A Transaction in the Dark
"A moment later, and I would have missed such a rare find." Franche Decartes said, adjusting her mask. Even so, her vibrant green eyes, impossible to hide, gleamed in the dim light.
"We shall now begin the transfer." The auctioneer nodded, and a heavily tattooed man stepped forward, placing his hand over the crest on my back.
Sssssss—
"Ugh..." Searing heat scorched my back. A groan escaped my lips before I could stop it.
"It is done."
"Very well."
The auctioneer checked the parchment handed to him by the tattooed man and nodded. "With this, the preparations are complete."
"Then I would appreciate it if you made the transfer quickly."
"Ah, my apologies. Please, wait just a moment."
Franche Decartes crossed her arms and glared at the auctioneer, prompting the man to scurry off and fetch the keys. The handcuffs binding my wrists and the gag muffling my mouth were removed, replaced by a collar that marked my status as a slave. The auctioneer handed the slave branding scroll to Franche Decartes.
"Here it is, my lady."
"I assume this is the genuine article?"
"Of course. It is the brand directly commissioned by His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince himself."
"...I see." Franche nodded. I had officially become her slave.
"Now, see to it that you do not become a burden to your new master."
I ignored the wretched auctioneer's parting words and stole a glance at Franche Decartes. Emerald eyes peeking through the cheap mask. Long, wavy red hair cascading down her back. It was undoubtedly Franche Decartes.
Fortunately, everything is going according to plan.
In that case, my path was clear. For now, I would act as obediently as possible while biding my time.
I must survive, no matter what.
Franche looked down at me as I knelt before her.
"Follow me."
Tapping her shoulder with the folding fan in her hand, she turned and walked away. A sweet fragrance drifted from her long hair, filling my senses with the scent of blooming flowers. I followed closely behind her with slightly awkward steps.
Once we stepped out of the auction house, Franche Decartes took off her cheap mask and spoke.
"First, we must return to the ducal estate. But as you can see, it is late at night. What do you think your duty is right now?"
"...To guard you."
"Indeed, you understand well. I hope you prove to be worth the price I paid."
Her haughty demeanor bled through her words. Like a beautiful rose with thorns on its stem, she, too, possessed sharp edges.
Was she always this prickly from the start?
Jin Barenberg. The moment I was purchased by Franche Decartes was well before the main stage of the story began. This meant it was before she had even met the original protagonist, Somire, and before any of the major incidents had kicked off.
Is this just her natural personality? Or perhaps some other incident had occurred before she met Somire.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"...It is nothing."
"Watch where you look. You are staring so intensely at my back that it prickles. Do you think that would distract me or not?"
"My apologies..."
At this point, the only words I could safely utter were "My apologies," "No, my lady," and "Yes, my lady." It would be strange to expect anything more from a prisoner-of-war turned slave. It was a bit irritating, but I had no choice. Survival was my absolute priority right now. In any case, I kept walking behind her.
This place was the back alleys—the festering tumor of the Empire—and it was undeniably dangerous. I could already sense the presence of bandits lurking in the shadows, targeting her.
To think they would dare kidnap a noble, let alone a high-ranking one.
But did Franche Decartes really come here all by herself, without a carriage or a single escort knight? A giant question mark popped up in my head. A young lady of a ducal house wandering into these lawless back alleys completely unprotected? It made no sense.
How incredibly reckless.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I felt the bandits shifting. They would likely strike any second now.
"Master."
"What is it?"
"I sense bandits nearby."
Franche paused. She turned her head slightly, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. "And?"
"They appear to be targeting you."
"Why should that concern me when I have you?"
"...I do not have a weapon."
This seemed to catch her off guard. She tapped her left hand with the folding fan in her right. *Tap. Tap.*
"Can you not subdue them with your bare hands?"
"It is possible, but I cannot guarantee your safety if they slip past me."
"Tsk. Ensure that not a single scratch falls upon me, by any means necessary."
"I will do my utmost."
"In times like this, you do not say 'I will try,' you say 'I will.' Now that you are my slave, failure is not an option."
"...Understood."
Having to act so submissively went entirely against my nature, and it was incredibly grating.
Sigh. But what could I do? This was my reality now. With the absolute Slave Brand engraved on me, she held my life in her hands. I couldn't afford to rebel.
Still, she's a massive upgrade from that toad-like woman.
Objectively speaking, Franche Decartes was an exceptional woman. She was stunningly beautiful, possessed an elegant figure, and carried herself with immense grace. Her status as the daughter of a duke was also incredibly prestigious.
But then, a voice cut through the dark.
"Is it really safe for a noble lady to be wandering around at this hour?"
The bandits emerged. There were four of them in total. They carried axes and swords, and one of them even held a bow. Protecting Franche perfectly under these conditions would be tricky.
Hmm. Still, I had to try. Jin Barenberg was a fully realized, overpowered Sword Master, after all. Though I don't know how much of that power I can draw out before the game's official start.
I stepped forward slowly.
"Do bandits these days have no brains? A noblewoman wouldn't wander around unprotected in the dead of night without a reason."
Of course, this foolish woman *had* been wandering around completely alone until now. It was a miracle she hadn't been kidnapped already.
Is she just a sheltered flower, or is she plain stupid?
