Liberation of The Slaves

Chapter 78 – Selena’s House

After we finished eating, Selena offered to show me around her home.

At a glance, it looked like an ordinary wooden house—simple, warm, filled with the soft glow of magical lamps. But the moment she opened a door leading to the side of the dining room, I stepped into something else entirely.

“...A shower? A bathtub?” I whispered.

The bathroom was nothing like the rest of the house.

The floor and walls were covered in polished white ceramics, delicate floral patterns dancing across the tiles. The ceiling, too, gleamed in a pristine white material I couldn’t identify. And there, glinting under warm magic light, were fixtures I hadn’t seen since my past life: a mounted shower, a wide bathtub, a flushable toilet, and even a ceramic sink with a mirror above it.

It looked like a high-class hotel bathroom from Earth—something I never expected to find in a world of swords and magic.

“Oh? So you recognize them?” Selena said, glancing over her shoulder with a small, satisfied smile.

I nodded. “Yeah… The expensive inns in my old world had places like this.”

Although the toilet and sink were common for normal houses in Indonesia, showers and bathtubs usually appeared in hotels or larger houses.

“I figured as much. I made them myself. It’s just more convenient this way.”

“You made them?” My eyes widened. “You mean… these are magic tools?”

“Of course.” She stepped over to the side wall, brushing her fingers against a small gray button embedded in the ceramic surface. “This entire bathroom runs on magic. No rivers, no wells.”

With a soft click, the wall parted like a seamless door. Inside was a compartment lined with faintly glowing blue stones—each one smooth, shaped like a hexagon.

“This is where the water comes from,” she said, picking up one of the stones and holding it up to me. “It’s a water magic stone.”

I leaned in, staring and touching it gently at the crystalline core. It felt cool.

“It looks... beautiful,” I murmured, eyes drawn to the faint pulse of blue light inside the crystal. “That’s a monster’s… heart, right?”

I had heard about it from my parents, though I hadn’t seen one. Magic stones were essentially crystallized mana cores—the very heart of a monster. It was what kept them alive. It stored and circulated mana like a heart pumps blood.

She nodded. “Right. The core provides the mana necessary for the monster’s sustenance and serves as its source of strength. That core is the magic stone. Its shape, size, and the number of points tell you how powerful the monster was and how much mana it left behind.”

I blinked. “Wait... shape? Size?”

“Yup.” She held the six-pointed stone between her fingers. “The more points, the stronger the stone. It determines the maximum amount of mana it can release at once. G- and F-Rank monsters usually have smooth, round cores—no points at all. E-Ranks form triangular stones. D-Ranks make squares. C-Ranks get pentagonal, and B-Ranks like this one,” she held up the star, “form hexagonal stones.”

I stared at it. “That means this is from a B-Rank monster...?”

“Exactly.”

My jaw nearly dropped.

“...Aren’t B-Ranks rather rare?”

“Well, this is the Amazon Forest,” she said with a chuckle, placing the stone back in the compartment. “It’s crawling with high-ranking monsters. C-Ranks and above are pretty common out here.”

“I—” I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

Of course. Of course she lived in the one place where B-Ranks were common. Just what kind of life has she lived…?

She didn’t seem fazed at all.

She chuckled. “Aside from shape, the size of the magic stone tells you how much mana is stored inside. Most monsters gain more mana as they grow. The older and stronger they get, the larger and more powerful their cores become.”

She walked over to the tub and turned a metallic dial built into the wall, then flicked a smaller switch next to it. Water burst from the faucet—not cold, not scalding, but perfectly warm.

“I embedded a dual-layered circuit inside the faucet,” she explained. “The core draws mana from the magic stone and converts it into flowing water. A second circuit adjusts the temperature.”

I watched the water stream into the tub, almost hypnotized.

“I’ve heard of magic stones before,” I said, “but I never knew they were so complex. Or versatile.”

“That’s because most people only see them as fuel for mass-market magic tools. Throw a stone in, push a button, and hope it doesn’t explode. But if you understand how to regulate the mana output—like I do—you can make the tools far more efficient.”

I looked back at the storage panel, counting how many B-Rank stones were inside. “Wait… you use these just for the bathroom?”

