Look author, no matter how you try to church it up, sex with a slave is rape.
Incorrect. The slave already gave consent when they SOLD THEIR OWN FREEDOM.
If you actually read the world building parts, the tax for individuals in the kingdom is INSANELY HIGH. Many people have to sold themselves to pay for their families. The owner of the slave then have to pay their due of slave tax. The slaves offer their service and body since they are unable to make enough money themselves. Practically a form of prostitution. If prostitution is not rape, then slave (in this world) is not rape. There are also slaves that are criminals and should be stripped of consent as punishment anyway.
First thing I found really strange is how the MC behaves at times. Although not all of the time, he seems really awkward and childish. For example, when he was deciding how to sleep with his first slave and when he wanted to 'help' the slave merchant with the thief. Am I the only one that though it was kind of a stupid chapter overall. The thief was low level, his comrades had already died and his target was too big even if he had 4-5 guys more.
He want to 'help' the slave merchant since there's someone that Roxanne want to protect in there, plus he could earn some money as body guard, plus he could practice his skill. 3 birds with one stone, what's there to not get?
Another thing that I find really annoying is the information that he shares with his party members. I mean selective sharing is a very good idea, but sometimes it comes off as dumb, because he decides to leave his party members confused about small things. For example, they already know he can equip multiple jobs, one of them knows that he can change the jobs of the other person and that his sword is considered very powerful by most standards, but he decides to not tell them about the MP depletion side effect when the dwarf uses fusion.
Even if she knows about the MP depletion side effect, it won't change how she'll get depressed in the end. MC also knew about the side effect but he was still depressed af when his MP depleted. Telling her serves no purpose. You get depressed no matter what.
About the romance, it is mostly the MC that makes it feel really uncomfortable, because he seems to be trying to use parts of that word's logic. He seems to treasure his slaves in a way, but he never expresses anything beyond the fact that they are his property. He never talks long enough with them to explain that he actually considers them more than just party members and slaves. No matter how much sex you have with someone, that does not mean you love them, you also need to talk with them and demonstrate your love wholly.
He kinda did though? He keeps saying that he will have more members to protect them and constantly upgrade their gears. He also trusts them with money, buys them jewelry, lets them have day off, changes their wills so they'd be free. Actiona are more powerful than words. I see that he did "plenty of things" already to show that they are meaningful to him. Are they enough? Hmm, probably not, but that's because I want to see him dotting on his slaves more =))
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