Chapter Two: Whereabouts of the Slaves
I lay down on the bed in the guest room and rested. Yeah, I really was exhausted. Lying down made it all the clearer. The effects of the curse were heavy, and I could feel them taking their toll on me. In the end, I had spent the whole day discussing future plans with the queen and her advisers.
“That reminds me . . .”
I hesitantly checked my equipment status. Sure enough, my armor’s name was unrecognizable. The Barbaroi Armor had ceased to function.
“Raphtalia? Rishia? Filo? Check your equipment.”
“Ah, yes, I did. The name listed is garbled, and the effects are null.”
Raphtalia had already changed into her previous armor from this world. Damn! She had changed so quickly!
“Why do you look disappointed?”
“Do I?”
Because it looked so good on you! Because it looked so much better than your old armor!
Raphtalia looked at me suspiciously as childish responses flooded into my head.
“Oh! My breastplate name is unrecognizable now, too.”
“Do you prefer a kigurumi?”
I seemed to remember having another Pekkul Kigurumi left over somewhere. Where did I put that? Had I left it in the castle storeroom?
“Fehhh . . .”
“Now, now, Mr. Naofumi. I’m sure Rishia has outgrown her kigurumi phase.”
“Heeey, Master! Where is Mel-chan? She wasn’t in her room.”
Filo unfolded her pajamas as she asked about Melty, so I inspected them, too. Oh? Apparently the Filo Pajamas were compatible between worlds.
“Melty? I’m pretty sure the queen said she had gone to help Eclair.”
“Oh, really? Will we see her tomorrow, then?”
“Maybe.”
We were planning to head that way, after all.
“That aside, Mr. Naofumi . . .”
Raphtalia suddenly drew near to where I was lying on the bed.
“A territory! And you’re a Count! You’re a real hotshot now!”
“I was already a hero, you know. Doesn’t feel like much of a change.”
“What is it that you’re after, Mr. Naofumi?”
Raphtalia looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes as she asked. That reminded me, she had almost said something when I told the queen which territory I wanted.
“Are you talking about the territory business? It’s just like I said. Considering that the battles are going to start getting rough, I think it would be best to build a private army like Kizuna, Glass, and L’Arc have done.”
“But why did you choose the area that was damaged by the first wave for your territory?”
I wasn’t sure if I should just be honest with her or if that was a bad idea. I started to feel like it might seem patronizing, so I decided to just gloss over the issue for now.
“It’s an area I’m already familiar with and I should be able to do things my way there. The area has strong ties with Eclair’s father, and it’s unlikely that anyone would have a problem with me getting involved there.”
Raphtalia and I sat there in silence for a few moments. Finally, she let out a sigh of resignation.
“Understood. We’ll just leave it at that.”
“We’ll round up some slaves starting with those that you know, Raphtalia. It will be easier to fight with people you’re already familiar with. After that, we’ll move on to other, ordinary slaves. Once we’ve established a respectable amount of fighting power there, we can consider training the castle soldiers or something.”
I wanted to train the slaves and develop enough fighting power that we would be able to easily defeat Glass and the others should it come to that.
“At the same time . . . muhahaha . . .”
This meant that Raphtalia’s friends would have to join my private army if they wanted to return to their precious village. I was basically holding the territory hostage.
“You’re trying to act all bad again. Let me guess—something about hostages?”
Yikes. She had completely seen through me.
“Hehe . . . You two are like an old married couple.”
Rishia went and dropped a real bombshell. Although, it was true that I had spent more time with Raphtalia than anyone else in this world, so she probably did understand me better than anyone. We were nothing like a married couple, though.
“Wh . . . wh . . . what is that supposed to mean?!”
Raphtalia’s face turned red in embarrassment as she shouted at Rishia. Just like I thought, any talk of love or romance really ruffled Raphtalia’s feathers. Rishia had stepped on a landmine.
Raphtalia may have started out as a child and a slave, but she had an exceptionally kind heart and always looked out for others. She’d lost her family and her village had been taken from her, so it was easy to imagine the sorrow she might have felt. That was why she was fighting—to ensure that no one else would have to end up in a situation like hers.
Driven by such a noble goal, Raphtalia undoubtedly had no interest in things like love and romance. Not to mention that, even though she may have looked like an adult, she was still a child in terms of age. She wasn’t even old enough to be interested in boys yet. I guess since Rishia was in love with Itsuki, for better or worse, her female mind would be sensitive to stuff like that.
