"BURP* Thanks for the meal!" - I let out a loud belch after I finished the meal as a show of thanks to the Chef(Thrakkare) and the host(the Mistress).

It is common table manners for us Lamarians to belch after dinner.¹ It's true! It might sound ridiculous to us modern folks, especially Europeans, but loud belching was common courtesy and polite in ancient times in many cultures, including roman culture. It is accepted today in certain cultures(like in China). Some cultures even think that loud farting is polite(for men, not women). (like Bedouins)

Honestly, it was probably the best meal I ever had in my entire life. The best part was that we could all eat our fill! Even with Borso around, there was still half of the meat left after we all ate. The uneaten now-lukewarm portion was taken to the regular servants. It isn't good to waste good food, after all. That was the hierarchy of the house.

"Burp* Thanks for the food. I prefer stewed horned rabbit, though." - Cispia politely burped softly and said.²Notice the difference between belching and burping. Men are allowed to belch while women are allowed to burp. Chauvinism at its finest.

"Burp* Thanks for the food! I liked having a rainbow trout, though." - Livia replied, albeit more enthusiastically than Cispia.

"Really? I liked the pork more." - I said with a smile.

It was then that I heard a rumbling roar!

"BUUUUURRRRRPPPP* Borso happy."

Or, it is just Borso, Belching with the power of a lion's proud roar. I swear I felt shockwaves go through my body and the table shaking.

"Hahaha! Good one, darling! Let me try! BUUURP*. Darn, I did a rather weak one, didn't I?"

And it seemed like Faevyre joined the fun, and without caring for female etiquette, she belched far better than I did.

"Faevyre, manners!" - Reprimanded Mazoga.

Speaking of manners, Erno, Drusus, and Lars already burped and excused themselves. Well, I might as well leave too.

"I will be excusing myself. I had a very tiring day, and I need some well-earned rest."

"Go ahead. You earned it. I will wake you up before dawn for training. Oh right, Cispia, show Mog where the bath is located. He could use one." - Faevyre waved and said.

Cispia silently nodded in acknowledgment.

"That would certainly be nice." I sincerely smiled.

Cispia then led me to the first floor. We passed by my room and continued walking until we reached a room.

She opened the door, and we entered the room. It was a rather stylish bathroom with marble flooring and walls, a notch higher-quality than the public ones.

The size of the bath was large, and it looked like it was meant for multiple people to bathe in simultaneously. On the side, just like in the mistress's bathroom, there was a sink, a storage cabinet filled with liquid potions, herbs, and soaps, but no toilet or toiletries. However, I could tell that there was a marked difference in quality compared to the mistress' bathroom. However, it was still an incredible luxury.

"This is the men's bathroom for high-ranking servants and normal guests. When you want to take a bath, have a servant to get you a quality change of clothes." Cispia pointed and said.

"Also, as a high-ranking servant of the mistress, you have access to the vitality supplement potion. I trust the mistress has already shown you its use." She took a small bottle from the cabinet and showed it. Inside the poorer quality yet still expensive glass bottle, there was a familiar green liquid, about 100ml of it.

"Yes, she already showed it to me," I confirmed. This potion left quite the impression on me.

Cispia nodded. She then turned stern and said, "Good, but remember, though. Don't drip more than a single drop inside the bath. As a child, you can barely absorb a single drop each day. Any more than that will be a waste, and this potion isn't exactly cheap. Just this small bottle costs more than ten gold coins on the market. It can last a regular adult for almost three years. Don't waste it."

I stared at the small bottle in shock.

"In other words, it is worth half as that Bluinese stone ring I gave to the mistress. Its worth is between silver and gold in weight. I really should be careful when I use it."

"I understand. I will be careful when I use it."

Cispia nodded and said, "Good. The controls for the water are over there. Just touch the magic crystal, and it will activate automatically. If you need to go to relieve yourself, the toilet room is on the opposite side of the room. If you have more questions, you can ask any of the servants, and they will explain things to you. I shall take my leave now."

"Thanks, Cispia."

Cispia curtly nodded and then left, leaving me to my own devices.

After a brief pause, I went ahead and activated the bath with the magic crystal controller. I then called a passing human male servant in the hallway to fetch me a new set of clothing.

After I cleaned myself and got a new set of clothes, I dripped a drop from the vitality supplement potion into the now-full bath, making it bubble and glow green.

After a dozen minutes, I exited the now-clear bath, clean and vigorous.

"I gotta say, this stuff is amazing! I feel healthier already. I can't wait to see what will happen after using it for a few weeks." I said to myself as I stretched in my full naked glory.

"I do wonder, though. I'm not the only high-ranking male servant, so how did I get to have all this bath to myself? Even if I don't include Agrippa, Drusus, and Lars, there are still Erno and Borso. Don't they need to bathe as well?" I asked myself in wonder.

"Oh well, I guess I will know in due time." I shrugged, wiped myself, and put on my new clothes.

As I exited the bathroom, I suddenly heard the sound of the giggling of Faevyre. When I looked over, I saw her in Borso's arms, giggling and flirting with him. Her tall figure looked surprisingly small when in Borso's massive hands.

As for Borso, he had a wide and stupid grin that all men could understand on his intimidating face, his eyes all on her. Even I, a 10-year-old and inexperienced kid, can tell that he was all over her. Yep, she got him wrapped firmly.

I lightly sighed and then ignored them as I walked to my room.