“Of course,” she said nonchalantly. “I like my long showers.”

I nearly choked.

“B-Rank stones can sell for dozens of gold coins! That’s like taking a bath in a tub full of gold bars!”

She laughed again. “I’ve got enough to last centuries. And besides, I’m the one who hunted them.”

That shut me up.

Right. She hunted them.

All this time, I’d known Selena was powerful—but it was easy to forget when she was smiling or teasing me. Now I was starting to understand just how far her strength—and brilliance—went.

“So, could a lower-rank stone power the system too?” I asked.

“It could. I tested it. A G-Rank stone keeps everything running for about a week. This B-Rank one is for a full year.”

“That’s insane…”

There are ten B-Rank stones inside the storage panel. That means this bathroom could be active for at least a decade.

Yet, she said she had got enough to last centuries…

No wonder she previously mentioned that she could pay with gold with any price to remove her curse. She could just sell these magic stones to be rich. And if she sells the magic tools, I’m sure she will gain more.

“Not really,” she said with a smirk. “I’m the one who designed the mana circuits. I kept mana waste to a minimum. Most common magic tools crafted by dwarves drain mana constantly—even when idle. Mine only activates when used. I didn’t want my bathroom to explode because it was overused.”

She said it with such smug confidence, it reminded me of a certain overly talkative angel who also loved bragging about her ‘perfect calculations.’

【By the way, I am ten times more elegant and smart than that smug elf. Each B-Rank stone could last for ten years instead of a year.】

See? Just like that.

I snorted softly.

“You mentioned dwarves earlier. Are they capable of this kind of thing?”

“They’re good. Especially with weapons.”

In anime, dwarves mostly become blacksmiths. It seems it’s no different here.

“But when it comes to mana regulation through advanced magic circles, they’re… messy. Efficient enough for large-scale production, but not for delicate systems like this.”

“Then that means… you might be the best magic tool craftsman in the world.”

She blinked. “I doubt it. There’s always someone better. But I’m good enough for my own needs.”

She said it so casually—but everything about this bathroom screamed advanced. Efficient. Luxurious.

And all of it… she built herself.

Unlike my respect towards Azadia, which kept decreasing, my respect for Selena just kept rising.

It was like walking through a one-woman tech revolution.

【I felt you just think of something rude about me, Master.】

<“No, it’s just your imagination.”>

How could Aza be sharp?

I glanced around one last time, still reeling from how modern everything felt, then asked, “So… how do you handle sewage?”

“Slimes,” she said, completely matter-of-fact. “I use slimes for disposal. Most nations do, actually.”

“Ah… I see.” I nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Though… I thought women might be scared of slimes.”

She blinked, then tilted her head.

“Scared? Why would I—” She suddenly paused, squinted at me, then smirked. “Ah… I get it now. That. As expected, you're a pervert.”

“Wait—what!? I’m not!”

She gave me a knowing smile and crossed her arms like she’d caught me red-handed. “You totally are. Don’t even try to deny it. I’ve lived long enough to know: most men are perverts. It’s practically tradition.”

“Haa…” I let out a long, defeated sigh.

Honestly, it wasn’t even worth arguing.

I mean… she wasn’t wrong. Slimes were harmless G-Rank monsters, but their most well-known trait? Eating everything. Wood, metal, food scraps… and, notoriously, clothing. Especially when said clothing was still on someone.

Fantasy novels in my past life had an unhealthy obsession with that trope. There was even a manga called Slime Slayer: Maid Edition. Not that I read it or anything. Obviously.

No wonder she immediately labeled me a pervert the moment I brought them up.

I didn’t even mean it that way…

Probably.

After we stepped out of the bathroom, Selena guided me through the rest of the house—and I felt like a kid being shown around a futuristic wizard’s mansion.

Our next stop was the kitchen, which was located right next to the dining area. It wasn’t large or flashy, but it was neat, organized, and felt… alive, somehow. The walls were a polished cedar, smooth and warm to the touch, and the scent of dried herbs hung faintly in the air.

There was a stove—no firewood, no chimney—just polished metal, glowing runes, and pure magic. An oven with silver knobs and glowing runes etched along the sides. And—this one nearly made me trip over myself—three full-sized refrigerators, lined up like magical sentinels along the wall.