“That’s right, Rishia. Raphtalia doesn’t like those kinds of jokes. Best be careful.”
“M . . . Mr. Naofumi . . .”
Raphtalia’s face returned to a normal color as she began to regain her composure. That was much better. I didn’t want Raphtalia getting too upset.
“Oh . . . okay . . .”
Rishia cocked her head to the side in confusion while staring at Raphtalia and me.
“Now then! Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
I was going somewhere with that, but thinking about what was to come suddenly reminded me of something.
“That reminds me, Rishia. We were talking about whether or not you should reset your level, right?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to consider going without the reset.”
“Wh . . . why is that?”
“But Mr. Naofumi, didn’t you say that starting over from level one would improve her abilities?”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I observed Rishia’s performance to a certain extent while we were in Kizuna’s world. You know that much, right?”
“Yes.”
I made sure to keep an eye on how Rishia developed while we were there.
“Honestly, there’s not much of a difference between her abilities right now and what they were like over in Kizuna’s world. It’s practically nil.”
“Really?”
“I mean, there is a small difference, but compared to Raphtalia or Filo . . .”
“Fehhh . . .”
“So, Rishia, I estimate that your abilities will likely have a growth spurt coming. Your class-up could be a problem, though.”
Raphtalia and Filo both improved drastically after their class-ups. Fitoria’s feather had made it possible for Filo to have a special class-up that paved the way for a lot of her abilities to really blossom. Depending on the person and their abilities, a class-up could have long-lasting effects. Rishia was a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but for all I knew the right class-up might make her more adept at a certain kind of magic or something.
“Oh . . . huh?! Ah, I suppose you’re right. But . . . Itsuki chose this path for me. That’s something that I treasure and wouldn’t want to change.”
“I see. Understood.”
She may have been tossed aside by Itsuki, but her heart hadn’t changed.
That was all the more reason to make him regret it. That sounded good to me. We continued to just hang out for a while, resting up for the coming day.
“Okay then.”
After eating breakfast at the castle, we spoke with the queen briefly before getting ready to head out.
“Where are we headed?”
“To visit the slave trader.”
“Mr. Iwatani.”
The queen raised her hand as if there was something she wanted to say.
“Might you be going there to purchase slaves from the same village Raph . . . Miss Raphtalia is from?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Regarding that, we may have complicated matters a bit. I must apologize in advance.”
“. . .”
What was that supposed to mean? I had a really bad feeling about this. My cheek started to twitch. Actually, I didn’t even want to know what it meant. But there was no way around asking.
“What do you mean?”
“Well . . . After the Spirit Tortoise incident, I reinstated Miss Seaetto’s status as nobility and issued a proclamation ordering all Melromarc citizens —including nobility—to release any demi-human slaves from the Seaetto territory immediately.”
“I see . . .”
“Since that would include the others from Miss Raphtalia’s village, I had hoped the proclamation would allow us to quickly find any survivors.”
I had already figured out what the queen was trying to say, but I didn’t want to hear the words, honestly. Even Raphtalia was turning pale.
“Our investigations show that the results have been less than favorable. It would seem that before the emancipation proclamation was even made, the slaves were sold off and their whereabouts largely remain a mystery.”
Shit! Would the filth of this country ever stop dragging me down?! I mean, it’s not like I couldn’t understand their motivations. If I found out an item was going to be nerfed in an online game, I would sell it off in a flash. But come on! Ugh . . . this really sucked.
“Our investigations continue, and the . . . monster trainer . . . that you patronize is currently searching for Miss Raphtalia’s friends.”
In other words, they hadn’t found them. That’s why they were still searching. I steadied Raphtalia, who started to look like her legs might give out on her. And the fact that my plan had already hit a brick wall from the very get-go started to sink in.
“Fortunately, Keel and three others have already returned to the Seaetto territory.”
So there were four in all, counting Keel. That was it? Considering the kind of development I had in mind, we would need a lot more than that. I was left with no other choice.
“For the time being, it looks like we’ll just have to round up some demi¬human slaves without being too picky.”
“Mr. Naofumi!”
“We can’t build a territory with four people. We need more.”
There were all kinds of things that needed to be done.
“It is what it is. We’ll just start off by buying some cheap but useable slaves.”
“Un . . . understood.”
“I’m sure they’ll probably end up being children.”
