[Another Perspective] Slaves Brought to the City 1

 

A slave market grouped together on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.

 

Here, two types of slaves are sold at the same time: newly enslaved and those left unsold at the storefronts.

 

The newly enslaved are sold on the basis that they have received a minimum of education, but were not formerly slaves.

 

In other words, they have never been anyone’s slave and are not sleazy in the good sense of the word.

 

On the contrary, those who have not been sold at slave markets or even at storefronts line up at the market to sell their skills. Since shopkeepers do not sell their skills to customers one by one at the market, they sell their skills by using their advantages such as having these skills.

 

I was one of them. My skill is hunting. I can hunt small magical beasts by myself.

 

However, it seems that such skills are not required of slaves.

 

The skills required of me as a woman are housekeeping, singing, dancing, and if possible, an aptitude for useful magic.

 

Female slaves with such skills were sold quickly as long as they looked good enough.

 

Of course, if a slave was bought by someone who treated her badly, she would probably think that she would have been better off with a slaver.

 

But I had no more time. I think my appearance is quite normal, but my muscular body is not feminine, and I am even less amiable.

 

Sometimes a man would look at me curiously, but I would stare back at him without thinking, and in the end I was never bought.

 

Some slaves in the same store were bought and then sold again. Many of these slaves looked as if they had lost the will to live.

 

Then, they could not find another buyer. So, like me, they are among the unsold.

 

No, once a slave is bought, even if he or she is sold for some reason, he or she cannot be sold any more than I can. That is why they despair of their slave life and lose the will to live.

 

In the market where such slaves are lined up, I was in a cage at the end of the line today.

 

If I remain unsold for a month or two, I will probably be sold as the cheapest slave in the market. If that happens, I don’t know how I will be treated, just like the injured and the sick.

 

With this in mind, I pasted on a smile I had not been accustomed to since this morning and sat quietly, when a loud thud came from the middle of the market.

 

I could hear the voices of excited merchants and customers, and the excitement quickly spread to the rest of the market.

 

A line of onlookers had formed at the end of the street. The line of onlookers was moving toward us like a living creature.

 

It seemed that the young man was walking at the center of the excitement.

 

Finally, the young man came to the slaver’s store where I was.

 

“Please show me the healthy slaves in this store.”

 

At his words, our merchant smiled amiably and hurriedly lined up the unsold items in front of his store. After confirming that we had finished lining up, he lined up the first faces at the front of the store.

 

“These are the slaves we are proud of! Not only are they all in good health and disease-free, but each one of them is from a certain origin…”

 

The merchant introduced each of them one by one.

 

A young man, a former knight, even though he was from an enemy country. The daughter of a fallen nobleman. There are even others who were famous adventurers and others with competent magical aptitude.

 

Even from my point of view, they are attractive slaves who do not even make me feel jealous. However, no matter how you look at it, they are expensive. Probably, if you buy a single slave, it would be one, and if it is a cheap slave like us, it would be two or three.

 

I thought so, but the young man called out to an elderly man standing nearby without changing color.

 

“Slaves with magical aptitude over here, too, the fee is…”

 

“Free of charge. Good, but originally, there is a fee of one to three gold coins for each of those slaves. Be sure to inform the new Baron Van Nay Fertio.”

 

“Thank you very much. Then how about two large gold coins for all the slaves here? “

 

The young man turned around laughing and said something like that.

 

At his words, not only the merchant, but also we were stunned and froze. No one from a small village like mine had ever seen such a thing as a large gold coin. Since I would never be the price of a single gold coin, he must have offered a higher price, despite the loss of his commission and other fees.

 

Our merchant was slightly upset, but quickly changed his mind and made a good-natured smile.

 

“Oh, yes, that’s right. It seems that you are being treated very well by the merchant association…I envy you. However, as for the slaves here, if it is only the five highest class slaves, two large gold coins will certainly be enough…but as for the ten slaves lined up behind them, they will have to pay one large gold coin separately…Actually, the ten slaves behind them are all excellent people, you know?  Many of them are young. I should ask you to pay a reasonable price for them… No, they would be twice as expensive as they should be after paying the Mary Chamber of Commerce’s commission, but they are still an excellent deal.”

 

The young man nodded with a smile at the merchant’s eloquent words.

 

“I apologize for that. I don’t want to do anything that would cause the merchant involved with the Mary Chamber of Commerce to buy out his slaves.”

 

The merchant patted his chest with a relieved look on his face as he was told this. It was a great performance. It must have looked like he was in real trouble to those around him.

 

However, if the young man did not have to pay the commission fee that was originally charged, he would have been able to buy it at a much lower price than usual. It was not a loss.

 

As I watched him thinking that, the young man spun around on his heel.

 

“No, I’m sorry. But I have already purchased more than a hundred slaves. That should be enough; I’m afraid of owing the Mary Merchant Association anymore.”

 

With a troubled laugh, the young man bows to the merchant.

 

“I will drop by here again when I have the chance. Perhaps I will be able to get dragon materials again.”

 

“…Huh?  Uh, uh, wait a minute! I’ll study it for a while! How about two large gold coins and five gold coins? “

 

The old man looked at the merchant, who hurriedly offered five gold coins, as if he were looking at a trivial object, and let out a sigh.

 

“You are too greedy, you fool. It is not enough to make a profit. I’ll be sure to inform the chairman of the board of trade about this.”

 

“Oh, no…! “

 

The merchant gasped as if his blood had run cold. The story of his great profit had taken a turn for the worse, and now his own career was in jeopardy.

 

The merchant’s mouth was turned up at the back of his head as he looked like he was about to cry in the street, and inwardly, he felt like he should be sorry.

 

That merchant had skipped the slaves’ meals every time they were left unsold, and violated them so that they would not be left with scars. I am confident that many of you feel the same way I do.

 

But at the same time, there is a sense of frustration at having to sell out again. I am certain that the desperate merchants will treat me badly.

 

While I was feeling gloomy, I saw a young man turn around and look at me.

 

“Two large gold coins and five gold coins?  But I have already spent four large gold coins, and my budget for purchasing slaves is low. Shall we say that I will buy as many as I can with two large gold coins?”

 

At such a suggestion, the merchant looked up vigorously and opened his mouth.

 

“No, no! It seems that he has made a great contribution to the Mary Chamber of Commerce… I will sell them all for two large gold coins! If you are a benefactor of the Mary Chamber of Commerce, I will sell you a discount on the purchase of other items as well! “

 

To such a merchant, the young man clasped his hands together in front of his chest with an innocent smile.

 

“Oh, my! That’s very kind of you! I will never forget that you sold it to me discounted for the Chamber of Commerce. Well, thank you very much.”

 

The young man said so, paid two large gold coins, and manfully bought fifteen of us slaves.

 

I don’t know what the market price was, but I am certain this was a very low price. I don’t know what the market price was, but I am sure it was a very low price because the surrounding excitement was extraordinary.

 

After signing the contract with the merchant, we gathered at the young man’s place.

 

“From now on, please take care of me. Master.”

 

The young man, a former knight, bowed in a dignified gesture, to which the young man responded with a shallow nod.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Well, I’m sure most of you will be bought by your new masters soon, but it will be a good environment. Don’t worry.”

 

When the young man said that to me, I suddenly felt uneasy.

 

“…Where are they going to sell me?”

 

When someone asks that, the young man chuckles and opens his mouth.

 

“It’s a remote village, the furthest backwater in the country from the Royal Capital, I guess.”

 

I despair at that answer. I guess we all do.

 

Perhaps I must have spent my entire life in a mine or quarry.