''t heard of a pureblood elf being seen in these lands for the last three hundred years. Where did you find her?” he inquired.


    Elrianthe looked at Gaz. She adopted a hostile expression, but was actually curious if Gaz had any information about “her family.” She never asked about it, thinking that she didn''t need the information and the truth would come to her on its own sooner or later. But what if the elves related to her also have strong abilities? She should reach them as soon as possible and take them under her control.


    Tie: “May I?” hesitated Gaz.


    Tie: “Speak up. I''m curious myself how much you know,” she replied.


    Gaz sighed. “She was found by the Explorers in a dense forest near the borders of the Grand Duchy of Vicremia. She lived there with her younger brother, sister, and parents. I don''t know many details, but I can guess what might have happened to them,” he replied.


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    Marquis got up from his chair and corrected his outfit. “It''s a great disappointment. I would have bought her sister for a company as well, but gods know where she is now and if she is even still alive.”


    ''I should look for them or at least find out something about them,'' thought Elrianthe.


    Garret stood in the doorway again, carrying two heavy pouches filled with gold. “Your share of the payment,” he turned to Gaz.


    Two soldiers, who were not cavalrymen, entered after him. The marquis ordered them to handcuff the elf and lead her out. One of the soldiers approached the woman, put on the metal shackles he had brought, and handed the key back to the marquis. Elrianthe''s face filled with rage as the effect of the anti-magic handcuffs took effect.


    ''Those bastards blocked my magic!''


    Meanwhile, outside the inn...


    A crowd of people was beginning to gather in the street. The gawkers murmured among themselves, trying to figure out the reason for the foreign nobleman''s visit.


    “Why would he stay with that weirdo Roland?”


    “I don''t know. Maybe he owes him money?”


    “I heard that this suspicious type brought him a slave.”


    “That merchant? I saw him walking around town with some woman yesterday. She looked more like his girlfriend than a slave.”


    “And the other one who came with them?”


    “Look, they''re leaving!”


    The soldiers left the inn, leading the woman with them. Shock and anxiety penetrated the crowd like a rushing arrow. People could not believe their eyes.


    “She was there the whole time?”


    “She''s the same one who used to walk around town with that guy! But then she didn''t look like an elf...”


    “A witch!”


    “Look, she has chains on her hands. He''s a criminal!”


    “Get the fuck out of our city!”


    “Elf rag!”


    The first people in the gathered crowd began to call out. Their rage grew more and more, and the shouts became louder and louder. Finally, someone picked up a stone from the ground and threw it in the direction of the elf woman.


    “Fucking elf!”


    More people picked up the idea and started throwing everything they had at hand in her direction. As a group, against a defenseless woman, they felt strong.


    “Move back!” shouted one of the cavalrymen.


    “Get the fuck out! Get the fuck out! Get the fuck out!” chanted the crowd in unison.


    Alison spent most of her time alone in her room, but the loud shouts coming from the front yard prompted her to look out the window.


    She clenched her fist angrily as she heard the crowd of aggressive people making hostile comments to Elrianthe.


    “Hoarders! They don''t even have a clue what a loving person she is!” she raged.


    At the same time, the marquis left the inn and encountered people chanting and throwing stones. He immediately summoned the commander of the cavalrymen, Captain Oswell of the Softcloud family.


    “What the hell is going on here?” shouted the marquis.


    “Several instigators have incited the assembled onlookers to be aggressive toward the elf you purchased, and they are currently very unruly,” the captain reported.


    “I''ll force them to calm down at once!” growled the marquis. “Catch these instigators and bring them here, immediately!”


    “Yes, my lord!”


    The captain gave the orders, and the soldiers began to pull out from the crowd the people who were the first to shout and throw stones. A total of seven - five men and two women - were pulled from the crowd and lined up in front of the entrance, where a nobleman was waiting.


    “On your knees!” ordered Captain Softcloud, and several of them obeyed. The rest were forced to obey the command.


    “What did we do?” asked one of the braver men.


    “What have you done? You miserable worms... You are in the presence of a nobleman, and you behave worse than animals! Do you want to carry out self-judgment? Get out into the woods!” thundered Sigismund.


    “But she''s an elf! She has no right to stay here! She''s a criminal, I saw the chains!” shouted a woman in self-defense.


    “That''s how stupid you are! This is my elf and my property! Do you know what that means, stupid woman? An attack on my property is an attack on me. I think you know what an attack on a noble means,” replied the enraged marquis.


    One of the men fell on his face, realizing where this was going. “Please spare us, my lord! We didn''t know.”


    “This does not exempt you from responsibility! This act of assault will be punishable by death. I hope that based on your example, the rest will come to their senses!” he said to them, then turned to the captain. “All of them receive the death sentence. Execute at once,” he ordered.


    “Yes, my lord!”


    Alice''s office...


    “They killed the seven on the spot and left,” Simon concluded, reporting back to Alice.


    “Ha ha. I can''t believe it... I almost appointed an elf as my right hand...” mumbled Alice under her breath. She leaned her elbows on the desk and held her forehead in disbelief.


    “What shall we do about it?” asked Simon.


    “Fuck!” she raged, slamming her fist on the tabletop. “Fucking piece of shit! That whore worked with that fucking spy! They''re both fucking elves. They had to cooperate. We''ll catch her! I''ll show that motherfucking slut where she belongs!”


    “Should I organize people?”


    “Yes, but don''t attack the carriage. Catch Gaz. He also worked with her. I''ll entrust the capture of the elf to someone outside the city,” she decided.


    “I understand,” Simon replied and left the room.


    Alice opened the closet and took out a magic scroll. Filling it with a bit of mana, the scroll glowed softly, signaling that it was ready to release the stored spell. Alice tossed it, the scroll unrolled activating Telepathy.


    “Chris, I have a well-paid deal for you.”