Light Novel Volume 18/Summary

Chapter 1: One Example of Work.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 2: The Borrowed Cat.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 3: Entrance Ceremony & Student Council President.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 4: Research Progress.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 5: Signs of Household Collapse.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 6: Business Start-Up.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 7: Company Venture.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 8: Dorudia Village Once More.
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Chapter 9: Dried Meat Murder Incident.
Information to be added later on.

Chapter 10: Another slave - First Part.
Julie has been quietly sneaking off to the market at night, and she refuses to tell Zanoba why. Zanoba and Rudeus go to a shop that makes decorative boxes for dolls, where the shopkeeper Belfrit explains that he wants his "girls" (dolls) to "sleep" (lie in) "beds" (boxes) befitting their beauty. Belfrit mentions that Julie came to his shop with a doll so well-made that he offered to pay 200 Lanoan gold coins for it, but Julie ran out of the shop after he got overexcited. Zanoba, Rudeus, and Belfrit come to the conclusion that Julie is unhappy with being a slave and wants money to purchase her freedom. Zanoba, Rudeus, and Belfrit go talk to Julie in Zanoba's room, and Zanoba asks Julie whether she wants to stop being a slave.

Chapter 11: Another slave - Second Part
The narration explains that Julie's parents were wandering craftspeople who bought raw materials, made weapons and ornaments, and sold them to get by. Although they were skilled, they had no talent for business, and by the time Julie was born they were already in crippling debt. Eventually, they had to choose between dying as a family or living in slavery, and they chose the latter. While Julie's parents were sold fairly quickly due to their skills, no one would buy Julie since she couldn't speak the human language and was too young to do anything. She realized that she was going to starve to death in a cage, abandoned by her parents; having lived her entire life with no happy memories, she gave up on finding happiness. When Zanoba and Rudeus appeared in front of her cage and Rudeus asked, "Do you want to die?" Julie was on the verge of saying yes, but changed her mind after seeing the serious look in Rudeus's eyes. Life as Zanoba's slave was very different from what Julie had envisioned, and while there was a lot of work for her to do, she was well-fed, could sleep in a warm bed, and above all, her master was kind to her. Zanoba treated her like a younger sibling, looking after her and talking about dolls all day. She came to enjoy doll creation due to the sense of accomplishment at getting better and the praise Zanoba would give her upon completing a doll. One day, she finished a doll, and noticed something weird about it—it was, by her and Zanoba's standards, a "masterpiece". Although she wanted to show it to Zanoba right away, she figured that Zanoba would be even more delighted if she presented it to him in a decorative box. She went to Belfrit's shop, but realized that the price of a box was far higher than the amount of money she had on hand. Remembering that Belfrit had a tendency to lower his prices for high-quality dolls, Julie showed him the doll, but his obsessive behavior scared her and she fled the shop, bumping into several boxes in her haste. Unable to go back, Julie decides to make her own box. When Julie hears Zanoba ask if she wants to quit being his slave, she assumes that he is angry about the damage to the merchandise in the shop and is going to end their relationship. Desperate to avoid being cut loose, Julie offers the masterpiece doll to Belfrit to appease him (LN illustration 10), which shocks Zanoba and Rudeus. Although Belfrit is eager to get his hands on the doll, Rudeus interrupts them and asks for an explanation. Zanoba assumes that Julie has betrayed him because she is unhappy with her circumstances, and desperately tries to make it up to her by offering her payment for the dolls she has made and granting her freedom. Julie realizes that Zanoba meant no harm and gives the doll to him, and the misunderstanding is resolved. Zanoba realizes that even though he is living a relatively simple life compared to his time in the royal palace, he is happy living with Julie and Ginger, able to devote his entire time to the dolls he loves (LN illustration 11). He then receives a letter with the Shirone royal crest, and laments that all good things must come to an end.