Slaves Aren't Human Here
Once again, in this primordial village, she felt it deep in her bones: this world didn't treat slaves as humans at all. Back when Haneul had been a slave herself, she'd never faced a random raid like this. Sure, her looks had gotten her a few job offers here and there, but she'd never heard talk of nobles or brothels or mouths or asses.
But the moment she shed her slave status, she got treated like merchandise. And seeing how her treatment changed despite her unchanged appearance made her realize just how much a brand mattered.
"Is this why people buy luxury goods? Do you become luxury yourself if you buy it?"
"...Haneul, I'm a little scared."
Baek Hye-seo shuddered as she cleaned between the demons. She'd washed up with the water the demons heated for her, rambling about gratin this and tomatoes that, but now she was suddenly going on about luxury brands.
Of course, Hye-seo already knew Haneul wasn't quite right in the head. She knew her actions and thoughts bounced around like a rugby ball. But...
...she hadn't realized it was this unhinged, bouncing everywhere without restraint.
"...You okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm always fine."
She'd cleared away corpses with heads, torsos, and limbs detached, wiped up the splattered blood, and even taken a bath in the water the demons warmed. Feeling utterly refreshed, Haneul sniffed the lingering corpse stench in the inn and suddenly took a deep breath.
"Ah, now I can finally breathe easy."
She inhaled the stench wafting from all directions and exhaled with a hugely refreshed laugh.
"Feels like home. Wait, I actually am home, right? Yeah, home tastes like this."
Giggling wildly, Haneul plopped into a suitable chair and tousled her hair with a towel. One of Hye-seo's demons approached and created a warm breeze for her.
"Ooh... thanks, buddy."
And from the other side, Hye-seo approached cautiously.
"...Um, Haneul."
"Yeah?"
"Just to be sure... did you really live for 500 million years?"
It was such an out-of-the-blue question that Haneul stared at her. No matter how you looked at it, those eyes screamed they wouldn't believe a word about 62.5 billion years.
Truth be told, Haneul herself had no real sense of having lived 62.5 billion years. Maybe because she'd spent most of it insane. Anyway, stating it plainly would just confuse her more, so to calm Hye-seo down, Haneul nodded.
"Drop the first digit generously, and yeah, about that much. Wanna taste 500-million-year-old cooking skills? You hungry? Let's have that gratin. Got ingredients? If not, we can buy some."
"You want gratin? Here? For real?"
"Yeah, been craving it after thinking about it. With tons of meat. But chopped fine. You know what I mean, right?"
"Chopped fine..."
Hye-seo glanced back at the spot where the corpses had been and flinched, shoulders trembling. She looked like she might dry-heave.
"I... I don't want meat right now. Salad... I'll have salad."
"Cool. Wanna go shopping?"
"...What if this happens again?"
"We gotta accept it 'cause we're too pretty. Same as how the Earth is round."
After fidgeting with her lips for a while, Hye-seo burst out laughing.
"Nah, no need to shop. You sit, Haneul. I'll cook."
"Isn't a demon doing it anyway?"
"Are you a T, Haneul?"
"Huh?"
"...Never mind."
"Okay."
Thinking it was the demons anyway, Haneul was surprised when Hye-seo headed to the kitchen herself. There were poisons lurking everywhere, but someone like Hye-seo was probably immune to all of them. Leaning on the table, Haneul gazed out at the scenery.
"Was aiming for the noble lady route, but ended up starting as an innkeeper."
Still, the corpse smell permeating the inn wasn't entirely unwelcome.
*****
After eating the cheese-tomato gratin Hye-seo made, they searched the inn. And they actually found the ledger Malcolm had mentioned.
She'd assumed it was a lie at first, but he must've been an honest guy after all.
"...Do we really need the ledger that bad?"
"What do you think's in it?"
"...Uh, victims?"
"Nah, this is... hmm? What's the opposite of victim? Non-victim? Anti-victim? Culprit? Sinner?"
"Perpetrator."
"Right, it's a list of perpetrators. Nobles who bought people, you could say. Or maybe brothels."
At "perpetrator list," Hye-seo's eyes wavered.
"You can tell where they live from looking, right, Haneul?"
"Famous nobles, yeah. Why? Gonna track 'em down?"
"In case there are victims. Sh-shouldn't we rescue them...?"
It was utterly righteous. But also completely pie-in-the-sky.
This many perpetrators meant that many victims. And would all these perps be satisfied with just one or two? No way. At least three per person.
"Over a hundred at minimum. Rescue 'em all, then what about their jobs? If they're from other cities or countries, travel money home? Food and beds every day?"
Most jobs went to slaves. And as mentioned, slaves here were treated like a whole different species.
Travel money? Sure, give it. But they'd probably get robbed on the way.
