Armed men pulling wagons loaded with people, they gave off a somber atmosphere.
When I glanced at the levels, they were all over 30.
[Lv. 57]
The long-haired man at the head of the procession who appeared to be the captain, was close to 60.
I wondered what they were doing when their levels were too high to be just a simple slave trader.
I heard the whispering of passers-by with my hearing that [Super Sensory] had heightened.
“...Valkilov.”
“Hey, don’t stare at them.”
Valkilov?
I could recall their identities with that name that sounded familiar.
If it was Valkilov, surely it wasn’t them? The largest and most notorious group whose base was in the Third Lord's territory...
That’s right, those guys.
Information came to mind one by one.
A dangerous group whose focus was the sale of slaves, and a whole other plethora of dirty jobs.
In the game, was there a side story of assassinating a high-ranking official of the monarchy who attended the secret auction held by them as a VIP?
I stared at the slaves behind bars.
All of them had dead eyes, and they had no desire to live at all.
Of course, slaves also existed in this fantasy world where the caste system was fully alive.
I remembered there were countries where slavery was illegal, but that wasn’t the case here in Calderic.
It could be illegal in certain Lords’ territories if the Lord wanted to.
“Hey, you guys! Interrupting the line like this?!”
A young man with a disgruntled face got off the carriage that was in front a short distance away from our carriage.
An aristocratic man, accompanied by an escort knight, strode toward the slave traders passing by.
The atmosphere of the passers-by who were watching the scene subsided quietly.
The leader, the long-haired man, saw him approaching and smiled.
“As you can see, we have a lot of commodities with us, so it’s cumbersome to stand in line. Please forgive us.”
Then he pointed to the slaves carried behind him. They were called ‘commodities’.
“Excuse me? Are you kidding me? For a reason that doesn’t even make sense...”
“Sir, may I ask what family you are from?”
The man laughed and said.
“Family, my family? Are you intimidating me right now? My father is the deputy mayor of the city of Volcadion Chail, the First Lord’s territory! The lowly slavers who dare...”
The men who were listening to him laughed.
The man was taken aback by the unexpected reaction.
“H-how dare you...”
“Oops, I didn’t know that you’re the deputy mayor’s son and committed disrespect. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, yes. I...”
“But since the young master is from a different territory, I guess you didn’t know who we are.
The long-haired man whispered into the man’s ear.
Because I had [Super Sensory], I could hear the whisper clearly in my ears.
“...Stop being a bother and get out of here, kid. Don’t act as if you are in a position to look down on us. Or shall I just twist all your limbs and pull them out?”
At that, the man turned white and stepped back saying nothing.
The long-haired man smiled as if he had never said such a thing, bowed his head and went on his way.
I laughed out loud as I watched the series of scenes.
He’s a funny guy.
Valkilov probably had deep connections with several high-ranking officials in the Third Lord’s territory. It wouldn’t be the most notorious organization in this territory for nothing.
There’s no need for them to care about a noble from another territory, and was only the deputy mayor’s son.
The man watched them leave, then went back to his carriage trembling with a look of humiliation on his face.
The guards at the gates, as if familiar with this situation, exchanged a few words and then let their wagons pass right into the city one by one.
“It’s a dirty scene.”
As Asher looked at them with her cold eyes, she spoke.
I asked as I withdrew my gaze.
“Are the slaves pitiful?”
“...Yes, honestly.”
“So you want to help?”
“No. I know that there’s nothing I can do about it.”
It was as she said.
This was a different matter from helping that waiter in the Fifth Lord’s Territory the other day.
The slave trade was legal in this world, and they were just merchants who bought and sold slaves within that framework.
If one dig deeper, they might find a lot of illegal things, but on the surface, it’s very much legal.
Still, what if they pitied the slaves and killed all those men and saved them?
What were we going to do with the slaves we saved? Would we take responsibility until the end and lead them to live a normal life?
And what about the Valkilovs?
Of course, with a Lord’s power, even a single cancerous tissue could be extinguished.
Even if it was a group who's part of the Third Lord's territory, it was an act that would never be tolerated in Calderic if they opposed a Lord first.
But what could that mean?
It’s just momentary self-gratification.
Besides that Valkilov, there would still be countless slave guilds and slaves on this continent.
Would I kill them every time I ran into them? Freeing the slaves without thinking about the future?
It was no different from just a maniac. With no clear standards or beliefs, I just went around doing things as I saw fit.
I would help if there was someone in need, but it was difficult to overdo it without crossing that line.
My current priority was to collect hidden pieces and increase my chances of surviving.
I was not wandering around Calderic to pretend to be an apostle of justice.
Still, it’s pitiful.
From the eyes of modern people, it was a pitiful scene of human rights violations.
I watched the wagons disappeared one by one into the castle gate.
“...!”
Then my eyes widened.
It was because one slave in the last wagon caught my eye.
The figure of a young girl with black hair and red eyes.
...Vampire?
As I boosted my [Super Sensory] to enhance my eyesight, I saw fangs protruding from her mouth.
Obviously a vampire
Black hair and red eyes were racial characteristics of vampires. Except for mutants, all vampires have black hair and red eyes.