Younger slaves would have more room for growth, among other things. I continued to mull over the situation as we parted ways with the queen and headed for the slave trader’s tent.
We threw on cloaks and made our way through the back alleys toward that oh-so-familiar tent for the first time in a long while.
“Oh?”
There sat the slave trader—a man I would have preferred not to associate with—looking bored, waiting for the next customer. Wasn’t he supposed to be searching for the slaves from Raphtalia’s village? I doffed my hood to show my face and gave him a salutatory wave.
“Well if it isn’t the Shield Hero! It’s been a while. I’ve heard the news of your recent successes.”
“Long time no see.”
“I thought you might have forgotten about me.”
“I doubt anyone could forget someone like you.”
How should I put it? The guy had a unique air about him that would make it difficult to forget him. He seemed far more adept at his trade than your average merchant. This kind of business was all about making sure your customers remembered you, after all.
Come to think of it, we hadn’t been back since we came to buy Filo’s claws. Not since the time we hadn’t been able to class up at the dragon hourglass. The slave trader had coaxed us into heading for Siltvelt or Shieldfreeden back then.
Wait a minute . . . Judging from his earlier comment, could it be that he had secret ties to the queen?
“You’ve played your own little part, too, haven’t you? To think you had secret ties with the monarch . . .”
“I wasn’t lying when I told you I liked you from the moment I saw you.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll just leave it at that.”
“And what can I do for you today?”
“I’m here about your actual line of work.”
“Oh!”
The slave trader’s eyes twinkled conspicuously. I wasn’t sure what he was getting so excited about, but I wasn’t going to let things go his way. I could imagine he was probably secretly delighted over the fact that I was still buying slaves even after my rise to fame.
“I’m looking to buy some cheapish demi-human slaves for now. The lower their level, the better.”
“What kind of budget are we looking at?”
I had 5,000 silver pieces that the queen had given me before the Spirit Tortoise incident.
“Around 5,000 silver. Including the slaves you’re currently searching for, too, of course.”
“An investment for a new project, I presume?”
“I’ve told you before—don’t ask me contrived questions you already know the answer to.”
Just how much did this guy know, anyway? I had a feeling I might just believe it if he told me he could see the future or something.
“This way.”
The slave trader motioned us toward the inner depths of his tent. We began to follow behind him, but Filo came to a halt.
“What is it?”
“I don’t wanna go . . .”
She must have picked up on the grim atmosphere and signature stench that lay ahead. I had gotten used to it, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant.
“How about you just stay put, then.”
“Okay!”
Filo nodded as she sniffed at the lottery monster eggs. Did she realize that was where our paths had joined? I warned her not to eat the eggs and then chased after the slave trader. After catching back up to him, we approached the cage where I had met Raphtalia.
“This is the place where my fate was forever changed,” Raphtalia murmured.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand her sentiment, but . . . thinking about it now, it had really only been a short amount of time, even though it felt so long. It hadn’t even been six months yet.
“I’ll make you a special deal today.”
“How generous of you.”
“I’m very excited about this intriguing little project you’re starting. You’re going to become a regular customer now, I presume?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Business is good thanks to the Shield Hero!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sure you’ll understand if you just think of it as the same phenomenon that occurred with the bird god.”
Ah . . . Raphtalia had played a big part in our success, after all. I’m sure the coalition army held her in high regard, too. If people knew that a slave like that had been purchased from this guy, his business was sure to benefit.
“But that’s pointless if you don’t have any slaves from Raphtalia’s village in stock.”
“Oh, no. That’s a completely different issue. Yes sir.”
“Let’s start with . . .”
I figured I would just pick several slaves that caught my eye.
“This one, this one, and that one. Also, that one over there, that one under the blanket, and that one, too.”
I picked two boys that looked relatively healthy, a couple of trembling slaves that were holding hands like they were friends, another that was wrapped up in a blanket and trembling near the back of the cage, and lastly one who was standing near the cage door, staring at Filo. Eclair already had four slaves at the territory, so that made a total of ten. That seemed just about right to kick things off.
“Oh yeah. I’ll be applying the slave curses at my territory, so we’ll need to take someone who can perform the ceremony with us. It’ll be necessary to enhance their abilities.”
“Such a seemingly random selection, and yet you choose such fine specimens—the Shield Hero has a good eye! My hat’s off to you! Yes sir!”
“Fehhh . . .”