Food and shelter. This inn had maybe 20 rooms max. Cram 'em in, you could fit about 100. But after that?
Feed 'em forever? Back to square one: jobs. Family waiting? No guarantee families were even alive. Kid, parent, wife, husband gone—they'd search, but would these rich perps let that slide?
Even if sane and alive, a normal family might've sold them themselves.
"Uh-uh..."
"Some might've survived with family. Should we deliver the corpses? Commoners can't afford funerals, so they just burn 'em in the backyard. They'd see all the gruesome traces. Or sell the bodies. Pretty corpses have demand. Commoners gotta make money somehow."
Hye-seo paled as Haneul explained. Savoring her reaction, Haneul's eyes sparkled as she continued.
"See? Slaves or commoners, living like people? Nobles so arrogant, right? Gods ignoring this world—infuriating, huh?"
Hye-seo didn't answer, but her heavy silence was answer enough.
"That's why we have to start a revolution."
Finishing, Haneul inwardly marveled. Whoa, I just said that perfectly. Unreal. So cool. Epic. No wonder Eve ate the fruit again. Chills.
It was well-said. Proof: Hye-seo's eyes had changed. Even Haneul was convinced. Midway through, she thought, Oh? Is this why revolutions happen?
"Maybe I rushed it. So... pick one and visit first?"
"Thought so at first, but now? No need."
Skimming the ledger fast, Haneul scratched her nose.
"With deals this big, if it's quiet too long, they'll come check themselves."
Even nobles couldn't handle dirty work remotely.
"Th-the brothel owner?"
"Hye-seo, you know how to run a brothel?"
"...As if."
"Then close the brothel, focus on the inn."
"Aren't we noble ladies...?"
"Noble ladies live behind thick masks. Ours is innkeeper."
The inn cleaning was mostly done. Watching a demon spread citronella everywhere, Haneul glanced at locked doors, closed windows, and the kitchen in turn.
"Any back door here?"
"No back door in the kitchen."
"None in other rooms either."
Tilting her head, Haneul suddenly jumped up and started stomping around—thud thud.
She roamed corners, tapping the floor. Then Hye-seo and Haneul's eyes widened simultaneously.
Amid the thuds came hollow thunks.
Haneul retraced her steps and tapped again. Thunk thunk—her hand sank into the floor.
Crack—crunch—swinging her hand a few times tore up the wood, revealing a thick iron plate.
Without hesitation, Haneul ripped it off. Below was a hidden passage: short ladder, mana stone lights illuminating a tunnel.
"Gotta have a tunnel for human trafficking. Hand-dug, even? Wow, this guy hustled."
Haneul deeply sniffed the tunnel. Not an ant nest of paths. Steady wind scent meant it led to one spot in the city.
Nobles using tunnels like this. Desperate to buy people?
Yeah, for honor and dignity.
"So... leave it open?"
"Yeah, for airflow."
Hye-seo blinked. Haneul got sharp sometimes, and it always threw her.
"Ah...? Right. Open other end means airflow—they notice and come. Wow..."
"Yeah, probably one soon."
Haneul cut off, finger to lips.
Hye-seo clamped her mouth with both hands, listening.
Step—step—perfectly even footsteps approaching.
Male. Beyond basic training, steps trained to kill. No heavy armor, but heavy sound suggested something underneath. Calf and metal clinking: long sword. But clear ring—not ordinary steel.
From vast memories, Haneul pinpointed the metal. Northern?
City north over mountains. Metal there rang pure. Not for commoners. Nobles gifted it.
Sword of that? High noble, likely from north. Perfect match for what Haneul sought.
Her lips mouthed in awe: Noble.
Hye-seo's eyes sharpened. The citronella demon froze, erasing its presence.
Don't kill right away.
Reading Haneul's lips, Hye-seo tilted her head. Haneul killed them all—why tell her?
Actually, Haneul was talking to herself. She resolved: No killing.
Tie up first, talk. Wait, tie and talk—slap once okay? One cheek, then the other per Yahweh?
"You the new—"
Crack!
Haneul's palm whipped the cheek of the man climbing the ladder.
"Whoa, startled me."
Thud crash—he tumbled down.
"Slipped out from surprise."
Haneul smacked her slapping left hand and looked at Hye-seo.
"Not dead, right?"
No answer from stunned Hye-seo. Panicking, Haneul leaped into the passage.
"Huh?"
Or tried to.
"Uh...?"
Seeing the man's face, Haneul's brows furrowed. One of the few people etched clearly in her ancient memories.
"Raman?"
The slapped, unconscious man was her teacher who'd taught her the world's language—and helped her leave the city.
"A noble?"
Why come here? Pondering, Haneul fetched rope and bound him tight.
"Tie first, think later."
Absurd that her benefactor might be corrupt, but she did what needed doing.