I could also hear the men next to her talking.
“...But if a vampire appeared, who would bid? It was embarrassing.”
“She’s still a rare product. How many aristocrats have perverted tastes?”
As I listened to the conversation, I stared at the girl crouching inside the cage.
Until the wagon passed through the gates and was completely out of sight.
“...”
I leaned back and was in deep thought.
I didn’t expect to see it in a place like this because it’s a rare species that was hard to see. It was even a vampire who was captured as a slave.
Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
Vampires... Elrod Forest...
Vampires were a rare race, so they had strong racial love.
Then, what if I rescued that young vampire and took her to Elrod Forest?
I didn’t know if that girl was from the same tribe as the vampires in Elrod Forest, but they’re still the same race.
Since I saved their own people and brought them back, at least I should be able to talk to them without being attacked.
'Yeah, a method like that is workable, right?'
In an instant, I drew an ideal picture in my head.
I thought this was worth doing.
After entering the city, we found a lodging, and Asher and I immediately went to the slave trade shop run by Valkilov.
When we passed the security guards and entered the building, I saw an employee at the counter.
A fat middle-aged woman who was scribbling something on her paper saw me and said hello.
“Welcome, young master. What kind of slave did you come to buy?”
I told her.
“I heard a vampire came in as a slave.”
“...Oh, that’s right. She just arrived.”
The woman looked embarrassed, but she continued her words with regret.
She said, “But you can’t buy that child because she’s already scheduled to be sold to someone else. I’m sorry.”
...Scheduled for sale?
I knew intuitively that she was lying to me. And also the hidden meaning of her words.
Come to think of it, they were talking about the bidding earlier.
They were talking about the one that would take place in Domihawk City. A secret auction hosted by Valkilov.
The vampire girl was scheduled to be auctioned there.
I said again.
“How much should I pay for her so you can sell her to me?”
“Yes, that’s...”
“Even if I paid 200 golds or two platinum coins? Is it still not enough?
“...Yes?”
The woman lost her words for a moment, then she spoke hastily.
“Now, could you wait for a moment, young master? I’ll bring the manager right away...”
After saying that, the woman who went inside returned after a while.
She returned with two men, one of whom was familiar.
It’s him.
The long-haired guy I saw at the checkpoint earlier.
He greeted me as he approached me with a business-like smile.
“Oh, hello! Young master. I heard you came to purchase a vampire slave?”
“Yes.”
“By the way, as you’ve heard, it’s a product whose buyer was already decided, so we’re having a bit of trouble selling it...”
This guy was definitely trying to see just how much I would pay for the vampire by saying all these useless things.
“Three platinum coins.”
“...”
“I have no intention of offering more. Stop messing around and tell me if you want to sell it for this price or not. If not, I’ll go right back.”
As I said that, I took out three platinum coins in front of me.
The branch manager standing next to me looked back at me with shaking eyes.
The guy who was staring at me immediately replied with a grin.
“I understand, young master. As you wish, I will sell it for three platinum coins. Thank you very much for using our Valkilov Slave Shop.”
And Asher and I went down to the basement of the building following his guidance.
In the basement, slaves were locked in bars at intervals, and it was a sight that made me frown.
“Here it is.”
In the prison they finally arrived at, young boys, and girls were locked up.
Among them was the vampire girl I was looking for.
She was wearing iron shackles on her ankles, and her ankles were all scaly, visible with blood scabs.
The guy opened the cage with his key and went inside. He approached her who curled up in her corner.
“Stand up, vampire bitch. Your master is here.
The girl slowly raised her head and looked up at me.
I could feel a mixture of wariness and hostility toward me in the eyes filled with emptiness.
I also looked at her straightforwardly and said.
“Remove the shackles.”
“Yes, yes. I see.”
Soon the long-haired man released the shackles from her ankles and threw the girl out of the cage. Asher, who was following me, held the girl.
“If you want, we can give her a bath right away to make her clean.”
The guy said, looking at the girl.
The girl who received that look trembled.
“No need, I’ll take her right away.”
“Yes, I understand. Then, pay the bill... Ah, thank you.”
I immediately handed him three platinum coins.
After going back to the ground, I was about to leave right away because I didn’t want to talk any more, but he grabbed me and said.
“Young master, do you know about the secret auction we are hosting in Domihawk City?”
I looked back.
He grinned and took something out of his pocket.
“It’s an auction where quality slaves of various races come out and occasionally treasures excavated from ruins also appear. If you’re interested, this is...”
Saying that, he handed me an invitation in a luxurious envelope.
“If you go to the branch manager in Domihawk City, he will guide you through the auction.”
“...”
“Then I look forward to seeing you again, young master.”
Yeah, no thanks.
I turned around and left the building.
I could hear them talking inside with my super sense-enhanced hearing.
“John, is this really okay? It was an item to be auctioned off...”
“It doesn’t matter as long as I explained it to my brother well. And there’s another one, anyway.”
“But still...”
“It was a product that could not exceed 100 gold at most, but how much profit would we get selling for several times than that? Looking at him, he looks like a noble from another territory...”
I shook my head and headed for the inn with Asher and the girl.
