26 25. Slave market.txt (1/2)

I blended in, but I wouldn't be attending the auction right away.

I kept my cool and focused on gathering information first.

At the first venue, I hid in the back of the room and observed the flow of the auction. I had to make sure that the information I had was the same as the information I had.

All the while, however, the same discomfort that I felt when I saw the slaves in the labyrinth built up inside me. But this time, with reason, I discipline myself. Logically, I select only what is necessary for me and put only the information in my head.

Because I was careful, I didn't buy a slave at the first venue.

Of course, I was going to intervene if there were substandard slaves, but they were all average slaves.

Apparently, there are different types of slave markets, and this first slave market was clean and beginner-friendly. So there would be no special slaves who would excel at something. Those are said to be sold in the darker parts of the slave market.

Incidentally, all the information now was the result of eavesdropping on all the chatter of the participants in the hall with magic 《Dimension》. It was quite a rough job, but I managed to succeed by consuming more MP.

Among the information was the location and time of the special slave market that would be opened after this.

On the way there, there were many rogues who got involved with the young me, but I had them faint out of sight. It's a good idea to have a few of these people on hand to help you out.

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, I went around the market one by one.

This meant that I was diving into the depths of this world.

Gradually, the quality of the slave market changed from common to illegal.

The price of slaves went up, and slaves who were not simple victims of war went up to the platform.

Warlords and rare beastmen who would have been kidnapped. Some are young children who were never seen in the general slave market, others have a peculiar constitution and have lost the pigment in their skin and hair. It varies.

............

I felt dizzy from the primal heat of the human body.

I knew it was coming.

I knew it, and I was prepared for it.

But there was a difference between what I expected and what I actually felt.

It's not that I don't think of myself as an innocent person. I came here with a willingness to accept the culture of slavery.

Still, I couldn't adapt to this space.

The narcotic scent that clung to his nasal passages.

Every human body odor mixed in with it.

The vile laughter of the rich people who dominate this space.

The pathetically-eyed slaves standing on the dais in a tight corner.

I continue to watch them from my seat in the corner of the slave market, hiding my expression.

Most of all, the condition of the slaves (...) chips away at me.

My 'display' conveys it without pretense and without mercy.

'............!'

His face naturally contorts.

A late night slave auction held only for the rich.

There is nothing fragile about its purpose.

Most of the customers are looking for slaves with the intention of using them up.

I continue to check the talents of the slaves, devouring my mind.

I look at the levels, status and skills of the slaves as if working to avoid recognizing their names.

I never look at their names.

I knew that if I didn't do that thoroughly, I would get emotionally invested in them.

Then, another new slave lined up on the stage and the man who was moderating the event let out a loud voice that echoed throughout the hall.

'This will be the next item. Let me explain slaves numbered five to ten--'

I don't listen to the moderator's words and just keep 'gazing' at him.

Number five, status is low across the board, skills are average.

Number six, average status, none of the skills.

Number seven, high level and high status, but no skills.

No. 8, well-balanced stats and 4 skills. However, there is a deficit in status.

Number nine, poor status and skills, with a status of ......--.

Let's not go to .......

I stopped myself.

I thought I wanted to be extraordinarily determined, but it still didn't work.

I could hold my own in the slave market, which was still shallow.

But I couldn't seem to keep my cool in this slave market to keep looking for what I wanted.

The adults in the hall were laughing and bidding on slaves without any resistance. I'm no different from the rich people here. Once I felt that way, I couldn't keep looking at the slaves.

While I was heartbroken, the masked host continued to introduce the slaves, one after another.

Since it was an auction format, the slaves would soon be priced at a price.

I can't help but wonder what will happen to these priced slaves in the future.

I think about what the little fat man who just bought the red-haired girl bought her for. Observing people has become a habit, and I do it unconsciously.

It would be better if she were bought as a servant or laborer. But the kind of customer who buys a slave in a place like this is not a decent person. Depending on the customer's hobby, he or she might lose a body part or two. If it was a minor bad taste, it would be worse. There's no life tomorrow.

It's depressing.

This is a man. You're just like me.

And it's not just because you're from another world. The same kind of people did the same kind of things in our world. There are plenty of dead spaces in the world.

