Orc Shadows and the Auction's Chaos
"Hmm... I was just gonna take a quick look around before leaving, but looks like there's a decent toy here after all."
Siola said that, eyeing Randel with greed in her gaze. Randel swallowed hard and gripped his sword tighter.
"Captain of the guard. Leave this place to me and get out of the village right now. Head straight to the Selton Viscountcy."
"Leave? What are you talking about?"
"We need to inform the Empire before the damage gets any worse."
"..."
The captain nodded silently. Then he promptly left the scene.
Siola didn't care whether he fled or not—she only had eyes for Randel. In the first place, lunging at the captain had just been for a simple meal. But now, she was far more intrigued by the young Imperial knight standing before her.
"I've been needing a human man who's strong but not too strong... How about becoming my subordinate?"
"..."
As if he didn't even want to exchange words with a monster, Randel ignored her and raised his sword toward her. Siola snorted in derision at the sight—it was utterly pathetic. This was a far cry from the kittenish demeanor she showed around Minwoo.
"Don't push yourself. You don't look to be in the best shape."
"Guh...!"
She'd hit the nail on the head. Realizing there was no point in dragging this out, Randel launched the first attack on Siola. She dodged it effortlessly, then licked her finger.
"...I've gotten interested in human men lately. So be a good boy and become my subordinate. I won't treat you badly. Hehe."
...
"..."
Hidden under the bed, Annie clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling her sobs. She wished she had one more hand. Then she could cover her ears too.
'Kyaaah!'
'Everyone, run!'
'S-save me...! Uwaaaah!'
Horrific screams echoed from downstairs. The shrieks of young women, desperate cries to flee, pleas for mercy—they came one after another.
But what terrified her most was how those voices were vanishing one by one.
'Don't come out from under the bed no matter what. And don't make a sound.'
Randel had left those words behind before dragging his wounded body out of the room. His only weapon was a single broken sword. Annie wanted to beg him not to go, to stay with her—but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Injured or not, he was an Imperial knight. She was just a lowly inn girl; she couldn't hold him back just to protect herself. Such a request would be far too selfish, she thought.
At the same time, she felt pathetic for worrying about that even as her own life hung in the balance.
"..."
How much time passed? A minute? An hour? Maybe a full day. Annie simply waited for this hellish time to end.
Eventually, the sounds stopped. No more tearing screams from young women, no more men's desperate pleas for life.
The heavy silence made her wonder if she was the only living soul left in the world.
Maybe it was safe to come out now? Just as that thought crossed her mind—
Crack!
"...!"
She didn't need to look to know the wooden door had been smashed to splinters.
Tears streaming down her face, Annie clamped her hands over her mouth again.
"Hmm... Nobody here."
"...Think we've checked everywhere now?"
A low, gravelly voice—like that of a man, but rougher—reached her ears. It sounded familiar. Just like Nerka, the orc slave who'd visited the inn a few days ago.
Sure enough, two orcs lumbered into the room.
"Small village like this—no real prizes."
"Eh, it's just the start."
Their conversation continued. Annie didn't catch every word, but thankfully, they hadn't spotted her under the bed. Cursing her thundering heartbeat, she prayed they'd leave just like that.
And her prayers seemed answered.
"Guess we should head back."
"Heh, looking forward to the feast."
'...!'
Annie felt their voices fading away. Was it safe now? She had no intention of crawling out, but just not being discovered brought a wave of relief.
From the looks of it, the village had already fallen to the orcs. They were combing through it like victors hunting for spoils.
"Haa..."
Annie finally peeled her hands—practically glued to her mouth—away and let out a tiny sigh.
And at that exact moment, two thick hands seized her ankles and yanked her out from under the bed.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
Her slender body slid out helplessly. The orcs cackled.
"Puhaha! Man, I can never quit this gig with reactions like that."
"Kekeke! You really have twisted tastes."
"Don't play innocent—you were enjoying it too. Now, let's see... Oh, this bitch smells nice and fresh."
"Nooooo!! P-please, spare me...!"
Ignoring her wails, the orc gripping her ankle patted the small buttocks peeking from under her flipped-up skirt. That touch triggered it—her lower body grew slick with wetness. But it was a familiar reaction by now, and the orcs just snickered.
"Thought you'd gotten away clean, huh? Kekeke, female breeders give off a scent that tells us everything. Plus, you all hide in such obvious spots."
"Sob sob... Please... spare me... I'll do anything... please..."
