Chapter 56 (1/2)

“You wish to buy Lydia?” The man said with a sneer. “Like some peasant like you could afford her.”

“There’s a rule, right?” I asked the Guild Master, “If I can pay the fee, he must free her, right?”

The Guild Master nodded and crossed his arms. “That is true.”

I nodded, “I’ll pay off her debts. How much is she worth?”

I hated saying words like that. Lydia was worth everything to me, but I had to set her to some arbitrary value here. I didn’t like treating her like an object, but it was the only way to save a slave.

The noble crossed his arms smugly. “fifty gold coins.”

I let out a cough. All I had was a bit over a gold coin.

“You bastard…” The Guild Master snarled. “He asked you the amount of the reward. That’s ten times the amount he even put in himself.”

“You said it’d be at the value the slave was worth? As I understand it, Lydia was purchased from a discounted bin because she failed to be a proper courtesan?”

The man that he had called a slaver seemed to be listening to all this with interest. He made me a bit uncomfortable, but I had to focus on Lydia at the moment. Only the Guild Master knew what he was doing in Chalm, but given the residents of Chalm’s demeanor, he didn’t seem welcome.

“She told you that?” Tibult shot Lydia an angry look, and she wilted under his gaze. “That’s clearly because this slave is a known liar. Lydia, tell him you’re a liar.”

Lydia stepped forward, a stubborn and anguished look on her face. “I… I…”

“Go on, say it!” He raised his hand, and the Guild Master tensed for a moment.

“I lied… to-to you… about everything…” She said, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. “Just… forget about me…”

I stared at her pained expression, and my body tensed even more. I remembered the time we had spent in the dungeon. None of that could possibly be a lie. That night we spent together was no lie!

“You’re giving me the reward, right?” I asked the Guild Master. “In that case, I’ll pay it.”

Tibult blinked. “Ah…”