65. Raid on the Slave Market (1)

“Be careful. Be twice as careful as you normally would. Above all, never ever leave my side. Anette, you sometimes have too little fear.”

“Am I a child?”

“Sometimes you’re even more fearless than a child, Lady Pochet.”

Darius stuck close to her side with an unusually stern face.

Whether it was embarrassing or something they didn’t want known elsewhere, the North’s hidden attraction—the slave market—was held far from the harvest festival site. Though it wasn’t even nighttime yet.

“People who buy and sell humans can’t possibly be of good character.”

A black cloak concealing her identity and a half-mask covering her eyes. Having been hastily prepared without any symbols of the Inkheart ducal family, her attire was of decent quality but not as aristocratic as what she usually wore.

‘This is actually better. I look exactly like a wealthy person who’s come to buy slaves directly.’

But despite hiding her appearance and even carrying weapons, her attire must have seemed unimpressive at the slave market, as jeers came from around them.

“Whew. Are you here to sell or buy? If you’re short on money, I can chip in a bit. In exchange, that pretty lady next to you should let go of her master’s hand and get right up on stage! How about it?”

“I understand why you told me to be careful, so put your hand down from that scabbard. We’re not going to make a scene right from the start.”

Darius glared at the man who had taunted them, not relaxing the intensity in his eyes.

“Why? Is he bald with a potbelly? Are you memorizing his features? To beat him up later?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t sound like a joke.”

“Then it’s not a joke.”

While she was trying to calm down the agitated Darius, another comment made her blood boil without realizing it.

“The pretty one next to the pretty one has such passionate eyes! If you don’t find a master you like in the market today, I’ll give you a proper experience, so come find me tonight!”

That bastard is wearing yellow clothes. With mismatched green shoes. What is he, a sunflower?

‘Sylphid. Remember that person and tell me where he goes later.’

You’re dead.

They waited for the slave market to open while arguing with those around them. When the time came, a neatly dressed manager appeared and guided them in.

“Thank you for waiting. Now, the highlight of this harvest festival, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the ‘Night of Inkheart’ auction begins!”

‘Who decided this was the highlight? The highlight of this harvest festival in my mind is the healthy event where we select the most handsome man and beautiful woman!’

“Now I’ll check your invitations. You all know that identity verification is strict at the Northern slave market.”

“Who do you dare ask to verify their identity?”

Slap.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the front. She could feel the guests in line becoming restless.

“Lowly creature. Not clearing the way at once.”

What’s this? Calling someone lowly right away. Is our slave market a famous event that even royalty attends?

“Anette, be careful.”

Darius firmly held her arm to prevent her from rushing forward.

But honestly, it’s exciting! The manager just got slapped! And he’s even bleeding!

“I apologize for not recognizing such an esteemed guest and showing disrespect. As you said, let me give you the treatment you deserve now.”

‘Is this that thing! Nobles don’t say their names!’

“Hmph. Making me speak twice, such a stupid—hey! Hey!”

Rumble. Strong men emerged from inside and escorted away the man who had just slapped the manager.

“Hey, hey! Do you know who I am! You’re making a huge mistake right now! Mmph!”

“Security in the underworld is surprisingly solid. Customers need to feel safe to spend money.”

Darius explained the situation with a strange expression as he watched.

“Let’s go. We have invitations.”

‘So in romance fantasy, you can’t just slap someone’s face out of nowhere? That wasn’t allowed?’

Most of the time that seemed to resolve things. Today, another one of her dreams is shattered.

‘Huh?’

But then. While entering, she coincidentally noticed someone.

“How much bribe money did I spread around today just to meet the lord! And when I finally met him, that lord looked at me like I was cattle or chicken and left as soon as the event ended!”

The man loosening his cravat in frustration was Rigolus, who had been begging earlier to talk about this business again.

“Argh, I need to make a good profit at today’s auction! Hey, bring the whip! I’ll personally educate these slaves!”

“Mr. Rigolus, whipping slaves is prohibited in Inkheart.”

“Who cares! As long as we don’t get caught! You, since when did you become so talkative!”

Whip?

A cold smile flashed across both Darius’s and her faces.

“He asked us not to be swayed by prejudice and to take a good look at this legitimate business establishment.”

