Yuria and I walked into a dimly lit underground space, cloaks draped over our heads. The candles fixed to the walls flickered uneasily.
This wasn't my territory, Tebura. It was Vailen, a city three days' journey from Tebura.
Vailen is a small city near the border and doesn't belong to the Pruckus territory.
The lord ruling this place is Baron Vailen, a merchant who would do anything illegal for money.
'Baron Vailen is an illegitimate child of the royal family. That's why he's allowed to run the city without interference, enjoying various privileges.'
Of course, it's also thanks to Baron Vailen's exceptional skills.
'I already bribed Baron Vailen before coming here.'
I secretly met Baron Vailen, gave him money, and secured several privileges.
While I'm staying in Vailen, I can act under the protection of Baron Vailen's reputation.
Yuria approached me. She whispered softly into my ear.
"Master, three people are hiding and watching us. Should I take care of them?"
I didn't sense anything. They must be professionals.
"…No. Leave them be. There's no need to cause a scene here unless they attack. Our goal isn't to make trouble here."
"Understood."
We ignored the hidden people and walked inside.
At the end was a thick, large iron door. I grabbed the door and shook it.
With a clanking sound, part of the door opened, revealing the menacing face of a man. He had tanned skin.
"Never seen you before."
"I'm a guest. Watch your mouth."
When I frowned and spoke, the man shut his mouth. He stared at me intently. I didn't bother hiding my face. Even if they knew my identity, there was nothing they could do. Spread rumours that I was here? Their credibility would plummet, and they'd die by my hand.
"...Young master. What brings you here?"
"There's only one reason to come to a slave market. To buy slaves."
This is an illegal slave market located underground in Vailen. As the name suggests, it's a place where slaves are bought and sold. It's illegal because most of the slaves sold here are people who were illegally captured.
"You could buy slaves elsewhere, couldn't you?"
"I heard there's a very rare slave here."
"...."
The man stared at me.
There are two reasons I came here. The first is, as I just mentioned, to buy a rare slave. I really want that slave. That's why I brought 70% of my entire fortune.
The second reason is that the slaves sold here are of exceptional quality and quantity. They're expensive, but I have more than enough money and can easily earn more.
"Password?"
I frowned. Why was the password coming up? I don't know why they bother with this.
'Probably the original author trying to make it seem cool.'
This place appears in the original story. About half a year later, Kyle will infiltrate this place and cause chaos.
'The password in the original story is different from the current one.'
And I don't know that password.
"I don't know it."
"...Are you joking? You came here without knowing the password?"
"What, am I not allowed to come here if I don't know the password? Should I go to the information guild now and ask them to tell me what it is?"
This place is connected to the information guild. If you use the information guild, you can pay a hefty sum to find out the password.
"If you don't know the password, you can't enter. Go back."
"Hah. Let's see if you can still tell me to leave after seeing this."
I took out the document I received from Baron Vailen.
Just one page. Its contents were very simple.
『I, the lord of Vailen, vouch for this person's identity.』
However, the seal of Baron Vailen stamped on this document was anything but light.
"…Ugh. You're an esteemed guest. If you had told us earlier, we would have opened the door right away."
The man's attitude changed. His tone became polite, and his voice cautious.
"Just open the door."
"Understood. Please come in."
Creak!
The iron door opened.
The reason I gave Baron Vailen over 200 million in bribes was precisely for this. As long as I have Baron Vailen's proof of identity, no one in this city can treat me carelessly.
"Who are you looking for? Tell me, and I'll guide you right away."
"Old Man Konfarod."
"...Please follow me."
We followed the man.
The Vailen slave market wasn't dirty; it was surprisingly luxurious. The corridors were decorated with all sorts of luxury items, and even the employees working here exuded a certain level of sophistication.
'From the outside, it doesn't look like a slave market but more like a noble's mansion.'
As we walked, I checked the sides.
There were transparent glass walls, and inside them were slaves.
"What's that?"
"A harpy. Are you interested?"
There was a monster with the upper body of a human and the wings and legs of a bird. Its head looked like a human woman's.
The harpy sat weakly on the floor. Chains bound its neck and legs. By the way, harpies are classified as C-rank monsters in reality.
'She's quite pretty. Just looking at her face.'
She had flowing blonde hair and a pale face. Her eyes were a beautiful blue. Her breasts were quite large, and her nipples were pink. However, her brown wings and the legs below her thighs were those of a bird.
'Hmm.'
My gaze went to the harpy's crotch. The golden fur was so thick that I couldn't see what her genitals looked like.
After careful consideration, I came to a conclusion.
"...Impossible."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. I'm not interested, so let's keep going. By the way, are there people who buy harpies?"
"Surprisingly, they're one of the popular items. Of course, as sex slaves. I've heard they have a tighter grip than humans."
"There really are a lot of crazy people in this world... What's that?"
Looking at another glass wall, I frowned and asked without realizing it. I couldn't believe something like that existed.
"A chimera."
