Chapter 38 (1/2)
Volume 1
Nidome no Yuusha Chapter 12
The Hero makes eye contact
After leaving Duphein’s base, I first made my way to the edge of the slums once again .
Although I was going to carefully assess all of the goods I needed to procure the advance payment that I received yesterday, since I screwed up my schedule and had received a generous amount of money before the preparations, I decided to make the bigger purchases first .
Carrying my rucksack stuffed with a sack full of coins (in this world, for all trips on foot, people would normally prepare bags like this), I headed to a part of the slum where there were even fewer people .
Adventurers and employees who changed into filthy clothes were roaming about this street, a really unique business area where it does pay poor people no heed .
This is a black market in which banned articles assemble .
Illegal documents, drugs, stolen goods, curse catalysts, and of course, slaves .
Debt Slaves who lost their place, crime slaves who committed felonies, ransom slaves who were sold for money, and war slaves who were knights from another country that were turned into slaves .
The crime and war slaves are usually forced to work on mines managed by the kingdom . While the rest of them are treated as goods at slave stores .
I don’t know how they treat the slaves . The treatment of slaves is all up to the owners, however, they don’t usually display the slaves being mistreated or overworked to the point of collapse . Basically, it’s because the slaves are expensive merchandise .
Thus, the stores that proudly establish themselves on the capital’s main street are slave providers for nobles, which have a lot of quality slaves, but they are required to be bought by nobles, millionaires, or people with letters of introduction from such personage .
So people without connections or the affluence to afford expensive slaves come to buy slaves here in the slums .
I walked around the area aimlessly with the help of my memories from my first life .
As usual, guys who looked rough became pale as soon as they saw me and left the place .
「I was sure that I did that to give a warning…… but did I overdo it?」
Thinking that maybe it was a strong impetus, I pondered about how much the information has propagated since yesterday .
To tell the truth, that exchanger staff (Daruma) was an ex-adventurer, a key figure in the upper ranks, known for his skill and competency in using magic to enhance physical strength and create illusions . And I, who one-sidedly overwhelmed him, was considered to be a threat in the eyes of the citizens in the slums whose creed was mayhem .
「Well I don’t care, it’s better if annoying people don’t approach me . 」
As I was rounding up such thoughts, I reach my intended destination . With that, I found and entered into a random declining slave shop . To accomplish my objectives, it is much more convenient to prevent myself from entering the eyes of the public as much as possible .
Inside the store, there wasn’t anyone aside from me at the counter . After the store manager, who seemed free, evaluated me by looking mockingly from head to toe, he talked rowdily as he didn’t consider me as a guest of honor .
[Daily: Oh boy, here we go again . I feel like I’m reading a CN novel]
「Are you looking for slaves? Excuse me for my impoliteness, but about how much is your budget?」
「I have around 10 gold coins, and I need one person . If you show me the slaves that you could sell me, I will then take a pick by myself . 」
Considering my budget to spend for necessary travel goods, and thinking about how much money would I need in the future, I responded with a suitable answer .
By the way, it seems that if you were to buy a slave marketed for nobles from a store on Main Street, you would be spending several gold coins, and depending on the quality, you could end up spending white gold coins . In this slum, you can find everything from cheap to expensive goods, however, the price of a slave is at least 3 gold coins . Since the average slave’s price is around 7 to 8 gold coins, if I say that my budget is around 10 coins, I should be able to see most of the slaves .
「Pardon me for my rudeness, but do you really have such a budget on your hands?」
The slave merchant was looking suspiciously in my direction thinking that I wouldn’t have that kind of money . If I were a noble’s son, I would be buying a slave on Main Street; on the other hand, I look too skinny to be an adventurer . Being able to separate people easily into types from a very young age, he couldn’t believe that this greenhorn would have that much cash .
Even though I know his reason for suspicion, I’m still pissed off since he is making light of me .
「……Is this sufficient for you?」
I don’t need to restrain myself, so I pulled out a sack of coins from my rucksack and purposely made a noise as I put the sack on the desk while declaring .
「Th-there is no problem at all! I will now lead you to the cages . 」
The instant that I had proved that I had gold, he changed his attitude splendidly which made me remember that detestable person and strained my face a little bit . However, it won’t change anything even if I were to shout at this man in front of me, so I decided to just follow him quietly .
In the inner part of the shop, there were cages with iron bars, which had inside of them humans who are probably slaves with their extremities tied up with handcuffs and with dark gazes .
In this world, the notion of essential things such as nutritional science and hygiene didn’t even exist, nevertheless, it was a harsh environment .
I want a slave to use as a disguise the moment I leave the Kingdom’s royal capital . In the end, when they assemble personnel to search for me, they only have limited characteristics to identify me with, just my black hair and strange clothing . Also, if there were two, it would be a lot easier to get out of the city .
There’s also one more reason .
It’s because I need a practice partner for my skills . There are several skills which can’t be trained by oneself . And since I have the Holy Sword of Vengeance, I wouldn’t have any problems since I should be able to detect ill intent . However, I don’t want to make friends or companions, so that’s why I want a slave .
After I use the slave to raise my level skills decently, I will give him some compensation money and free him . And in the worst case where he becomes a thorn for my revenge, then I can just kill him, and I wouldn’t have a problem with it either .
Well, disgusting and evil acts like casting away someone after using him/her just like them makes me want to puke, even if he/she is a slave . If the slave doesn’t become my enemy, I don’t plan to do such a thing .
Since the slave would probably learn the basic skills to survive as he/she will just help me raise my skills’ level, it won’t end like throwing him/her out defenseless . If we establish a business-like relationship between us, that would be the best . I would like to develop a first class relationship which pays each other’s services with justified profit .
That’s the kind of thought I was having .
……So, I’ll be keeping an eye out until I find that certain slave .
「I would recommend the slaves inside this cage since all of them are hard working . If you want one of those slaves, then it will be a little more expensive but within this cell I…… . 」
「Hey, how about the one hanging in the last cell?」
「Yes? Ah yes, that girl . She is scheduled to be disposed of in the near future . Since I have heard that some honorable nobles who are living in the royal capital prefer that kind stuff, I went to all the trouble of bringing her here . However, she won’t quit showing hostility . Even though she’s given punishment via the slave seal, she would still show resistance until death’s door; so even if her figure is good, since she will try to grab her owner’s neck and try to kill the client with the price of her life, nobody wants her anymore . 」
Inside the royal capital, religious human supremacy has been deeply establishing its roots . Among them, species like beastmen and any other species different from humans have been receiving abuse . However, inside the kingdom, you usually don’t see any beast-kin, and the kingdom can’t get along with the Beast-kin’s kingdom, located on the opposite border of the Empire, sandwiching the Empire together with the Kingdom . Incidentally, the beast-kin’s Kingdom has a dogma of Supremacy of the beast-kin, so there’s no difference in the treatment of humans in beast-kin’s Kingdom, and beast-kin in the Kingdom; it goes both ways .
「Hey, I’ve decided . I pick her . 」
「What? But… that is a beast-kin, so even if it’s contrary to her look, she could still asphyxiate you with her great physical strength……」
「I don’t mind . I will pay you 10 gold coins for her so make a contract already, and I won’t complain about it later . 」
「Haaa~, if that’s so, there is no problem on our behalf…… Is it your first time buying a slave?」
「Well, it is . 」