And this time, because of the foul technique of magic 《Dimension》, I just unfortunately found it--

I didn't want to watch any more.

Let's go back to .......

It was a bittersweet experience, but it was also a lesson in hindsight.

And that's okay this time. The harvest had been made.

That's what I told myself, and as I slowly got up from my seat--

Hm, my brother. You going home?

I'm approached.

I guess it wasn't a good idea to leave the seat abruptly. I was conspicuous by my youthful appearance, even if I was just a young man, but I seemed to have caught the eye of a man.

It was a tall man. The man was dressed like a merchant and had an unusually fearless face among his customers.

I was surprised, but he quickly moved away with a bland remark.

'...... I'm not in a good mood,'

Yeah. Maybe it was too much for my young brother, huh?

...... separately.

No need for a long story.

I'll just leave with those last words.

”Oh. Haha, now the bought child is miserable. This nobleman is notorious for his bad taste.

The man speaks so that I can hear him.

I stop in my tracks in response to his words.

Then I see the screaming slave. Perhaps he knew the rumors about that nobleman. The slave was resisting, saying he would rather die than be bought by that nobleman.

I look away from the situation - and see the face of the man who is grimacing.

...... What do you want to say to me?

No, what. I'm flirting with you because you looked like fun.

............

After all, there are no good guys.

I sigh, then decide not to deal with them and try to get away from here.

''--Then let me explain the next item. The thirteenth, from Fania, will be a moderately rare dark-haired, black-eyed girl--

As I tried to move away, I heard the moderator's voice.

From Fania: ......?

Black hair and dark eyes ......?

That odd background makes me pull back.

I've tried so many times to get away from this place, but I can't get away from the weakness in my heart. Disgusted with myself, I made up my mind that it was the last time, and I looked at the podium for a moment.

'......!'

There was a girl on the stage who had learned her name.

This is the girl who a few days ago had told each other her name.

-- ”...... My name is Maria. My name is Maria.” -- ”My name is Maria.

I remember her voice and her name.

At the same time, I look at the empty eyes of the girl on the stage, Maria.

Coincidentally, she also seems to have noticed me. We only met once - it was only a few seconds' encounter, but it seems that she also remembered me.

A faint glint in her vacant eyes lit up, and our gazes met.

The audience and the stage. Me and a girl.

We looked at each other and couldn't let go.

'Hmm, brother?　What's wrong with that slave?

Separately: ......

The man's words had not entered my ears.

'Brother. You don't look like you're doing anything wrong, so you get teased by people like me, right?

I continue to stare at the girl named Maria, despite the man's words.

She is an ordinary girl.

Her status has not changed since I saw her before. A girl who is good at cooking - a girl with a little bit of talent. There were plenty of others with this level of status.

But I had spoken to the girl, and I even knew her name.

I had fulfilled the conditions for emotional involvement that I had feared earlier.

--worst.

'Oh, the auction has begun.'

The man keeps talking as if to hurry me up, which I did not do.

At the same time, the emotions that had been pent up in my chest started to swirl around.

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get my mind off of it.

Calm down ....... Calm down.

Remember what happened a while ago .......

The slave I met in the labyrinth couldn't help himself in the end .......

Learn from that experience and become an adult. Aikawa Uzumi .......

''Ah. If I keep this up, I'm going to be bought by that aristocrat with bad taste again ....... That aristocrat is planning to buy all of them today. Hey, brother.

But .......

-- but the situation is different from the slaves I met in the labyrinth.

And I've noticed that.

I'm not going to be able to get a hold of that slave because it belonged to someone else. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. If you have money, it's easy to get them out of here.

As long as I speak up here, I can prevent that Maria girl's voice from being tainted with grief.

On the other hand, leaving here without doing anything would mean leaving that Maria girl to die.

Can my immature mind be able to bear that guilt?

To get confirmation, I talk to the man.

You can check ....... How can I participate in the auction here?

Hm, my brother. Are you still going to participate?　If you're going to bid, just throw your hand up in the air and say the price. It's not much different here than anywhere else. We'll be fine if we copy the others.

I got confirmation.

There's no way to go wrong with the procedure.

However, my reasoning will try to restrain me in the end.

There's no point in saving one person .......