There was a stunning beauty with brown hair. Her face, her body—nothing was lacking. Except for the large male genitalia attached to her clitoris.
"Even so, it's just a female body with male genitalia attached."
"Does that sell well too?"
"It's more popular than harpies. If you dress them up, you can't tell the difference."
"...Impossible."
I shook my head and quickened my pace.
As we went further inside, I found another glass wall. This one was relatively normal. Except for the pretty boys inside.
'Ugh.'
I immediately turned my head away. I didn't want to know what those naked boys were doing.
'Whether they're playing train or centipede, who cares.'
Feeling increasingly disgusted, I reached out to Yuria's chest beside me.
Squeezing her soft, large breasts helped me recover my mood.
"I see you're not into sodomy."
"Do you want to die?"
"My apologies. It's just that sodomy and young boys are quite popular these days, so I was surprised."
"...Sodomy is popular?"
"Yes. Especially among soldiers and knights. Lately, even women have been seeking male sex slaves. Also, young boys can grow into labourers, so they're in demand."
"I didn't need to know that. When can I see Old Man Konfarod?"
"We're here. That's Old Man Konfarod's office."
He pointed to a lavish door decorated with jewels and gold. It wasn't strange.
Konfarod is the man who essentially owns this slave market.
"Good work."
After dismissing the guide, Yuria and I opened the ornate door.
"…Oh my. An unexpected guest."
Konfarod was sitting in his office, drinking tea. Around him stood three burly men dressed lightly, with chains around their necks—clearly slaves.
"Do you know who I am?"
Konfarod was an old man with a mustache. His appearance was so neat and gentlemanly that it reminded one of an English gentleman.
"I do, but I won't say the name."
"As I thought you were wise."
"You flatter me. What brings you here?"
Instead of answering directly, I sat on the sofa across from him. Yuria stood beside me, keeping watch.
I took out Baron Vailen's proof of identity from my pocket and placed it on the desk.
"The reason I'm here is to buy slaves. What else would it be?"
"Of course. I meant to ask what kind of slave you're looking for. I pride myself on having all sorts of slaves, but we don't have everything."
"I want the elf slave that arrived here recently."
"...."
Konfarod stared at me as if on guard. In the original story, Konfarod is described as having an exceptional ability to observe people.
I didn't avoid his gaze at all.
"...That elf has only been here for two weeks. Only a few of the staff know about it… How did you find out?"
"That's not important. What's important is that I want that elf."
That's why I came here today.
"I have no intention of selling that elf yet. It's a rare item that just arrived. I plan to take my time finding buyers. It'll take time, but I'm thinking of inviting potential buyers for an auction."
"I'll give you 6 billion Nerl."
For reference, in the original story, the elf's value is about 9 billion Nerl.
"...No. I believe I can get more from other buyers."
"Do you see Baron Vailen's proof?"
"It's only because of Baron Vailen's proof that I'm even entertaining this conversation."
"Then I'll buy it for 7 billion Nerl."
"I can't sell it."
Our eyes clashed in mid-air. Neither of us could back down.
'Even though I have a lot of money, spending 9 billion Nerl is too much. 1 billion Nerl is no small sum. With that kind of money, I could buy other exceptional slaves.'
As a last resort, I was prepared to cause chaos here. In a way, that might even be better. In the original story, Kyle was recognized for dismantling an illegal slave market.
"...Ugh!"
Konfarod suddenly groaned. His eyes shook, and cold sweat began to pour down his face. In less than three minutes, his clothes were soaked.
And it wasn't just Konfarod. The three slaves standing behind him were the same.
Konfarod's fearful eyes turned to Yuria.
'Ah. It's Yuria's doing.'
Well, I'm not sure, but she must have exuded some kind of killing intent. Yuria recently reached the peak of Aura Expert, so her killing intent must be no joke.
'Yuria also uses shadow magic. Taking this place down alone would be nothing for her.'
She's my powerful trump card.
"Konfarod. I like this place. I'll probably use it regularly in the future. Right now, I'm a new customer who's never used it before, but next time, I'll be a regular. If you know who I am, you know how much money I have. Think carefully, Konfarod."
Konfarod bit his lip. Drops of blood fell from his wrinkled chin to the floor.
"…I'll sell it for 7 billion."
His voice trembled with fear.
"Good decision. I'd like to see that elf right away."
I stood up abruptly.
"Huuuu..."
With Konfarod's deep sigh, the three male slaves collapsed to the floor.
"You're no ordinary person."
Konfarod was looking at Yuria, not me. He held a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
I smirked at him.
"Konfarod. I need other slaves too."
"Of course. If there's any slave you want, just say the word."
"You'll discuss it with her, and assign me one person."
"Huh?"
"She'll choose the other slaves."
"...."
Konfarod's face stiffened.
I started following the guide. The guide was one of the slave men who had been standing behind Konfarod.
I had already given Yuria a walkie-talkie before coming here. If things went wrong, she'd contact me immediately.
'Actually, it's not Yuria who needs to be careful, but me.'
I followed the guide into the damp underground prison.
***
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