"Don't cry, don't cry. Who's gonna kill our cute little baby? Huh? We're not that uncivilized. Aw, look at that pretty face all snotty and teary."
"Hic... guh..."
The other orc smiled kindly as he wiped the tears from her eyes. But Annie could only sob in terror.
"Hm? Wait... what's this?"
"What? Something wrong?"
The orc who'd wiped her tears spotted something odd. It had slipped from her chest when they dragged her out: the fang necklace Nerka had given her.
"You... where'd you get this?"
"Hic... Wh-what...?"
The orc examined the necklace closely. Only then did it click for the sniffling Annie.
"Th-that... An orc I met a few days ago... gave it to me... Y-you can have it if you want... just please spare my life..."
"...Did that orc tell you his name?"
The orc's flippant tone had vanished. The hand patting her wet buttocks from behind froze too. But Annie, oblivious, kept blubbering.
"He... he said... Nerka..."
"..."
The two orcs exchanged glances.
...
'Boring.'
Minwoo yawned at the disappointingly low-quality slave auction. The goods weren't bad—the women paraded on stage were all above-average beauties befitting sex slaves, and the bidding was lively.
But Minwoo wasn't dissatisfied with the slaves' quality. He craved more drama. Like if one turned out to be a princess of a fallen kingdom or a noble lady, causing a little mishap due to her inexperience. Or maybe verifying her virginity in front of the crowd for humiliation's sake. Or the buyer sampling her right there on the spot.
'Guess reality's just like this.'
The scenarios he dreamed of were unrealistic. The Empire had been unified for over a millennium—no fallen princesses around. Beastkin slaves were the next best bet, but even those were banned by Imperial law thanks to the previous hero.
'More than that...'
What truly piqued Minwoo's interest wasn't the auction, but the mysterious woman seated right beside him: Chloe.
His compliment—that she was the most beautiful woman he'd seen so far—was no empty flattery. Thanks to the glow stick, illusion magic didn't work on him, so he saw her true face unobscured.
The robe hid her pointed ears, though, so he just assumed she was an extraordinarily stunning human woman. Her pure yet haughty beauty rivaled even the Demon King, Siola, or Aisha. Minwoo kept stealing glances at her.
'Once the auction ends, I'll dig into her background and make her mine.'
His mind buzzed with such thoughts when—
"Alright, everyone! You've waited long enough! Finally! The item you've all been dying for!"
The auctioneer, building suspense like he was gathering qi, bellowed again.
"The race from legends you've only heard in tales! Procured through our Mandren Trading Company's ultra-secret channels with great difficulty! Brought exclusively to this slave auction... an elf!"
"Ooo...!"
Even Minwoo, who'd lost interest, perked up at "elf." He knew it was obvious bullshit, but he was curious how they'd pull off the scam. Beside him, Chloe stared sharply at the stage.
"Hm?"
But the atmosphere on stage felt off. A man climbed up with a nervous expression and whispered to the auctioneer.
'Some kinda problem?'
If they tried to bail with a lame excuse and end the auction early, Minwoo was ready to punish them harshly.
The auctioneer's voice returned. Was it his imagination, or did the man look pale?
"Everyone, sorry. We'll take a short break. Thank you for your understanding."
Jeers rose from the crowd, but he ignored them and vanished below the stage. A black curtain hung at the back—that's where the slaves always emerged from. He'd gone that way.
"Something go wrong?"
"..."
Minwoo tried chatting up Chloe again, but she stonewalled him as usual.
'Fucking ice queen. Won't be long before she's moaning under me, though. Kekeke...'
Minwoo smirked inwardly, licking his lips. How much time passed?
'Uwaaaah!'
A scream erupted from behind the curtain. It was muffled by the crowd's chatter, but unmistakable.
"...What the?"
As Minwoo tilted his head, the black curtain billowed violently. A man burst out.
'Uwaaaah!! R-run away!'
It was the auctioneer. His face screamed urgency as he yelled for everyone to flee. But the crowd hadn't caught on yet—they just stared in confusion.
"Run now! The orc slaves are rioting—! Guhk...!?"
His words cut short. From behind the curtain, a massive shadow lunged. Something sharp burst through the auctioneer's chest.
It all happened in an instant.
"Guhk..."
The black shadow, blade impaling the auctioneer, hoisted him up and strode onto the stage. It hurled the rapidly cooling corpse toward the audience.
"Grroooaaar...!!"
The black shadow—the red-eyed orc—roared at the crowd.