The bandit at the front sneered. "Hey, pal. You planning to stop us all by yourself? We might look like common thugs, but we're pretty big deals in these back alleys."
"Why should I care?"
"What?"
"I'm saying I have no interest in how important you think you are."
"You little..."
The bandit's face twisted in rage. He was already hideous to look at, and scowling only made him look worse.
"Get him, boys! But handle the girl with care. We don't want to damage the merchandise."
So it comes to this. I fell into a basic martial arts stance I'd seen in combat sports. I didn't know the exact mechanics of fighting, but just like last time, I would have to rely on Jin's superhuman instincts and combat reflexes to carry me through.
Two of the bandits approached slowly. One held a wood-splitting axe. Getting hit by that would do a lot more than just hurt; it would be fatal. The other held a shortsword. Judging by its reach, I could easily disarm him with my bare fists.
"This bastard actually thinks he can fight?" the bandits snickered. "Well, let's see what you've got. If you're guarding a noble lady, you'd better put up a decent fight."
Oh, I will. You'd lose your minds if you knew who I actually was. Not that I have any intention of telling you.
Whoosh!
The axe-wielder and the shortsword-wielder lunged at the same time. I lightly stepped aside to dodge the downward swing of the axe, then threw a sharp jab at the scrawny bastard rushing me with the shortsword. *Crack!* Caught completely off guard, the bandit reeled as the blow connected squarely with his jaw.
"You bastard!"
I immediately spun around and delivered a spinning back kick straight to the axe-wielder's abdomen. *Thud!* The man dropped his axe and clutched his stomach.
"Agh, *cough*... *Bleeegh!*"
He began violently throwing up whatever alcohol and food he'd consumed earlier. Disgusted, I quickly backed away. How vile.
"You're definitely not ordinary. No wonder you're so cocky!"
The shortsword-wielder was already back on his feet. Was my jab too weak? Usually, a solid hit to the jaw would knock someone out cold...
It's probably because my form was sloppy.
It made sense. No matter how overwhelming Jin's physical capabilities and instincts were, how could a gaming YouTuber who spent his life analyzing games in a dark room perfectly mimic professional boxing? I'd only ever seen it in videos.
The leader of the group stepped forward, wielding a massive battleaxe. *Thud. Thud.* The shortsword-wielder also began to circle around me. I fell back into my stance.
"Die!" the leader roared, charging with his massive battleaxe.
It was a gamble, but there was something I wanted to try. With Jin's body, it should be entirely possible.
As the heavy blade cleaved toward my head, I twisted my hips and threw my entire weight behind my fist, launching a powerful hook. *Clang!* The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. The trajectory of the axe was forced aside, burying its blade deep into the dirt. My knuckles throbbed with a dull ache. *Yeah, I'm never doing that again.*
"What in the—!"
Before the wide-eyed, off-balance leader could recover, I snapped a kick straight to his chin. *Crack!* Taking the full force of the kick, he flipped backward and crashed to the ground.
"Gah..."
That was two down.
An arrow came flying toward me next. I widened my eyes and focused my senses. Like a professional batter in peak condition, the arrow seemed to move in slow motion. I reached out and snatched it out of the air. The projectile stopped dead in its tracks, inches from my face.
"Are you insane?! He caught an arrow?!"
The shortsword-wielder and the archer froze in sheer terror. Seizing the opening, I threw the arrow back like a dart. *Thunk!* The arrow pierced the archer right between the eyes, and he collapsed, blood pooling around his head.
"H-heek!" The remaining bandit dropped his shortsword and fell to his knees. "P-please forgive us! We didn't recognize your greatness! We were foolish...!"
Typical thugs. Idiots. The moment you targeted a noble lady, your fates were sealed.
"Any last words?" I picked up one of the axes lying on the ground.
"Please, please spare my life! I'll do anything! Anything!"
I turned back to Franche and asked, "Master, what are your orders?"
"What else? Kill him."
*Step. Step.* I walked toward him.
"Please, I beg of you!"
Don't look at me like that. It's my master's decision, so what choice do I have?
*Slash.*
I swung the axe with a light flick of my wrist. Blood sprayed into the air, splattering across my cheek. It felt warm and sticky, carrying the sharp, metallic scent of iron.
"Tsk." I wiped the blood from my face with my sleeve. "The area is secure, Master."
"Your skills are indeed as impressive as advertised."
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment. Now, let us head to the ducal estate."
After making sure the remaining bandits were thoroughly dead, I fell into step behind her. They said a slave must never walk ahead of their master. It really made me feel like a dog on a leash.
The road ahead is going to be exhausting.
As I shook my head with a silent sigh, Franche Decartes glanced back at me.
"Are you not curious as to why we are going to the Descartes estate?"
"I already knew that you were a lady of the ducal house, Master."
"Oh? Is that because you were once a prince of a neighboring kingdom? You knew who I was."
"I did not know your identity beforehand. I simply deduced that anyone capable of bidding fifty thousand gold must belong to a high-ranking noble family."
"Hmph. You are surprisingly quick-witted."
Isn't this just common sense? She really looks down on me.
"Once we arrive at the estate, I will outline your duties."
I nodded. Whatever it took to survive in this brutal world. Perhaps pleased by my compliance, a faint smile played on Franche's lips. It was a smile so breathtakingly beautiful it could captivate anyone.
Let's go to the Descartes estate.