They seemingly didn't notice me walking past them, although I was sure they did. After a couple of steps, I heard the door to the bathroom open.

"I guess Borso takes his baths with Faevyre, so understandably, he wants privacy. That's one mystery down. All that's left is Erno, I guess." - I mused to myself.

I soon arrived at my room. I took out my room key from my pouch, opened the door, and entered. My room was left untouched, except for a toothbrush, pampica toothpaste, and a set of toothpicks on my table. I guess Borug must have entered the room and left it there.

I then remembered something. I left my other purse on the table. Almost instinctively, I went over to check if any of its precious contents were stolen. I sighed in relief as I noticed that it was left untouched. I shook my head in self-depreciation.

"I am a high-ranking servant of a scion of a great family, yet I still fear of getting my belongings robbed by the low-ranking servants of said family. There is no way that they can steal anything, as even if they don't have a slave contract, they are probably under oaths to not steal from the mansion, and even if they weren't, they wouldn't dare do it as it would implicate their families too. Get your shit together, Mog, you're not a pickpocket starving on the streets anymore." - I self-reproached myself.

After getting my shit together, I took my new toothbrush and toothpaste to the toilet room to brush my teeth. I heard Faevyre's coquettish voice as I walked to the toilet room, which was across from the bathroom.

"Oh, Darling~ You naughty boy~. Can't you wait until we... Ahn~!"

I couldn't help but blush. What was happening inside was obvious to anyone who wasn't completely clueless.

Shaking my head out of any irrelevant thoughts, I entered the toilet. Unlike the toilet in the mistress's room, this toilet was a communal one, styled for five people to use at once. There were no wedges or spacing in the toilet, and it was styled like a public bathroom, just with better materials. There was a cabinet on the side with wool cloths and a straw basket for placing the used cloth inside for later cleaning and reuse. By the entrance of the toilet, there was a sink with a cheap bar of soap on the side, likely meant for sanitation, something that public toilets clearly couldn't afford to have.³A fun fact; the first public toilets were invented by the Romans. And, yes, they were communal and with no walls. There was even no gender distinguishment, and men and women went in together. Luckily, or unluckily, they all wore dresses, so they didn't exactly see each other's privates.

After I meticulously brushed my teeth, I exited the toilet when I heard slurping noises along with Borso's guttural voice in the bathroom.

"Oh... Suck harder..."

"... What are they doing over there?" - I wondered, but didn't dare check it.

Although we Lamarians are open regarding sexual affairs, even hiring a prostitute in broad daylight and having public sex in the alley, it wasn't polite to peep without consent. I know a certain guy nicknamed Half-Teeth Larson, who got half his teeth bashed out for peeping on the wrong guy at the wrong time. Poor bastard.

I shook my head and went to my bedroom. After closing the door, I walked to the table and knelt in front of my father's funerary urn with clasped hands, as I recalled all that happened today.

"Oh, father, there are so many things that happened today. I got sold as a slave to a kind mistress. I became a high-ranking servant in a great noble house. I get to dress in fine silkwear. I get to eat some of the best food a man could eat in the empire. I stabbed a man in the balls. I killed another man and almost got killed in turn. I got accepted for tutelage from some of the best teachers the empire can offer. I even made an oath of servitude to the mistress for 100 years in exchange for a special potion that can give me the talent to become a demigod. So many things happened in just one day that it almost seems like a fairy-tail. Overall, however, your son is doing well, so rest assured."

I then gave a prayer, "Oh, my noble patron goddess Veona, the great lady of blind luck, roller of the dice, I thank you for this lucky stroke. Please accept my humble prayer and thanks. If I am ever able to repay your kindness, I shall do so to the utmost of my abilities."

"𝐼 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉." - An ethereal, gentle, and feminine whisper sounded in my head, jolting me out of my prayer.

"Hah?! Who said that?!" - I looked around in panic, to which I saw none near me.

I silently waited for a minute to see if I hear the voice again, but the room remained silent.

"I must be too tired. I should go sleep now." - I mused.

After taking off my tunic and my sandals, only having my underwear on, I lay down on my new, soft bed, and covered myself with the warm woolen blanket.

"Yawn*. Good night."

And moments later, I slept like a log.

 

 

 

 

While the sky was still dark, as I was still sleeping comfortably in my warm bed, I suddenly heard my door being opened, shocking me awake.

"Rise and shine, Mog! Go and wash your face and brush your teeth. In ten minutes, go to the training field. If you are late, I will give you special attention." - I heard Faevyre's enthusiastic voice calling me.

"Oh, right. And don't put on a tunic. You wouldn't need it. Just come in your underwear and sandals."

Without even confirming if I woke up or not, Faevyre left and shut the door.

Honestly, I wanted to continue sleeping a bit more, but the thought of Faevyre's special attention forced me to wake up. Yesterday, she made me stab someone's family jewels and even kill someone, so gods know what she will do if I anger her.

I grudgingly removed the blanket covering me, exposing me to the cold air of early morning, making me shiver slightly.

"Yawn* Oh well, let's get ready, then."

After less than ten minutes, I finished preparing and arrived in the training field by the side of the mansion. It was still early in the morning, and the sun had not yet risen. In the training field, Faevyre and Livia were waiting. They both wore underwear, just like yesterday morning during breakfast.⁴Imagine being forced to wake up at 4:30 am, only to train until 7:30 am.

"Good morning, Mog! Welcome, to your first day in hell!" - Faevyre said with a grin as she spread her arms wide.