“Indeed. Now I understand perfectly how this business operates, supposedly running more humane slave auctions than other markets.”

Look at how public beatings are being carried out even though this is still a legal auction house, not an illegal one.

Leaning heavily on Darius’s arm like a lady both frightened and curious about the slave market auction, she whispered in his ear.

“When we get back, Nicola will have more work to do.”

Bribes?

They hadn’t accepted any private funding cooperation for this harvest festival, so who took that money?

* * *

The audience seats arranged like a circus were filled with excitement as the auction was about to begin.

“This slave is a 40-year-old former serf with healthy brown skin who is excellent at plowing fields! This slave can work like an ox! Never gets tired!”

‘If this is considered good condition for a legal slave auction, how bad must the illegal ones be?’

“One copper.”

“Fifty silver.”

“One gold.”

“One gold twenty silver.”

“One gold twenty silver! Any bids higher than one gold twenty silver? Then, sold for one gold twenty silver!”

And so, a person’s life was valued at 1.2 gold and sold off.

“Next is a virgin who just turned twenty. I guarantee she’s the best slave you can get legally. If you want something better, you’d have to go to the back over there, hahaha.”

People laughed.

“One copper.”

“This is an educated slave who could be used as a teacher. He drifted here due to a very tragic circumstance……”

“One copper.”

For the middle-aged man who could farm, for the pretty young woman who would make a decent maid or shop clerk, for the scholar who was supposedly a former noble’s tutor—I bid one copper for them all.

What’s an appropriate price for a person’s life? Whether one copper, fifty silver, or one gold, they were all meaningless units.

At first, the slave merchants laughed it off, thinking she was new to the slave market and didn’t know better, but gradually their faces showed signs of irritation.

“Customer, do you have to play games with someone else’s livelihood?”

“I’m not playing. Aren’t you the ones playing games? Why are these slaves in such condition? They all look like garbage.”

She leaned on Darius’s arm with a mischievous smile.

“Ha, first at the entrance and now here, these dog-like people keep coming in as customers today……”

Darius opened his pocket. The glittering light of gold coins pierced through the narrow opening.

“Fifty silver, one gold? Do you think I came here for such petty change?”

The manager hesitated at the sight of the pouch containing an amount that might equal the combined price of all slaves shown today. People certainly become more generous when money is placed before their eyes.

“More, I can introduce you to an even better place……”

“By the way, this is just the introduction fee. I heard that at the secret auction, you can even see mermaids? Gold bars should be enough to buy a mermaid.”

Meaning this mere gold wouldn’t even be enough to buy a mermaid, so use it as your pocket money.

But I want to go to a definite place without any games. When she said that, the manager’s face brightened.

Yes, be very happy now. Whether legal or illegal, we’re planning to crack down on all slave auction houses anyway, so how long do you think you’ll keep that money?

* * *

“We’ll have to blindfold you.”

“Is this how you treat paying customers?”

The illegal auction where even beast-people were rumored to be sold in secret. Security was so strict that despite taking our money, they insisted on blindfolding us before entering, making a big fuss.

Shouldn’t I slap them in the face now?

“If you’re going to act like this, give me back my money and get lost.”

“The path to ‘that place’ is absolutely secret. Even frequent visitors all enter like this without exception.”

Despite my sarcastic remarks, the slave traders remained firm. Their tone was gentle because they had received money, but they showed no signs of backing down.

When I glanced behind the slave traders, I saw someone nodding in the distance.

Even if we were blindfolded and rode in a carriage, Sir Lucion’s surveillance team would follow us without losing track.

Reluctantly wearing blindfolds and going through the excessive process of driving around in circles, we finally entered the secret auction house.

‘I can feel killing intent.’

Her skin tingled.

According to rumors, the secret auction house sells everything that exists in the world.

From jewels with deep stories lost by the previous royal family, to legendary mermaids.

Surely there wouldn’t really be mermaids? They probably bring in unfamiliar animals and sell them as fakes. If so, they should be arrested for fraud—that was her mindset when entering.

But now she thought those words might be true. The fighting spirit for rare items, the determination to possess them regardless of cost—the emotions of the people gathered in this space were ‘real.’

While people in the legal auction house exchanged jokes, no one here even made eye contact.