“You made all of these too?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was drooling.

“Mm-hmm,” Selena replied, clearly amused by my wide eyes. “Most of them are old prototypes, but they still work well. Each one is powered by a B-Rank ice-attribute magic stone. I calibrated their internal flow to prevent mana waste, so it could last for a year too.”

“That’s… incredible,” I muttered, stepping closer to one and examining the runes circling the handle. “You basically recreated modern refrigeration with magic.”

“I just got tired of spoiled vegetables.”

Honestly, I was so impressed, I nearly forgot to breathe. The countertops were made of smooth black stone, and the backsplash had patterned tiles that shimmered faintly in the sunlight coming through the rectangular glass window above the sink. She could even open that window to vent out smoke when cooking—another detail that made me feel like I was back on Earth, just with more magic.

Selena noticed me staring and chuckled. “You’re free to play with the stove later. It has three heat modes and a temperature lock.”

“…This house is cheating,” I whispered under my breath.

Next, she brought me to the living room, and I swore I stepped into a noble’s lounge.

There was a soft, brown leather sofa—gently worn, clearly used but well cared for—facing a low wooden table carved with an elegant floral motif. A small rug beneath it added warmth to the space, and a few plump cushions rested on the floor beside the table.

But what truly caught my attention was what sat on the desk against the wall.

At first glance, it looked like a mirror—long and rectangular, framed with polished ebony—but there were faint runes etched around the glass that pulsed with light.

“That’s… not a mirror,” I said slowly.

“Nope. That’s my forest surveillance display,” she replied with a casual smile.

“A… TV?”

She laughed at my reaction. “Sort of. I embedded scrying magic into the frame and linked it to viewing crystals I scattered across the forest. Think of them like... magic CCTV cameras.”

“Magic… CCTV?” I blinked several times. “You… actually have a security system?”

“Of course. I live in the Amazon Forest. I’d rather not get ambushed while I’m brushing my hair.”

I didn’t know whether to be terrified or amazed. Actually, both. She really lived alone in a forest full of monsters, and casually invented magical home security like it was just a weekend project.

“Even dwarves don’t have anything like this,” she added with a smug grin. “They can forge excellent tools, but their magic application is… rudimentary.”

Honestly, if you told me she was a reclusive genius inventor instead of an ex-princess from a war-torn world, I wouldn’t even question it at this point.

The last room on the first floor nearly stole my breath away.

“The library,” Selena announced, swinging the door open.

And gods, what a library it was.

The room was easily the size of the entire living area—maybe larger. The walls were lined with towering wooden bookshelves that stretched almost to the ceiling, each packed tightly with books of every size, thickness, and color imaginable.

Tables were scattered across the space, each one covered in half-open tomes, scrolls, glass paperweights, and ink bottles. A few chairs sat nearby, with cushions worn thin from long hours of use. A ladder rested against one shelf for reaching the upper levels, and near the back, I saw a section that looked… darker. Older.

Selena noticed my gaze.

“That’s the curse section,” she said softly. “I’ve gathered every record I could find about dark elements, corruptions, soul poisons, and—well—anything that might’ve helped me understand mine.”

I approached one of the tables and picked up a leather-bound tome titled The Cursed Demon Territory.

“...You weren’t just researching,” I said, looking up at her. “You were fighting for your life.”

She smiled faintly, her expression calm. “If you weren’t here… Going there would be my last resort.”

Aza and Selena then said simultaneously.

【...! That’s suicidal!】

“Though, I know it practically a suicide.”

I didn’t know why going to the demon teritorry would be suicidal. But, if both of them said so, it must be a very dangerous place that not even Selena could survive.

Yet, she said it was one of her options to find a way to remove her curse.

The quiet respect I already felt for her deepened even more.

She spoke of going to the cursed land with the same tone someone else might use to talk about running errands. But Aza’s reaction… and even Selena’s own admission—made it clear. It was a suicide mission. And yet, she had been prepared to go.

I glanced around once more.

This wasn’t just a library.

It was her war room.

And every corner of it, every book, every worn cushion—carried a story.