“Mr. Naofumi? Perhaps you should choose a bit more carefully?”
“I just went back and forth between the healthy-looking ones and the ones that looked problematic. Hey, you in the blanket—come over here.”
I was sure this one would be weak and feeble. I could tell it was trembling in fear, too. The slave trader gave an order and a brawny man opened the cage and tore the blanket away from the child.
“No . . . don’t!”
“Oh?”
With the blanket gone, I could see the slave resembled a mole.
“That’s a lumo, a type of therianthrope known for its nimble hands. Their eyes are sensitive to light, which makes them a good choice for nighttime security duties. This one is a child, of course.”
“Ahh!”
The lumo slave was cowering in fear in the corner. Raphtalia looked concerned.
I took a closer look at the appearance of the lumo child. If I had to describe him in one word, I’d have to go with “mole.” He was kind of like the mole version of a werewolf or something. And he was short—only about as tall as my waist. Was that because he was a child?
So it was known for its ability to do detailed work, huh? I had all kinds of work for them in my plans, so that was fine.
“Speaking of detailed work, racoon types—like your associate here—are also quite dexterous, you know.”
I looked at Raphtalia. Now that I thought about it, I’d never taught her to do work like that. I’d had her help tan some monster hides, but that was about it. Maybe the fact that she didn’t express interest in doing that kind of thing meant that she was naturally clumsy.
“You’re thinking about something rude, aren’t you?”
“Not really . . .”
“But yes, lumo types tend to be well suited for delicate work that requires dexterous hands. They also tend to be rather reserved. A good choice. Yes sir.”
I took another look at the trembling lumo slave.
“Is it just me or does this country have a lot of scumbags that are into physical abuse?”
Every slave I’d seen was covered in scars from being whipped.
“This country has a long history of being at war with the demi-humans, so it’s only natural. Yes sir.”
“Meaning people like the nobility that fought in those wars use physical abuse to make themselves feel better about the past?”
The nobleman that Raphtalia had gotten tangled up with had done just that.
“We even have a special low-priced option for borrowing a slave just to physically abuse it a bit before returning it. Yes sir. We require the slave to be purchased outright at a hefty sum when it’s not returned in usable form.”
The shadiness of this country was astounding. Watching on as I reconstructed the demi-human village would probably leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the nobility.
“Physical abuse is punishable by law, of course. Yes sir.”
“So it’s illegal? The way it’s treated sure makes it seem legal.”
I couldn’t help but feel that way thinking about this tent tucked away in a back alley.
“And that’s why my business is thriving. Yes sir.”
Thriving, huh? The slave trader’s way of proudly flaunting it made him seem seriously shady. Tell me then, why was he selling slaves that had been physically abused, anyway?
“Now that you mention it, he does look better than most, I guess.”
Raphtalia’s response was practically a whisper.
Was this really better than most? I looked at the wounds on the lumo slave’s back. They seemed surprisingly deep. It was a blotchy mess of layers upon layers of scars from being whipped repeatedly.
“Zweite Heal!”
I cast some healing magic and the lumo slave’s open wounds began to close. Still, the wounds were deep and far from being fully healed.
“Huh?”
“I hear you’ve got dexterous hands.”
“I don’t know.”
The lumo slave looked away when he answered. That was certainly a better response than claiming he could do something that he couldn’t.
“Will you put them to use if I teach you?”
“If that’s an order then I will. So please, don’t beat me.”
The lumo slave shrunk away, his voice strained as if he were about to cry. I guess I couldn’t blame him, being a slave and all.
“I’m not interested in that kind of thing. If it’s a beating you want, then ask someone else.”
“Huh?”
Okay, now he was starting to get on my nerves.
“I’ll leave you some medicine, so treat their wounds. After that, go ahead and take care of the slave registration.”
“I look forward to seeing how the Shield Hero makes use of the slaves. So very exciting! Yes sir!”
“Enough with that, already! I have to take care of some other preparations in the meantime, and then I’ll be back. Don’t let me down.”
“Heh heh heh . . . Exciting times ahead. Yes sir.”
I left things in the slave trader’s hands and headed back toward the entrance of the tent with Raphtalia in tow. Filo caught sight of me and came running over.
“Finiiiished?”
“Yeah. Still some formalities that need to be taken care of, but we have other things to see to while that gets done.”
I stepped out of the tent. I still had plenty of other places to stop by, after all.
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